We do not need to explain why wines are so popular as a beverage and across the world, there is high demand for Italian and French wine. But when you are in the United Kingdom, have wine from your own country. England is getting growing popularity for wine production with an account of 3.15m bottles every year and more than 450 wineries.
The United Kingdom is one of the major consumers of wine and as per consumption volume, the UK is a very small wine producer. The entire scenario of the wine industry in the UK has changed completely. The wine production and sale of sparkling wine are increasing constantly. The country is going forward in full force in the wine industry, it produces world-class wines and beats the major wine houses in the competition.
Let’s talk about the major three wine-producing regions in the country – Sussex, Kent, Surrey.
Sussex
Sussex is a region in the southeastern corner of England, and it is one of the sunniest areas of the British Isles. It experiences very less rain. This region is divided into two counties – West Sussex and East Sussex. Both the counties house some of the rising number of vineyards. The soil type we found here is limestone chalk soil and it enhances the ability to produce the best quality grapes for the best quality sparkling wine. This region has a cool environment, which contributes to maintaining the acidity required to produce world-class sparkling wine. This region is above the 50th parallel, at the uppermost extreme of 30–50-degree latitude. All these conditions are very much suitable for quality wine production.
In this region, the majorly grown grapes are Bacchus, Champagne grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. These grapes need a cooler environment for growing. The wines produced in Sussex are chalky, flint, and have mineral character. The grape quality reflects the quality of the soil of the region. Moreover, Sussex is the first region in the United Kingdom to get PDO status or Protected Designation of Origin.
Kent
In the East, next to Sussex, there is Kent. It is across the English Channel from Calais. The coastline of Kent is formed by the famous and iconic White Cliffs of Dover. Kent is an abundant source of agriculture and resource of orchards. Kent has a warmer climate, and it is quite a usable place for farming. It has the same soil type of chalk limestone as the neighbour. Some of the best vineyards have a south-facing orientation and it helps the vines to get the maximum hours of sun exposure. The majorly produced grapes of this area are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Ortega.
The Kent wines are pronounced as mineral nose and they reflect aromas of elderflower and applenosesears with refreshing and bright acidity.
Surrey
The chalky soils of Surrey are made of remnants of ancient marine fossils. In this place, the second Champagne house was invested. Due to the qualities helpful for wine production, Surrey has become the home of one of the largest producers of wine producers in the UK. In addition to the three major regions, there are more to watch –
Hampshire –It is located in the west of Sussex. This is also the home of the first modern commercial vineyard in the United Kingdom.
East Anglia – East Anglia is an area of London combined with two places that are Norfolk and Suffolk counties in the North and East of London. The soils are thick because of the clay amount. Bacchus is one of the majorly grown grapes here and the newer productions are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Southwest England – This is a comparatively small vine farming region but the wines are very delicious. Some of the wine varieties available here are Pinot Noir, Sevyal Blanc and Reichenstiener.
Over the last decade, the vines planted in the United Kingdom have doubled. Every year, we got to see many new wineries. The English wineries are looking forward to increasing exports and the consumers of the country can expect to have more wines from their own country as well as greatly available in the global market. With the grapes produced in the country, the producers can expect to sell wines at low prices, that are affordable to all.
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