The wines of Great Britain

A comprehensive survey of the history of Great Britain's wines, as well as the current state of the wine industry and its future prospects. A large part of this important book contains detailed producer profiles, including large producers such as Nyetimber and Chapel Down, medium and small producers, brand-only and organic and biodynamic producers.

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Great Britain is a premium wine-producing region, with
around 650 vineyards in England and Wales covering some 2,750 hectares and
producing sparkling and still wines. English and Welsh wines have won many
prestigious awards recently and Stephen Skelton is the leading authority on the
wines of the UK.


The wines of Great Britain is a comprehensive
survey of the history of UK wines, as well as of the current state of the wine
industry and its future prospects. After a short introduction showing where UK
wine is in 2019 and where it might go in the future Skelton considers the
history of winemaking in the UK from King Alfred in the fifth century, through
the medieval period to recent developments in the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries. The wines of Great Britain then takes us on a tour of contemporary
viticulture and winemaking, examining trends in plantings and vineyard layout,
varieties, rootstocks and clones, vineyard sizes, modern wineries and styles of
wine. Skelton considers regional identities as well as the branding of UK
sparkling wines and their market position.


A
substantial part of this important book is the 21 detailed biographies of the
most important, exciting and innovative producers and the wines they create.
Wine businesses profiled in detail include Breaky Bottom, Chapel Down,
Nyetimber, Oxney Organic Estate, Sixteen Ridges Vineyard and Yorkshire Heart
Vineyard. Shorter entries on other significant or up and coming producers also
feature.