It is your duty to drink England dry
It’s English Wine Week again and it seems that this year the English wine industry is walking with a confident swagger. According to official figures released by English Wine Producers (the trade body) the number of bottles produced by English wineries jumped from 1.34 million in 2008 to 3.17 million in 2009.
However serial miserabilist Malcolm Gluck begs to differ. A persistent naysayer when it comes to English Wine, Gluck has this view:
“It is overpriced and under-exciting. The idea England ever becomes a major wine producing area is pure fantasy.”
Of course, no one in the industry beleives that England will become a wine superpower but this doesn’t stop Gluck rubbishing a claim that doesn’t exist.
Gluck is a thoroughly depressing character. A self styled consumer champion his “The Great Wine Swindle” book is a paean to negativity and self righteousness.
English Wine is a niche pursuit and, yes, the cost of production does make it expensive. Quality is also variable but at it’s best it can also be very rewarding and quality – witness the recent award winners at the International Wine Challenge – is improving all the time.
While specialist Merchants like The Wine Society have long championed the cause of English Wine, we are now seeing supermarkets (Tesco, Booths and Waitrose) and restaurants (The Ivy) getting in the act and including English Wine on their lists.
Let’s get behind our boys. For England. For Wine. For Glory!!!
Wineoftheweek only recommends what we have drunk so here’s a small selection to of ‘tried and enjoyed’ English Vineyards:
