English Wine Week: The trade's view

By Emma Eversham

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags English wine Chardonnay

English Wine Week: The trade's view
For English Wine Week Emma Eversham quizzes sommeliers, restaurateurs and publicans about English wine and asks why more of them arent putting local wine as well as local food on the menu

Visit a neighbourhood restaurant in Continental Europe and chances are the wine being sold there will have been produced in the country you’re in, but do the same here in the UK and you’re more likely to find wine made in France, Italy or another continent entirely – in fact anywhere other than here.

As an industry we’re becoming better at sourcing food from local suppliers for our menus, but when it comes to championing local wine producers on our wine lists we don’t seem to have the same passion.

Admittedly the UK, or more specifically England, doesn’t produce anywhere near the same volumes of wine as France, Australia or other well established wine producing nations, but producers are frantically planting more vines to rectify that and the predicted warmer climate should bring bigger yields in years to come.

Quality has been an issue with some wine critics being less than complimentary about English wine in the past, but this year the industry scooped a haul of medals at three wine competitions, including Camel Valley`s Bacchus (vineyard pictured above) which won the industry its first gold for a still wine at the International Wine Challenge, and sparkling English wine regularly finds itself on a par with Champagne in blind tastings, so why is it not featuring more highly on our wine lists?

Price

Price is one issue, says this year`s Sommelier of the Year Laura Rhys. Although Camel Valley Bacchus makes an appearance on Rhys`s list at Hotel Terravina​ in Hampshire, it can be hard to convince customers to choose a wine produced in England over one from a more established wine region.

"People do sometimes say they are more expensive " she says, "There is the price aspect, when they know they can get a decent New Zealand Sauvignon for the same price as an English wine they tend to choose that instead."

Nevertheless, Rhys is keen to increase the number of English wines on her list: "I think they are developing and improving, but the public are a little wary of them. If I can find some more of the same quality as the Camel Valley​ I will put more on there. There`s definitely space for a few more."

Yohann Jousselin, chef sommelier at Hotel du Vin​ in Winchester, agrees that the price of English still wines can be higher than others but says they should be considered on their own merits rather than where they come from. He also he speaks highly of English sparkling wine.

"They are good wines but you could probably find something similar from elsewhere for a lower price. The trouble is an English producer won`t produce as much as a producer in the Loire Valley for example, which puts the price up."

"My point of view on English still wine however is that some are very good, some are very disappointing, but it would be the same with wines from other countries. I think the price is a bit too high for the minute, but the quality is there overall.”

Education

Grant Hawthorne, general manager at Rivington Grill​ in Greenwich disagrees that price stands in the way of English wine`s success and says customers will buy it with some guidance and will pay the price if they understand why the costs are high, likening its appeal to that of a particularly highly priced rare breed meat or other produce with a high price but with good heritage.

He says: "There was a bit of a stigma about it but people are always quite happy to try it if you suggest it and if you approach it with an open mind you can find something quite unique.

"The higher price point is one issue, but it`s been coming down slowly over the years. However, there still needs to be a conscious reason behind choosing it. If you stack it up with wines from the same price point it doesn`t do it justice, but if you give people some information and show them how it`s unique they will be more inclined to buy it."

Jousselin agrees that education can help shift English wines in the right direction: "You need to promote them and make sure that staff are aware of them and know what they match with. If you do that there will be no issue in selling them."

Keep it local

If your establishment is close to a vineyard there seems even less reason to ignore English wine. Waz and Emma Wasyliw are owners of The Eight Bells​, a pub in Bolney, West Sussex, which is situated in the same village as Booker`s Vineyard​ (pictured, right).

Their business is a case in point that with a little customer education English wine will happily sell alongside wines from other countries. At the Eight Bells each table has a flyer advertising three wines from Booker`s - sold by the glass and the bottle - together with food matching advice. The couple also encourage their customers to visit the vineyard for a tour and tasting.

“It has proved to be a real selling point to offer wine from a neighbouring vineyard with our menu. We challenge customers’ preconceptions about English wine and they have been pleasantly surprised with what they have tried," says Emma.

“The English wines we serve are also stocked by several of the major retailers in the area, which is testament to their high quality and the rising demand for locally sourced produce."

Certainly, if your restaurant, pub or hotel is close to a vineyard and you can work with its wine producers there seems to be little excuse for not selling English wines, especially if it helps give your business an edge.

And if you make a fuss of the fact that your food is grown or reared locally then you owe it to customers to provide them with the complete package. “There’s a completely natural affinity in what the land produces in terms of food and wines,"says Frazer Thompson of Kent wine producer Chapel Down​ (vineyard pictured above), "so if you have locally produced food on the menu, local wine is likely to be a good match. It’s also good in terms of food miles and CO2 emissions and helps to boost the overall rural economy”.

Thompson would say that as a producer, but he was also speaking on behalf of the winery`s on-site restaurant, Richard Phillips at Chapel Down where staff recommend both Chapel Down wines and to go with the locally-grown and reared food as well as wines from other countries as they recognise that England cannot produce the right wines for all occasions.

There`s no need to replace your wine list completely with English wines, but as Emma Wasyliw says, including one or a few can give your business something of a unique selling point.

“In the current economic climate, customers are looking for something different – something they may not have tried before. There is a definite benefit to working with local producers," she says.

What the hospitality industry says

Who:​ Laura Rhys, sommelier at Hotel Terravina, Hampshire
Sells:​ Camel Valley Bacchus
English wine & food match:​ Camel Valley Bacchus with Wild Asparagus with Hen’s Egg.
Says:​ “I think they are developing and improving, but I think the public have a negative view of them and are a bit wary of them because the reputation is not quite there."

Who:​ Emma Wasyliw, owner, The Eight Bells, Bolney, West Sussex
Sells:​ Dark Harvest Autumn Spice and Bart’s Bubbly from Booker’s Vineyard
English wine & food match:​ Booker’s Dark Harvest with Harvey’s Ale and Steak pie
Says:​ “It has proved to be a real selling point to offer wine from a neighbouring vineyard with our menu. We challenge customers’ preconceptions about English wine and they have been pleasantly surprised with what they have tried.”

Who:​ Yohann Jousselin, chef sommelier at Hotel du Vin, Winchester.
Sells:​ Chapel Down Bacchus, Chapel Down sparkling, Balfour sparkling rose and Nyetimber 2000.
English wine & food match:​ Nyetimber 2000 with Lemon Sole and Beurre Noisette.
Says:​ “Some are very good, some are very disappointing, but it would be the same with wines from other countries. I think the price is a bit too high for the minute, but the quality is there.”

Who:​ Rivington Grill & Bar, Greenwich
Sells:​ Bacchus Coddington 2006 (Chapel Down Pinot Blanc and Balfour sparkling rose by the glass and bottle for EWW)
English wine & food match:​ Chapel Down Pinot Blanc with Soft Herring Roes on Toast.
Says:​ "There was a bit of a stigma about it but people are always quite happy to try it if you suggest it and if you approach it with an open mind you can find something quite unique.”

Who:​ Frazer Thompson, managing director of Chapel Down, Tenterden, Kent (speaking on behalf of the vineyard’s restaurant Richard Phillips at Chapel Down)
Sells:​ Chapel Down wines
English wine & food match:​ Chapel Down Pinot Noir with Roast Rump of Kentish Salt Marsh Lamb with Garlic, Olive, Thyme and Lavender Sauce.
Says:​ “There’s a completely natural affinity in what the land produces in terms of food and wines, so if you have locally produced food on the menu, local wine is likely to be a good match. It’s also good in terms of food miles and CO2 emissions and helps to boost the overall rural economy”

Friday: Join BigHospitality for information on English wine producers

Now`s the time for English wine

photo credits: homepage - Camel Valley, photo 1 in article - Camel Valley, photo 2 in article - Chapel Down, photo 3 in article - Booker`s Vineyard at Bolney Estate

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