insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 15 - May 2016 | Page 51

FOOD+DRINK

Cheers!
THE INCREDIBLE RISE OF ENGLISH WINE

Kevin Sutherland, Bluebell Vineyards

Possibly even as little as 15 years ago, anyone worth their
weight in Beaujolais heard praising the virtues of English
wine would’ve likely been laughed out of the bar. Not so now.
With more than four million bottles being produced annually,
wines from all over the country are triumphing at blind
tastings and gracing the wine lists of top European eateries.
We spoke to Sussex’s Bluebell Vineyard and to Chapel Down
Winery in Kent to find out why English wine really is sparkling.
Mark Harvey, Chapel Down

Bluebell Vineyard Estates is a family-run estate
spread across Sussex. Home to the awardwinning range of Hindleap sparkling wines, the
estate specialises in the production of English
sparkling wines using the classic Champagne
grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and
Pinot Meunier, as well as Seyval Blanc. Since
establishment in 2005, the estate has grown
from 15 to 70 acres under vine.
“When we first started planting at Bluebell
Vineyard Estates in 2005, the industry was
already fairly well established, but in the last
decade we have seen production and interest
skyrocket,” says Kevin Sutherland, winemaker
at Bluebell Vineyard Estates. “Land planted
under vine in the UK has doubled in the last
seven years, quality continues to improve, and
sales are buoyant; it’s the most exciting time

for English wine that I can remember in over 20
years of working in the industry.”
“Conditions are improving too; warmer
temperatures and sunny autumns enable
longer hang time for the fruit on the vine,
allowing riper fruit flavours and aromas to
develop in the berries before harvest. This
results in typically fruit-forward sparkling wines
with a lively, refreshing acidity that marks
English wines apart from other wine-producing
regions.”
“People talk about English wines being similar
to Champagne, and from a quality perspective
that should be the goal. But, our wines are
distinctively different from Champagne, with a
fruitiness and freshness that can’t be replicated
elsewhere. We are seeing more and more

English wines appearing on wine lists, and UK
consumers are beginning to realise that the talk
isn’t hyperbole; English wines are something to
be proud of.”
Proud suppliers to iconic British restaurateurs
such as Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver,
Chapel Down Winery is one of England’s oldest
and biggest with over 100 acres of vineyards
across Kent. They produce a world-class
range of sparkling and still wines, and, as with
Ch