The United Kingdom - Libations Beyond Whiskey & Beer

by Kevin Coupe

There has been a lot of attention in the media lately about how the unusually hot summer in Europe is going to lead to some wonderful wines from traditional wine growing countries like France and Italy, leading to early harvests this autumn. Many vineyards are finding that the intense heat has killed off parasites that often plague the grapes, as well as thickening the grape skins - which increases the sugar content and alcohol content, making the wine more intense and aromatic.

But there's another European country that also is looking at a boom year for wine production - though it is a nation better known for whiskey and beer than wine.

Welcome to the United Kingdom, where there are some 430 vineyards scattered across the southern part of the country, taking up approximately 2,000 acres of land in total. Most English and Welsh vineyards are smaller than five acres, and many are smaller than one acre.

It is a small but growing industry - albeit one that, for the moment at least, does not export product elsewhere in the world. Vineyards have been making wine for sale in Europe for three decades, but experts say the wines produced there are soft, delicate and fruity, and there are even sparkling wines from the region that some believe rival champagnes from France.

In fact, the Romans started growing wine in the British Isles in the First Century, and wine has been produced there almost continuously for some two thousand years (save for the period of the Black Death, which was a bit of a problem).

One of the challenges, according to vineyard owners, is the fact that the weather can be unpredictable, making possible a huge swing in quality and production from year to year. The last few years have been pretty good…but 2003 is expected to be the best is memory.

As small an industry as the British vineyard business is, an even smaller subset of it is the organic wine business. We had a chance to chat with Rina Cook, owner of the Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard on the East Sussex coast, who told us that she's been laboring in her 15 acres of organic vineyards for some 20 years, and generally produces about 20,000 bottles a year. (Compare that to one of the nation's largest vineyards, which produces 250,000 bottles a year…or the Robert Mondavi Vineyard in the Napa Valley, which alone produces more than 3.2 million bottles.)

For the moment, it doesn't look as though the wines of the UK are likely to be causing any consternation if France or California's Napa Valley. But we've spoken to people who say that if you're visiting Southern England, a trip to the nearby vineyards is a delightful side trip…and a chance to pick up several of the wines of the UK.

Contact info: Rina Cook, Owner - Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard Cripp's Corner, near Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5SA. Phone: 0800 980 2884