In 2006 an English sparkling wine was voted best in the world. Sound too good to be true? It isn’t. The face of UK wine has changed dramatically over the past few years. In this unique guide based on a tour that David Harvey made in 2006, Grape Britain celebrates in style the emergence of a distinctive and vibrant UK wine scene. At the time of the Domesday Book in the late 11th century, vineyards were recorded in 46 places in southern England, from East Anglia across to Somerset. By the time Henry VIII ascended the throne there were 139 sizeable vineyards in England and Wales. Adverse changes in the weather and the dissolution of the monasteries led to a gradual decline that has only recently been reversed. Since the 1960s there has been a rapid increase in the number of UK vineyards with the total area under cultivation rising to more than 2, 000 acres and it is now a fully mature, vibrant industry boasting unique wines and a wealth of exciting grape varieties such as Seyval Blanc, Bacchus and Madeleine Angevine. There are now around 300 vineyards spread over the length and breadth of Britain and wine production is set to double in the near future in order to cope with the huge demand for its wines. David Harvey was so surprised to find a quality vineyard in Leeds that he quit his management job at Oddbin’s to spend a year travelling around England and Wales in 2006 visiting as many vineyards as possible from Chateau de la Mare in Jersey to Leventhorpe in Yorkshire, and from the big Champagne challenger Nyetimber in Sussex to small producers like historic Parva in Wales. In this enlightening guide book, you will not only discover some wonderful vineyard settings, but also a wealth of information on the producing areas, the grapes, the wines themselves and how they are made and, most important of all, you will be introduced to the people who make them. This is the one essential book you will need to learn about this fascinating and, until now, largely ignored corner of the wine world.
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