The UK may not be the best known wine region in the world, but since the 1970s dedicated winemakers and winemakers have been producing high quality wines in England and Wales and winning international competitions. Wine has been produced in the UK since the Imperial Roman occupation in the 1st century, while the UK consumer market has been a major factor in many historic global wine trends, such as the growth of Bordeaux, Sherry and Port.
The latitude of the wine regions and the cooler temperatures favour cool Climate, early maturing varieties. Growing conditions are moderated by the Warming effects of the Gulf Stream current that carries warm waters eastward across the Atlantic Ocean.
The majority of wines produced are white, with smaller quantities of rosé and red. Grape varieties that are gaining in popularity include Triomphe d'Alsace, Dornfelder, Madeleine Angevine, Seyval Blanc, Schonburger and Müller-Thurgau.
The UK has built up a reputation for traditional Sparkling wines, often made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The most successful wine regions in the UK are Cornwall, Kent and Sussex in the South of England.
In addition to the designated English and Welsh wines, products bearing the term "British Wine" are also widely available, but very different. English and Welsh wines are legislated wine regions that describe where the grapes are grown and vinified. British wines are generally valuable products made from grape or fruit Concentrate which may be sourced from outside the UK and do not meet the EU legal definition of 'wine'.
Although whisky ('whiskey' in Ireland and the United States) may have come to Scotland from Ireland, Scotland's status as the world's leading producer of single malt whisky is undisputed.
Pinot Gris is a grey grape variety mutated from Pinot Noir. It has its origins in Burgundy, where it is called pinot-beurot in reference to the colour of the grey robes worn by the monks of the region. Established in Alsace since the 17th century, pinot gris was called tokay until 2007. It is made up of bunches of small berries that vary in colour from pink to blue-grey. It is particularly well suited to the continental climate because it is resistant to the cold in winter and to spring frosts. This variety also likes dry limestone soils with plenty of sunshine in the summer. Pinot Gris is well suited to late harvesting or to the selection of noble grapes, depending on the year and the concentration of sugars in the berries. Pinot Gris wines are distinguished by their aromatic complexity of white fruits, mushrooms, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc., and their great finesse. In the Loire Valley, pinot gris is used in the Coteaux-d'Ancenis appellations. It gives dry or sweet wines with pear and peach aromas.
white wines from the region of United Kingdom go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of boeuf en daube, salmon pizza or salmon and goat cheese quiche.
Tina Gellie, Content Manager and Regional Editor (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand & Canada) It was a big year of Decanter travel for me, heading to Napa and New York in June, South Africa in October and most recently a week each in Margaret River and South Australia. These trips have formed the basis of my festive selections. Christmas lunch on North Stradbroke Island (reunited with my family after four years, no thanks to Covid) always starts with oysters, followed by a bucket of prawn ...
Fife-based business The Whisky Barrel, managed by brothers Alastair and Chris Brown, has initially released a 30-year-old Glen Moray single malt, priced at £350 and limited to 152 numbered bottles. Each bottle carries a unique QR code linked to its Digital Provenance Certificate or Non-Fungible Token (NFT), which uses blockchain technology to to securely transmit product information on a public ledger. This, the company said, will help collectors to alleviate the risk of buying a fake bottle. Th ...
As a wine critic, witnessing a relatively unknown estate rise up and receive the recognition it deserves can be a bittersweet feeling. From a purely selfish point of view, you watch the prices rise inexorably so you can no longer afford to drink wines from that estate as often as you once did. But primarily you’re delighted for the owners and for those who have discovered their wines. Scroll down for Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for five vintages of Domaine Gonon St-Joseph {"c ...
