England
England is now home to well over 500 vineyards across the country, with recent figures from Wine GB showing the number of acres planted with vines in the UK grew by more than 150% between May 2008 and May 2018, and a record 3.2 million vines were planted in England and Wales in 2019.
The surge of quality sparkling wines is in part due to the soil in the South of England bearing close resemblance to the Champagne region. Now English winemakers are producing a full range of still and sparkling wines that are growing in popularity across the globe.
Dermot Sugrue is by far one of the most highly regarded sparkling winemakers in the UK and is credited for playing an integral role in putting English sparkling wine on the map. Sugrue now produces the award-winning Goring Estate Brut, Blanc de Blancs and Rosé, and Sugrue, ‘The Trouble with Dreams’.
Simpsons Wine Estate is a new addition to our portfolio, whose focus on Burgundian clones, coupled with their winemaking knowhow, has seen them achieve critical acclaim in recent years.