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Sparkling Wine invented in Great Britain

In 1662, Christopher Merret delivered a paper to the British Royal Society describing the ‘méthode champenoise.’ Merret was the first person to prescribe the method and Great Britain the first nation to practice the method that still pervades any and all high-quality sparkling wine production. Colloquially known as ‘secondary fermentation,’ méthode champenoise is the process that gives high-quality sparkling wine its ‘bubbles.’

Secondary Fermentation: How the English make Frenchwine

Secondary fermentation begins by assembling a “cuvee,” which simply means a blend of wines. This initial step is paramount to the fermentation process, so the selection of wines is left to only the most experienced and knowledgeable vintners. British winemakers have pioneered secondary fermentation for centuries and it is this tradition that has guided their pursuit for the perfect blend.

Complex and consistent wines through Cuvee and endeavour

The cuvée is chosen with the intention of producing a complex, yet consistent flavour and quality that will give the vintage its unique characteristics. This is an endeavour of synergy, as vintners must consider how to make a complimentary mixture of wines that will mature and transform together during the fermentation process. It is no easy task. The perfect cuvée is the result of years of experimentation, so it is no wonder the oldest vineyards produce the most delicious wines.

United Kingdom, Weather and Wines

Winemaking in England is a tradition rooted in early history. Roman emperors planted vines here and Monasteries continued the tradition. The groundwork for an industry was laid millennia ago, but it wasn’t until recent history that English winemakers sought its potential. Now entrepreneurs and investors are scrambling for their stake in a burgeoning industry. Julia Trustram Eve of English Wine Producers, the definitive source for anything English wine related, said in an interview with The Independent, “Over about the last seven years acreage has more or less doubled” So, why has it taken this long? Well, just the blame the weather.

Great Britain has a reputation for its weather. Rain clouds and cool weather has become synonymous with the country and rightfully so, but recent changes in the climate have created the perfect conditions for some of the best and most promising wine vineyards in Europe.

Global climate change is benefiting the English wine industry immensely. The warmer summers have provided ideal weather conditions for producing wine grapes. For winemakers, a hot summer yields a bountiful harvest in the fall and a cellar of wine in the winter. But it is not only the weather that ensures the cellar stays full, something just as ancient is needed: the perfect soil. And England has some of best earth for growing wine.

The counties of Kent and West Sussex are home to many of Britain’s most regarded vineyards and the chalky soil and weather in these British counties is very similar and if not better than the terroir where famous names such as Bollinger and Dom Perignon plant their grapes. Yet, Kent and Sussex are not the only places producing quality wine in Britain. English vineyards across the country have been producing award-winning wines for decades in both ‘still’ and ‘sparkling’ varieties.

Surrey country is home to Denbies, a 265-acre vineyard, which is currently the largest single-estate vineyard in England. Across England there are now more than 400 vineyards and last year they collectively produced four million bottles.

Experts believe this number will grow exponentially as vineyards are cultivated across the country. This year Rathfinny began planting on an estate in Sussex that will be more than 600 acres when fully grown, larger than most any wine estate in Europe.

English Wine in the News and on the Podium

This year has given a boost to English winemakers. The royal wedding generated a sales spike in English sparkling wine sales and just a few weeks later, Ridgeview’s Cuvee Fitzrovia Rosé was put on the wine list of the Buckingham Palace banquet for President Obama. These wines were not chosen as sentimental inclusions. They are truly worthy of the palettes of kings and presidents. Their medals and accolades validate this claim.

English wine has earned a reputation for being of the best in the world. In 2007 Theale Vineyard, one of the many outstanding vineyards that produces sparkling wine in Britain, beat out stiff competition at the world’s only dedicated sill and sparkling wine competition, French-based Effervescents du Monde (sparkling wines of the world) to be included in the world’s Top Ten Sparkling Wine 2007. Theale Vineyards may have sparked a global buzz, but British vineyards across the country have been turning out award-winning wines for decades in both ‘still’ and ‘sparkling’ varieties.

At last year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, Ridgeview’s Grosvenor Blanc de Blancs 2006, grown and bottled in Sussex country, won the trophy for best sparkling wine in the world, beating out competitors from around the globe.

And this year, at the IWC (International Wine Challenge), a most respected blind tasting challenge, England took home dozens of awards including several gold medals, as well as a prestigious ‘gold trophy’ for Dorset England’s Furleigh Estate Classic Cuvée. Chapel Down in Kent won a gold medal for its sparkling Rosé Brut while Denbies in Surrey received a gold for its Chalk Ridge Rosé 2010.

These are just a few of the notable winners. Vineyards across the country are usurping the titles that once belonged to the few, thus proving that it is not the brand name that should garner awards and respect, but rather the effort, the right soil and the perfect weather conditions needed to produce this most prized fruit.

And for winemakers so much depends on the weather. Luckily, it has been a very hot summer in Great Britain, which means a bumper crop for vineyards and what could be the best vintage, yet.

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