12th December

ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE GAINS TOP TEN RANKING IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

An English sparkling wine has once again triumphed in an international competition.  Theale Vineyard Sparkling Chardonnay 2003 beat off stiff competition from fine Champagnes and top sparkling wines to make it into the world’s Top Ten Sparkling Wine at the world’s only dedicated sparkling wine competition, French-based Effervescents du Monde  (sparkling wines of the world) 2007. 

Since its first wine was launched in 2006 this small vineyard, which measures only 200 square metres (2150 sq feet), and planted with 704 Chardonnay vines, has received a growing list of top plaudits from the world’s best wine judges.  The same wine also received a Silver Medal at the world’s premier wine competition, The International Wine Challenge, held earlier this year. 

The Theale Vineyard is sited in front of the offices of Laithwaites, Britain’s leading independent wine merchant, in Berkshire.  When Laithwaites built their new premises on a brown field site in 1998, a shrub border was due to be planted over debris from the previous building.  However, Tony Laithwaite, the company’s owner and a geographer by training, saw an opportunity to experiment with growing vines to produce a unique English wine. An artificial hill facing south was fashioned with suitable topsoil and planted with Chardonnay vines imported from Champagne in 2000.   The vineyard is managed by award-winning sparkling wine producer RidgeView Wine Estate, who also makes the wine under contract.

Only 756 bottles of this 100% Chardonnay wine were made.  It can be purchased in person for £22.99 per bottle from the Laithwaites shop in Theale or by calling 0870 4448282 for home delivery.

Tony Laithwaite is delighted with the wine’s success:”We don't really know why the sparkling wine from this vineyard has proved so successful.  Perhaps it is due to the carefully built south-facing slope or the shelter and heat from the surrounding buildings? Certainly Ridgeview’s skills and the dedication of the team who keep the vineyard immaculate have lead to its success.”

Another English wine produced by Ridgeview, this time exclusively for The Sunday Times Wine Club and Laithwaites – Ridgeview Merret South Ridge 2005 – added to the English success in the same competition with a Silver medal.  The wine, with a cepage of predominantly Chardonnay, with Pinots Noir and Meunier, has enjoyed consistent success in this competition, with Silver medals awarded twice before to previous vintages.  South Ridge is available from the Sunday Times Wine Club and Laithwaites, price £15.99 per bottle.

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11th December

"The Gourmet Wine Company"

VINEYARD AND RESTAURANT OPEN NEW WINE SHOP

Jabajak restaurant and vineyard, based near Whitland in Camarthenshire, have opened a new wine shop and tasting lounge – The Gourmet Wine Company.  The new portfolio will feature wines from all over the world, including England.  

Most of the wines listed are from small producers, from tiny cooperatives in the Mountains of North Western Spain, to a small family run operation in the Sacramento Valley in California and lesser known wine producing areas like Rust, in Austria.

The full wine list will soon be available on line to view and buy from  www.thegourmetwinecompany.co.uk.

Wine from Three Choirs, who have been advising Jabajak on their own vineyard, is available to buy from the new list, and can also be enjoyed in their restaurant by the bottle or glass.

You can sign up to receive Jabajak's newsletter by contacting info@jabajak.co.uk, for regular news on their restaurant, accommodation, functions and other events.

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10th December

ENGLISH WINE REALLY IS THE TOAST OF CHRISTMAS

English wine will give Champagne and claret a run for their money this Christmas following Waitrose reports that its English wine sales have risen an incredible 120% year-on-year.

English sparkling wine sales are contributing to this outstanding increase. During November, Waitrose English sparkling wine experienced a sales uplift of 360% as customers, encouraged by its excellent quality, stocked up on their favourite British bubbly.

According to Waitrose, English wine is continually outselling wines from California, Alsace, Germany and Portugal and looks set to become the tipple of choice this festive season. In November, English wine outsold claret on Waitrose.com, the supermarket’s on-line service.

The Waitrose wine buying team, which includes five Masters of Wine, now takes English wine as seriously as any European or New World wine. Waitrose currently stocks wines from 11 UK vineyards and plans to increase its range still further in 2008.

English wine specialist Justin Howard-Sneyd, Waitrose Master of Wine, explained:

“English wines used to be regarded as the Cinderellas of the wine world – but now they are taking centre stage, and deservedly so."

“With the UK’s increasingly warm summers and the skills and expertise of English wine makers, English wine has seen a significant improvement in quality. It is also a great choice for customers wanting to try something a little different this Christmas.”

Every Waitrose shop in the wine-producing regions of England will have a range of between two and ten English wines, with a good proportion of Waitrose’s English wine selection available through Waitrose.com, Waitrose’s on-line service, including its best-selling Taste of England case, containing a mix of 12 English wines, £75.

Waitrose has scooped more major wine awards than any other supermarket. These include Best Supermarket of the Year at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2007, Off Licence News Multiple Wine Retailer 2007 and Supermarket of the Year 2007

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7th December

A TRULY CORNISH CELEBRATION WITH THE ARCHITECTURAL ELITE

‘Cornish Fizzy and Canapés’ was the invitation issued to the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects to celebrate the instalment of their new Master, Jonathan Ball MBE, AA Dipl RIBA ACI Arb, FRSA.

To celebrate the Master’s strong Cornish ties, award-winning sparkling wine Camel Valley ‘Cornwall’ Brut 2005 was served to guests at the celebration, which recently took place at The Athenaeum Club in central London.  

Jonathan Ball, a Cornishman born and bred, proudly announced that the wine served was from his home county during his welcome speech.

The many accolades in national and international wine competitions gained by Camel Valley for its wines were further expanded upon by Architect and Master of Wine, Patricia Stefanowicz.  Guests were informed that Sam Lindo, son of proprietors Bob and Annie, and now winemaker at the vineyard, had scooped the much coveted trophy for Winemaker of the Year in this year’s national competition, The English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition.  It was clear to see that the wine was much enjoyed by all those present.

                    Jonathan Ball MBE and Patricia Stefanowicz enjoy a glass of 'Cornwall'

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5th December

AN ORGANIC TIPPLE FOR LUCKY RICHARD………….

ORGANIC WINE FOR AN ORGANIC FARMER

Organic farmer Richard Browning had a real surprise recently when he heard that he was the lucky winner of the prize draw organised by Ilex Organics at this summer’s National Organic Cereal Events organised by the Soil Association.

The prize, a case of Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard’s top medal winning wines was presented to a delighted Richard at Tey Brook Farm near Colchester, where he and his family run a mixed organic farm growing cereals and vegetables alongside a herd of pedigree Hereford cattle. Richard has a thriving retail operation based on his farm shop and an expanding box scheme operating in and around Colchester.

Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard, founded by Roy and Irma Cook back in 1979 and situated in 1066 country near Hastings is the oldest and largest producer of organic wine in England. Their red, white and sparkling wines - all Soil Association certified organic - embody all that is best in organic produce. The shop is open daily along with Vineyard & Woodland Nature Trail and wine tasting.

Cheers Richard!

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7th November

DENBIES WINE ESTATE AWARDED INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION 'UK WINE PRODUCER OF THE  YEAR'

Denbies Wine Estate was the recipient of the International Wine and Spirit competition UK Wine Producer of the Year 2007 at the IWSC competition dinner held in London yesterday evening.

In the ever increasing competitive market with key English wine producers receiving international awards, Denbies was honoured to be the recipient of this coveted trophy.  The UK Wine producer of the Year is a reflection of the dedication of English wine growers to meet and maintain high quality and consistent standards. 

Denbies has now received International awards for all of its sparkling range, which includes the International Wine Challenge gold award and English Trophy for Greenfields Cuvee 2003.  In September 2007, Denbies Wine Estate was acknowledged as one of the top four champagne/sparkling wine producers in the world at The International Wine Challenge Awards 2007. In elite company, Denbies Greenfields Sparkling Cuvee was competing against Champagne Fleury – millesime 1996, Charles Heidsieck ‘Champagne Charlie ’81 and Heidseick Brut Reserve 2003.

Denbies wine is available throughout the South-east and on-line www.denbies.co.uk. Denbies was recently invited to supply wine to Claridges, one of London’s premier hotels, the first English wine to be listed.

Marcus Sharp, Denbies' Winemaker

Denbies is situated in the North Downs, and benefits from identical soil as the champagne region in France. The family owned and run estate is located near Dorking, Surrey, and at 265 acres is the largest single estate vineyard in the UK.

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6th November

ULTIMATE GASTRONOMIC AWARD FOR ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE

English sparkling wine specialists RidgeView have been awarded one of the highest honours in the food and drink industry by the British Academy of Gastronomes. Egon Ronay founded the epicurean organisation and each year the Academy awards the Grand Prix of Gastronomy to the person, venture or product which has done most for gastronomy in the previous 12 months. The 2007 trophy has been awarded to RidgeView Merret Sparkling Wines. This very prestigious honour is a first for English Wine and highlights the recent renaissance in the sparkling wines being produced in this country. RidgeView are in very good company as previous winners of the trophy include Jane Grigson, Albert and Michel Roux, Somerset Cheddar and Prince Charles for the revival of mutton.

The trophy was awarded to RidgeView last night at the British Academy of Gastronomes Grand Prix Dinner at the Dorchester. Founder and Director of RidgeView Mike Roberts said “It was a wonderful honour from such a prestigious group of people. It is a fantastic mark of respect for our family Company and English sparkling wines in general”. The British Academy of Gastronomes was founded by Egon Ronay in 1983.  Its aim is to encourage the improvement of the standard of food and beverages in the UK and Ireland. All members of the Academy are non-professional and exceptionally well informed gastronomes from all walks of life.

Michael Roberts (left) receives

The Grand Prix of Gastronomy 2007

from Egon Ronay, founding president of the Academy

RidgeView have been producing sparkling wine for the past 8 years. The family run company has had incredible success in such a short time with 80 medals and 16 trophies. Past accolades include the Trophy for the Best Sparkling Wine in the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2005, Best International Rosé in the French competition Rosé du Mondial 2007 and last year their wine was served for Her Majesty’s 80th Birthday banquet. Due to such fantastic successes RidgeView are only just satisfying current demand for their sparkling wine and are now preparing a five-fold increase in production.

An article written by Egon Ronay for Times Online on English sparkling wines is available to view.  'English Fizz For Christmas' was published 21st November 2007:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article2909495.ece

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5th November

CORNISH SPARKLING WINE TO BE SERVED AT STATE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT

Tomorrow's State Opening of Parliament will be celebrated in style with a toast of Cornish sparkling wine.  Camel Valley's Award winning Cornwall will be served at Westminster to mark the start of the new session, as reported on BBC's South West Politics Show.

It's been a busy year for awards for Camel Valley Vineyards, based near Bodmin in Cornwall.  The 'Cornwall' Brut 2005 won a Silver Medal in this year's International Wine Challenge, as well as a Gold in the national competition, the English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition.  Gold medals were also awarded to their two other sparkling wines as well as another Silver from the International Wine Challenge.  The icing on the cake was the award of UK Winemaker of the Year going to Sam Lindo, winemaker at Camel Valley.

‘It’s really nice to know that Camel Valley will be representing the English Wine industry at the State opening of Parliament," commented Bob Lindo, Proprietor of Camel Valley Vineyards.  "It’s come on top of Sam Lindo being named ‘UK Winemaker of the Year’ and winning 3 Gold Medals and it crowns a very successful year for Camel Valley"

                                                       Bob & Sam Lindo

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1st November

REGIONAL FOOD & DRINK PIONEER RAISES A FAREWELL TOAST TO ENGLISH WINE CENTRE

After 35 years raising the profile of regional wine and food Christopher Ann has sold the English Wine Centre in East Sussex.

The centre, in the Cuckmere Valley at the foot of the South Downs near the village of Alfriston, is the only one of its kind in the country and has been at the hub of the English wine industry since the days when very few people had heard about English wine, let alone tasted it. Christopher's own passion for regional food, which again began long before food became so fashionable and 'food miles' hit the headlines, led to him opening the wine centre in 1972 and founding the English Wine Festival, which recently celebrated its 33rd year and is the longest running event of its kind.

The wine centre has been bought by husband and wife team Colin and Christine Munday, who have lived in East Sussex for 30 years. The couple's business lives had previously been centred in London and they wanted to leave the capital to work together and combine their own love of good food and wine. They will officially take over the wine centre from Christopher on January 10th, 2008, and will continue to employ the current team of staff.

                  left to right, Colin Munday, Christopher Ann and Christine Munday

The sale marks another milestone in the history of the wine centre, on land originally owned by Christopher's father, Captain Douglas Ann, who opened Drusillas Thatched Barn restaurant serving home-cooked food and keeping rare and regional breeds of cattle, pigs and sheep that were part of the formative years of Drusillas zoo park.

After taking over the business with his brother Michael, Christopher began researching traditional Sussex recipes, such as Sussex Pond Pudding and Chiddingly Hot Pot, which he also served while running the catering operation at nearby Michelham Priory for a total of 15 years.

"Everyone that experienced these dishes loved them, but still it was not possible to convince the majority that the way forward was almost back," he said. In tandem with the country's emerging wine industry, in 1978 Christopher became founder chairman of the Weald and Downland Vineyards Association and in 1985 compiled a small leaflet listing a few local producers, which lead to the formation of a fledgling organisation encouraging shoppers to buy locally and businesses to stock and serve local fare. It marked the birth of A Taste of Sussex, which is now under the umbrella of Sussex Enterprise.

There were no limits to the promotional lengths Christopher was prepared to go to in turning the spotlight on regional food and drink. This included an English wine run to Paris, in light-hearted opposition to the annual Beaujolais Nouveau run, and linking the Cuckmere Valley with Mereville in France, the first rural link of its kind that was later awarded a European Flag in recognition of the work involved. This twinning also resulted in the formation of the Cuckmere Valley Boules Club, which now has nearly 100 members who play three times a week on the wine centre's eight petanque pitches.

Christopher said: "However much I have enjoyed being involved in the English wine industry there comes a stage when we all have to plan ahead for our retirement. I am delighted that Colin and Christine are keen to maintain the ethos of the business, while giving the boost of enthusiasm that is so essential in such an unusual place."

Colin and Christine are both bringing a diverse range of skills to the wine centre, which has a shop, wine museum that is also used for private and corporate events and a 17th century barn which is particularly popular for wedding receptions. Christine worked at a London management consultants and stockbrokers before a complete change of scene working as a perfume mixer. Also a calligrapher and designer, after bringing up their family she recently designed and refurbished five properties and obtained degrees in literature and completed courses on food and fine cooking at Leith's School of Food and Wine in London.

Colin - who went to the same grammar school in Dartford as Mick Jagger but missed him by three months! - studied tax, law and accounting before becoming a chartered accountant. Specialising in tax and business, he was finance director and manager of several advertising and communication companies over a period of 22 years and worked around the world in Europe, Japan and the USA. Eight years ago he co-launched a brand and communication research company, which now has offices in the London and Paris and the USA.

"I am also a lover of food and wine and wanted to leave London and the world of advertising to work with Christine," he said. "A great opportunity occurred to purchase the English Wine Centre and build from the good base that Christopher and his employees have worked so hard to achieve."

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30th October

NEW TERM AT PLUMPTON COLLEGE

Recently opened Wine Studies Centre opens its doors for the first time

The latest bunch of happy students have enrolled on the Wine Studies courses at Plumpton College.  This year has seen record numbers of students enrolling for all courses at Plumpton College.

The College offers unique and very successful Wine courses, ranging from many part time courses, through to Degree level. Full time courses are available as Foundation Degrees in Wine Business and Wine Production with a unique BSc degree in Viticulture and Oenology. All the courses can be taken on either a full time or a part time basis, and Plumpton College aims to be as flexible as possible in terms of accommodating students' needs.

All the Wine courses at Plumpton College are sponsored by Oddbins and Vignobles Investissment Transaction.   Wine Studies students study in a new, state-of-the art commercial Winery and gain much benefit from three college-run vineyards, producing award-winning wines.

Find out more about Wine Studies courses at  Plumpton College at the next Information Morning on Saturday 10 November 2007. This occasion will allow an ideal opportunity to discuss all aspects of its courses with staff as well as meet current students.

Contact:   Mr Chris Foss, Head, Wine Studies, Plumpton College

Plumpton College

Ditchling Road | Plumpton | Nr Lewes | East Sussex | BN7 3AE

T: + 44 (0) 1273 890454 | F: + 44 (0) 1273 890071 

email: Chris.Foss@plumpton.ac.uk| website: www.plumpton.ac.uk  

          The pick of the bunch, pictured outside the Winery at Plumpton College

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TELEGRAPH TRAVEL CRITIC PRAISES JABAJAK RESTAURANT AND VINEYARD

Jabajak, in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, is a vineyard and a restaurant with rooms, owned and run by Amanda and Julian Stuart-Robson.

It was recently visited by Daily Telegraph critic, Paddy Burt, who wrote it up in the Travel section of the Saturday Telegraph recently (20th October) and gave Jabajak a praiseworthy account, being particularly complimentary about their menu, with seasonal dishes from locally sourced and grown produce.

The vineyard was recently planted and comprises red and white varieties, including Pinot Noir and Huxelrebe.  When in production the vineyard will produce still white and sparkling varieties.

We are delighted with the review especially as so many restaurants and hotels have fallen prey to her reviews," commented Julian.  "She has actually awarded us 5 stars which really is fantastic."

You can read the full article on

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/10/20/et-room-service-120.xml

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29th October

DEVON WINES STLL IN THE HEADLINES

The wines of Devon are certainly being well supported within their region.   After producing their Devon Wine Trail earlier in the year, in time for English Wine Week, publicity continues from strength to strength.

Look out for a feature in Devon Today, when their November issue will feature a range of English wines to drink with food at Christmas. 

Sunday Telegraph wine correspondant Susy Atkins recently held a very positive wine tasting at the Ashburton Cookery School, featuring a range of wines from Devon.  Further information on this and the other talks and tastings that Susy undertakes are on her website www.susyatkins.co.uk

Further copies of the Devon Wine Trail are still available either through English Wine Producers or from Yearlstone Vineyard.

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23rd October

CHAMPAGNE ROEDERER LOOKS AT POTENTIAL VINELAND IN ENGLAND

Celebrated Champagne house, Louis Roederer, has recently been exploring potential vineyard land in the South East of England, with a view to producing sparkling wine.

Frederic Rouzaud, President of Roederer, and his Vineyard Director Jean-Baptiste Lacaillon visited potential land sites in Kent and Sussex in September, accompanied by wine consultant Stephen Skelton MW.  With land prices in the South East of England near a tenth of the value of that in Champagne, England presents a viable business option. 

'They looked at an unplanted site which is for sale, and three existing vineyards, two in Kent and one in West Sussex,' said Skelton. 'We discussed things like soils, yields, sugar levels and the different clones that are used here.'

'We had fantastic visits with some dynamic new growers and very interesting discussions,' Monsieur Lecaillon said. 'We will keep in touch and watch their development over the next two or so years. Maybe in three to five years this will go further in a joint venture.'

Source: decanter.com

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22nd October

ENGLISH WINE CELEBRATES SUCCESS AT TESCO DRINKS AWARDS

The results of the Tesco Drinks Awards 2008 have just been announced.  For the first time this year an English wine category was introduced, where rosé proved the outright winner, scooping awards in the sparkling and still wine sections.  Both winners are guaranteed regional listings at Tesco stores.

The English wine winners were for sparkling: Hush Heath Balfour Brut Rosé 2004 and for still rosé: Celebration Rosé, from Wickham Vineyard.  Brightwell’s Bacchus 2006 was a runner up in the still wine category.  The awards were presented by Dan Jago, Category Director Beers Wines and Spirits, at the awards ceremony on Friday 19th October.

The Tesco Drinks Awards, now in its 15th year, were open to all products not previously listed in a major national retailer, and were expanded and revitalised to include spirits and UK wines for the first time.  All the winners, which also comprised categories in ale, spirits and organic wines, are new to the UK multiple market.

This was the largest ever Tesco Drinks Awards, with over 400 products – all of them never before listed at a national level. Products were judged blind by teams of experts recruited from the industry and press.

Dan Jago commented “At Tesco we are committed to bringing new, exciting products to the market. Great drinks deserve shelf-space and a chance to gain access to the UK consumer, and that is exactly what these Awards are designed to achieve.”

The winners will appear in-store early next year.

 Dan Jago of Tesco presenting certificate to             Certificate presented to Gordon Channon

    Karen Hargreaves of Hush Heath Estate                               of Wickham Vineyards

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19th October

FURTHER EXPANSION OF CHAPEL DOWN VINEYARDS

Chapel Down Wines, the largest producer in the UK, has purchased a further 116 acres in the North Downs, near Aylesford.  The site is prime chalk soil, ideal for sparkling wine production, and will, when in full production, expand Chapel Down’s sparkling wine output to 1 million bottles.

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24th September

GLYNDE FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL WINNERS TOAST SUCCESS

English wine c ompetition winners announced

There was air of celebration on the first day of the Glynde Food & Drink Festival, the new home of the English Wine Festival.  Traditionally, wines from exhibiting vineyards are entered in to a festival competition.  This year's festival competition was judged by an eminent line up of experienced tasters: wine writers Charles Metcalfe and Olly Smith, wine merchant Henry Butler and English Wine Centre owner (and founder of the English Wine Festival) Christopher Ann.

As Chairman of Judges, Charles Metcalfe presented the prizes to the following winners:

Best Sparkling

Winner: Breaky Bottom Cuvee Alexandre Brut 2003

Runner Up: Stanlake Park Hinton Grove NV

Best White

Winner: Biddenden Ortega 2006

Runner Up: Stanlake Park Bacchus 2006

Best Rose

Winner: Biddenden Gribble Bridge Rose 2006

Runner Up: Stanlake Park Pinot Blush 2006

Best Red

Winner: Plumpton Pinot Noir

Runner Up: A'Beckett's Estate Red 2005

The Wine of the Show was presented to Breaky Bottom for the sparkling wine.

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13th September

MAD DOGS & ENGLISH WINE ON A BICYCLE MADE FOR TWO

Two Brighton men are getting ready to take to the roads of Europe on a tandem - with a pannier full of English wine - to raise money for the only children's hospice in Sussex.

After forming the initial idea, which naturally enough evolved over a glass or two of wine, Henry Butler and Andy Martin are now starting to plan their route, which will take them through France and across the Alps to Bra in north west Italy, the headquarters of the Slow Food organisation.

They will launch their fundraising campaign for Chestnut Tree House, near Arundel, at the Glynde Food & Drink Festival being held later this month. This year's festival will also incorporate the 33rd English Wine Festival and has provided Henry and Andy with an ideal launch pad for their epic bike ride.

Henry owns Butlers Wine Cellar in Brighton's Queen's Park and is a keen supporter of the slow food movement, which began in Italy in 1989 as the antithesis to fast food. Andy, who works in London as an IT consultant, is equally passionate about good food and wine.

"We did a wine tasting and auction in aid of the hospice and that is how the idea first started," said Henry. "Chestnut Tree House is the only children's hospice in Sussex and costs around £2 million per year to run. Families are not charged for their care and the hospice receives no government funding at all, so it relies completely on the generosity, help and support of the people of Sussex.

"The aim is to set off from the English Wine Centre at Alfriston with bottles of wine that win awards at the Glynde Food & Drink Festival and then catch the Newhaven ferry to Dieppe. From there we will visit Jacquesson in the Champagne region, travel up to the mountains of Alsace to see the bio-dynamic winemaker Domaine Ostertag and about turn to Burgundy to meet the Bret Brothers before working our way through Rhone and the Alps to Bra in north west Italy. Along the way we will arrange English wine tastings with groups of French people and hopefully raise awareness about English wine and money for the hospice."

While the pair source a tandem they have been taking to the roads around Brighton on separate bicycles to start getting fit for next summer's bike ride and anyone interested in supporting them can find out more by visiting their stand at the food festival taking place on Saturday and Sunday, Septemnber 22nd and 23rd.

More information on the fundraising is available on www.maddogsandenglishwine.com

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10th September

ALL SET FOR THE GLYNDE FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL - THE NEW HOME OF THE ENGLISH WINE FESTIVAL

The English Wine Festival is soon upon us - as part of the Glynde Food & Drink Festival, taking place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd September. 

It is the second year Glynde has staged the festival and this year's event will provide plenty of attractions for food and drink enthusiasts of all ages. 

Following the success of the Kids' Kitchen at last year's festival, author and television presenter Amanda Grant will be staging even more foodie events for budding young chefs. Other festival highlights include talks by Peter Bayless, winner of BBC MasterChef 2006 and a packed programme of talks, demonstrations and tastings.

Set in the magnificent grounds of the Elizabethan manor house against the backdrop of the South Downs, food and drink lovers will be able to sample a wide range of fine produce from selected producers, including an oyster bar, farmhouse meats, ethnic cuisine, dairy, bakery, organic foods, spices and accompaniments.

The festival will be open from 10.30am to 5pm on both days and tickets cost £6, or £8 including a festival glass, if bought in advance, and £4 for concessions. On the day they will cost £8, £10 and £5 respectively. There is free entry for children aged 12 or under.

Further information and tickets are available from Glynde Place on 01273 858 224 and the festival website at www.glynde.co.uk.

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27th July

ROYAL VISIT TO LEVENTHORPE VINEYARD

A First for English Wine

                                    George Bowden (left) with HRH Duke of Kent

His Royal Highnes the Duke of Kent became one of the first ever members of the Royal Family to visit an English vineyard, when he visited Leventhorpe Vineyard near Leeds.

The visit was organised following proprietor and winemaker George Bowden's nomination for the Queen's Award for Enterprise.  The Lord Lieutenant, Dr Ingrid Roscoe, and the Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds were also in attendance.

The Duke was greeted and shown round the vineyard and winery by George Bowden.  Being one of the better summer days, plenty of time was spent visiting the vineyard to inspect the vines.  This was followed by a tasting of Leventhorpe's Madeleine Angevine which met with royal approval.

This was the highlight of a very busy and successful year for Leventhorpe, currently the most northerly commercial vineyard in England.

The visit proved a great success for all concerned, and was particularly pleasing that the royal visitor was 'astonished' by the quality of the Yorkshire wine he had tasted.

18th July

FRENCH TROPHY FOR ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE

English sparkling wine producers RidgeView Wine Estate have won the ultimate accolade for their Rosé wine; a Trophy in France. Not content with winning medals in International and domestic competitions they are now sending their wine over to France to be rated alongside the best in the world. Le Mondial de Rosé, (The World of Rosé wines) has entries from around the globe competing for the title of the best Rosé. RidgeView’s Merret Fitzrovia 2004 won the coveted Jean Feraud trophy in the 2007 competition for the Best International Sparkling Rosé.

General Manager Tamara Roberts collected the award at the presentation ceremony at Chateau de Berne in South West France on the Cóte d’Azur near Nice.  “It was a great honour for our Rosé to be so highly regarded in Provence, a region of France which has been making Rosé wines for centuries.  There was much interest and a significant amount of knowledge and support of the wines now being produced in England by those attending the awards ceremony. I received a very warm reception”.   

RidgeView have been producing sparkling wine for the past 8 years, and are no strangers to awards, with 80 medals and 15 trophies to date.  Their sparkling wine was the only English Wine on the menu for the Queens 80th Birthday lunch. As a result of these successes, and resulting publicity, RidgeView are only just satisfying current demand for their wine and many stockists are on allocation basis only. They are now planning a five-fold production increase within the next 5 years to accommodate for the growth in popularity.

The RidgeView Merret Fitzrovia (Rosé) 2004 can be found at selected Waitrose, The Wine Society, Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and other speciality resellers around the country.

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9th July

NEW WINES LAUNCH WEEKEND AT STANLAKE PARK

Stanlake Park in Berkshire will be launching 4 new wines later this month, over the weekend of 28th & 29th July.  4 new varietal wines from Stanlake from 2005 will be available to taste and buy: Ortega (dry white), Madeleine (very slightly off dry), Gewurztraminer (dry) and Bacchus (off dry).  Discounts will be available on purchases of 6 and 12 bottles of any of these wines.

Further events at Stanlake will be taking place later in the year - namely the release of their Ruscombe Red 2006 on 22nd/23rd September, and their Christmas Gift Fayre, 23rd-25th November - definitely a date for the diary!

Further information is availble on the Events pages, or by contacting Stanlake Park direct on 0118 934 0176.

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6th July

NEW VENUE FOR 2007 ENGLISH WINE FESTIVAL

The country’s longest running English wine festival is moving to a new venue at Glynde Place in East Sussex.

Following the successful launch of the Glynde Food & Drink Festival in 2006, this year’s event will incorporate the 33rd English Wine Festival.  The move will ensure the future of the popular festival and complement the new gastronomic showcase, which attracted 1,200 visitors last year.

It will take place in the magnificent grounds of the Elizabethan manor house on Saturday and Sunday, September 22nd and 23rd. Against the backdrop of the South Downs, food and drink lovers will be able to sample a wide range of fine produce from selected producers, including an oyster bar, farmhouse meats, ethnic cuisine, dairy, bakery, organic foods, spices and accompaniments.

Throughout the weekend there will be demonstrations and talks, plus Amanda Grant’s Kids’ Kitchen that proved a huge hit last year. In keeping with the traditions of the wine festival, a panel of experts will select the wine of the show and members of the public will be able to vote for their favourite wines.

Francis Brand, co-organiser of the Glynde Food and Drink Festival said: It’s a very exciting time for wine in this country. More and more people are realising the fantastic wealth of wine and food produced in the UK.  I hope that with the move of the English Wine Festival to Glynde Place and the obvious synergies between it and the Glynde Food & Drink Festival, we’ll create a forum for vineyards, food producers and consumers to meet and have a really good time.”

Francis Brand, Glynde Festival Organiser

Christopher Ann, who owns the English Wine Centre at nearby Alfriston, started the English Wine Festival in 1975.   Christopher said: “I’m delighted this important event is to be taken on by Glynde Place. The venue is stunning, with plenty of parking and space for marquees so the festival will be able to grow again to become a vital part of the promotion of English wine. Last year’s inaugural food festival was a huge success and will certainly give the wine festival a new lease of life, which will take it into the future. We look forward to welcoming old friends and new faces to this year’s event.”

Glynde Place is in the village of Glynde, three miles to the east of the county town of Lewes, and is an hourly train service from London.

Further information is available from Glynde Place on 01273 858224 and full details will be announced on the festival website coming soon at www.glynde.co.uk.

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18th June

FIRST ENGLISH WINE TROPHY AWARDED IN INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE

The International Wine Challenge announced the trophies awarded to the top wines in their field, and for the first time a trophy was awarded to an English wine.

The IWC announced that "The steady rise of England as a world class wine producing nation has been reconised once more.  This year, the IWC Judges felt that Denbies' Greenfields Brut 2003 merited the first ever English trophy."

This year in the IWC Challenge, English wines came out with a higher number of medals than in previous years, and included a gold medal, one of only 260 awarded, which went to Denbies Greenfields. 

This year 9,358 wines were judged from 35 different countries, by 400 judges. The judges came from 19 different countries and included 33 Masters of Wine. 260 Gold medals were awarded (representing 2.8% of the entry). 1,129 wines won Silver medals (12.1% of the total). The biggest change is in the percentage of Bronze medals awarded (19.7% of total entries) with 1,839 medals, 7% up on last year.

The medals were announced earlier in May at the UK's top wine trade event, the London International Wine & Spirits Trade Fair.  The Trophy announcements were made at the Bi-Annual Vinexpo, held in Bordeaux.

Illustration: Denbies Winemaker, Marcus Sharp, with a bottle of the winning wine

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LISTEN TO ENGLISH WINE PERSONALITIES

Chris Scott of ThirtyFifty.co.uk compiles a series of fascinating podcasts, which include interviews with wine personalities and specialists in their field.  A number of English wine personalities have been interviewed, and we thought it was worth highlighting them - they are interesting and informative and provide a real insight in to the world of English wine.  The full list of podcasts are on www.ukwineshow.co.uk

Julia Trustram Eve, English Wine Producers

To mark English Wine Week ThirtyFifty met up with Julia Trustram Eve, Marketing Manager for English Wine Producers, the Marketing Association for the English Wine Industry. We discuss issues including new Brussels legislation and global warming.

Chris White, Denbies Wine Estate

Denbies is England's largest vineyard and attracts 300,000 visitors a year. General Manager and son of the owner, Chris White, lets us in on the secret of Denbies' success.

George Bowden, Leventhorpe Vineyard

Leventhorpe Winery is a commercial vineyard and winery based in Leeds in the North of England. Owner George Bowden tells how he grows vines at the extreme edge of viticulture and why badgers, birds and hedgehogs are as much a hazard as frost and fungi.

Professor Richard Selley - Podcast1 & Podcast 2

Richard Selley is a Professor of Geology and a Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College, London. He explains how the different soil and rock types affect the vines that are grown on them.

Global Warming & Wine in Britain

Professor Selley shares with us his knowledge on climate change in Britain relating to wine.

Plumpton College

Chris Foss is Head of Wine Studies at Plumpton College in Sussex. He is half-French and Bordeaux-trained. Chris brings us up to speed on the wine courses on offer at Plumpton.

Michael Roberts, Ridgeview Wine Estate

Mike Roberts is the owner of Ridgeview Estate, a top English sparkling wine producer. His wines consistently win international awards so what makes them so successful and able to compete with Champagne?

Owen Elias, Chapel Down Wines

Owen Elias from Chapel Down talks to us about winemaking in the UK and how the industry has changed over the last decade from amateur hobbyist to professional business.

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30th May

'THE JUDGEMENT OF DEVON'

Devon Vs New Zealand Wine Competition

The 1st annual competition pitching New Zealand wines against new wave wines from Devon is being held during English Wine Week, on Thursday 31st May at the Devon Wine School, Crediton

The competition will be hosted and organised by Alastair Peebles, Master of Wine, former Director of Berry Brothers and Rudd and patron of the Devon Wine School. Alastair will ensure that everything is fair, above board and that the results are independent and valid.
 
The tasting will involve several very experienced wine tasters and judges including a citizen panel of wine enthusiasts in order to ensure that the wine drinking public have a voice. In addition to independent judges, members of the public there will be a New Zealand trained winemaker present to ensure that the Kiwi’s have their say.
 
All wines will be tasted totally ‘blind’ without any clue as to where they come from or what producer. The categories will be White (Classic), White (Aromatic), Red, Rose and Sparkling. 30 wines will be judged – 15 from Devon and 15 from New Zealand.
 
New Zealand was selected because of its cool, maritime climate (like Devon), its similarly aromatic grape varieties grown, its world class stature that was, until as recently as 15 years ago, unheard of. Pitching Devon against New Zealand is an extremely bold move and the odds must surely be stacked strongly in favour of the Kiwi’s.

All will be revealed during English Wine Week!

IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS OF AWARDS SO FAR IN THIS YEAR'S COMPETITIONS

This year's award winners in two major competitions have recently been revealed, and they include an impressive line up of medals for England.

The International Wine Challenge announced their awards last week at the London International Wine & Spirits Trade Fair and made the English wine awards line up one of their lead stories, which was picked up by much of the national media.

The awards showed improved form with 10 medals in 2005, 16 medals in 2006 and 21 in 2007. This year’s single UK Gold goes to Denbies Wine Estate Greenfields 2003, the Surrey vineyard’s top sparkling wine.  A number of still wines also achieved some impressive results.

The International Wine & Spirit Competition deferred announcing its 2007 English wine results until English Wine Week. 

This year, there were more entries from England than ever before; up nearly 50 % even on 2006. Twenty-six wines were awarded medals; with x5 Silver ‘Best in Class’ going to traditionally bottle-fermented sparkling wines but beyond this, a still wine from Nutbourne Vineyard and a rare dessert wine from Eglantine Vineyard also took this same acclaimed prize.

Each year an English wine trophy is awarded.  the winner however is not revealed until the IWSC Awards Dinner in October.

The full IWSC press release is available here.

A full list of awards from both competitions is available here.

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29th May

YAHOO ANSWERS POLL REVEAL ENGLISH WINE DRINKING HABITS

In the run up to English Wine Week, Yahoo Answers commissioned a poll amongst wine drinkers about how often they drink English wine.  The results unearthed some interesting features.

Some interesting answers were revealed in the survey, showing that there is still some way to go before the Brits integrate English wines in to their own wine drinking habits.

However there was some encouraging news for English producers, with 24 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to support British goods if they could, indicating the strong connection English wines have with regional food.  Notably, almost half (43%) of those polled believed there were less than 50 vineyards in England while there are actually close to 350.

The evidence was scrutinised by wine personality Matt Skinner, head of Wine Operations at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Restaurant in London, who is appearing on Yahoo! Answers during English Wine Week to answer questions and increase understanding about English wine. 

He said:  “People know so little about English wine so it's great that a vehicle like Yahoo! Answers can provide a platform where people can learn more about the subject through asking questions. When I was first approached to try English wine I too was sceptical but, after my first glass, I was amazed.”

A full press release about the poll is available here

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22nd May

NEW DEVON WINE TRAIL LEAFLET LAUNCHED FOR ENGLISH WINE WEEK

A new wine trail outlinint vineyards to visit in Devon has been launched for English Wine Week.  The Trail lists vineyards that are opening to the public, outlining opening times throughout the year, and contains a useful introduction by wine writer Mark Lane.  You can request a free copy of the leaflet from English Wine Producers or by contacting Yearlstone Vineyard.  A downloadable pdf version is available here.

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21st May

CAMEL VALLEY IN TOP 100 ROSÉ TASTING

Camel Valley Vineyards have had one of their wines selected for a line up of the world's top 100 rosés.

Camel Valley Pinot Rosé sparkling will feature in The Top 100 rosé tasting, to be showcased at the forthcoming London Wine & Spirits Trade Fair, one of the world's leading events for the wine trade.

The wines were selected by five respected UK wine writers: Sally Easton MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Neal Martin, Peter McCombie MW and Joe Wadsack

With rosé showing fantastic sales growth, this is a great opportunity to compare and contrast 100 of the best.   The tasting is likely to attract a great deal of attention from the world's wine trade over the three days of the Wine Fair.

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18th May

BUMPER CROP FOR UK WINE PRODUCERS

The 2006 production figures for English and Welsh wines have just been declared, showing that the UK produced one of their highest volumes on record.

3,369,000 million bottles will be produced from the 2006 harvest, the third highest volume since production records began.  The data also records an increase in the number of hectares under vine and vineyards over the same period. 

The harvest and production data is supplied by the Wine Standards Branch of the Food Standards Agency (formerly the Wine Standards Board) who are responsible for collecting the information from all registered vineyards in England and Wales.

The English & Welsh wine industry is experiencing a steady increase in planting of vineyards, primarily for sparkling wine production.  Since 2004 vineyard acreage has increased by approximately a third, which will yield an increase in production by a further 58%.

As the industry approaches English Wine Week (26th May – 3rd June) there is certainly plenty to celebrate.

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27th March

ENGLISH WINE INDUSTRY ASKS HOUSE OF LORDS FOR CHANCE TO GROW

News story supplied by www.thirtyfifty.co.uk

Members of the English wine industry made a representation to the House of Lords last week in support of scrapping the EU restrictions on planting vines, which could stifle the growth of the UK  wine industry in the future.

The current EU planting ban comes up for review in 2010 and the UK wine industry is urging that no further ban is imposed, which would ottherwise affect its future expansion.

Such bans have been aimed at controlling volumes in the larger EU wine producing countries who have been awash with unwanted wine over the past few years. This, however, isn’t the case in the UK.

Mike Roberts, owner of sparkling wine producers Ridgeview Wine Estate and currently Chairman of English Wine Producers, led the representation to the House of Lords.  He commented: ‘We’ve a wonderful opportunity in the southern counties to create an  industry here and we don’t want to compromise our ability to grow our business.’

The full story is available on the Thirtyfifty website:

http://www.thirtyfifty.co.uk/wine-news.asp

22nd March

DISMAY AT THE DUTY RISES IN YESTERDAY'S BUDGET

The tax rises on still and sparkling wine have dismayed and angered the English wine industry.

7p on a litre of sparkling (equivalent to 5.6p per bottle) and 5p on a litre (4.4p per bottle) of still wine is likely to affect the prices of English wines.  With margins so fine, it will hard for many vineyards to absorb these increases, as some of them have done before. At a time when new wines and vintages are about to be released, it is unfortunate that consumers will potentially face a price rise on the wine they purchase. 

Some three years ago, the Chancellor announced that he was looking to reduce the differential between sparkling and still wines, and had frozen the duty on sparkling wine to enable this.  Yesterday’s hike in tax is totally contrary to these intentions.

As one vineyard commented: “It is a great pity that better support for our own wine industry has not been shown. It is an exciting and dynamic industry and ticks all the right boxes for accountability, quality and reduction of food miles, yet we are being hampered by a rise in duty and fuel costs.”

“We can only hope that consumers will accept these rises as beyond our control and continue to support the industry as they are doing so increasingly by buying and enjoying the top quality wines that we produce.”

2007 HARVEST: GRAPE PICKING DAYS AT DENBIES WINE ESTATE

The Denbies Grape Picking Experience

Would you like to play an active part in the 2007 harvest?  Denbies are offering an exciting package where you can experience the vendage at first hand.  A packed itinerary has been devised by Denbies for all wine enthusiasts, starting with a hearty breakfast, opportunities to learn more about Denbies Wine Estate, England’s largest vineyard (and one of the largest vineyards in Europe) and grape picking.  The itinerary comprises:

Bacon Butty Breakfast

A Brief History of Denbies

The Harvest

Vineyard Workers Lunch

Witness the pressing process in the winery

The cost for this all inclusive day is £39.50 per person – weather not permitting! –and includes all refreshments, and as a memento of the day a Denbies Estate grown vine of your choice.  Dates of course are not confirmed until nearer the time, but selected days will take place throughout October, commencing Monday 1st October.

Please call 01306 742002 for availability, or email kwalsh@denbiesvineyard.co.uk

Please note that these events are for over 18s only.  

2006 HARVEST REPORT

2006 was a year of contrasts mostly induced by the varying weather conditions across the country. For the first time in a number of years, most of the country experienced an extreme cold snap at the beginning of the year. As a consequence bud burst was at a normal to late time for most vineyards reducing the threat of loss to late frosts as happened in 2005 and has happened this year in Australia.  However there was no such threat as May went by warm and wet, June became warm and dry giving an excellent flowering and fruit set. Then as the year progressed any delay in growth from a late start was redressed by the hottest July on record (11 days over 30°C). 

In the South and South East August carried on with heat and no rain for many as the thunderstorms helped some but missed others but elsewhere there was a good balance of water and temperature. Then September and October were quite wet, swelling the grapes to give a large yield to many vineyards (some reporting their heaviest crops ever). However this crop came with the risk of excess water diluting the juice, resulting in slightly lower sugar levels and acids.  The inclement weather, and in some areas, constant high humidity brought the risk of disease and a number of vineyards across the country were affected by botrytis.  

The very hot early summer resulted in harvest being brought forward by an average of a week, with picking for the early ripening varieties such as Siegerrebe starting in mid September. Deciding when to pick taxed the skills of many of the growers juggling ripeness with water uptake and the constant rain of October.

When the 2006 figures are released they will undoubtedly record a bumper crop, with well above average tonnage per acre.  The grapes are reported as having sugar and acid levels  that appear to be reasonably good with  flavours that are perhaps less concentrated than in other years.  At a time when stocks in some areas have been running low, a big vintage is very welcome.

The rapidly increasing number of sparkling wine producers are pleased with the quality of their grapes which came in with very good sugar and acid levels.   

29th January

JOB OPPORTUNITY AT SHARPHAM VINEYARD

Retail Sales Manager - Up to £18,000pa

The 500 acre Sharpham estate, situated close to the South coast of Devon, produces a range of white, red and rose wines and their tally of National and International awards confirms their position as one of England's foremost quality wine producers. The estate also has 80 organic Jersey cows whose milk is used for a range of exceptional soft cheeses. The cheeses are handmade using traditional techniques and are suitable for vegetarians. Sharpham's soft cheese won best dairy product and the champion product at the Taste of the West awards 2005.

The Estate is looking for a keen, intelligent person with initiative, energy, enthusiasm, an eye for detail and a positive attitude to join their committed and hardworking team.

Key aspects of the role include farm shop sales, managing a small team of shop assistants and wine waiters, vineyard tours, stock management, website sales, and shows.

Previous industry experience is desirable but not essential but a passion for customer care, wine and cheese is a must.

For full details of this opportunity and how to apply please emailt Mark Sharman at mark@sharpham.com

9th January

NEW WINES RELEASED BY a'BECKETT'S VINEYARD

a'Beckett's Vineyard have just released their 2005 Estate Red and 2006 Rose.

The 2005 Estate Red is priced at £12.00 and the 2006 Rose at £6.50. Both are available direct from the vineyard or through their stockist, as listed on their website www.abecketts.co.uk

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