The New Wine Country

English Sparkling Wine Taking on French Champagne

For the first time since the reign of Henry the Second, England has become a bulk exporter of wine. Some say the effects of global warming are bringing hotter summers and a longer growing season. But the real reason is improved oenological expertise, carefully sourced French vines and the use of traditional Champagne-making techniques.

It' All About Terroir
Up until recently, the English planted Germanic grapes. Rivaner, a type of Riesling and Seyval blanc, developed in France, were used to make sparkling English wine. The Seyval blanc is a good, sturdy grape that can withstand cooler years and is quite disease resistant, but you can't make high-quality wines from it. It's mainly used for blending.

In 1986 the English Wine Industry Was Changed Forever
Stuart and Sandy Moss from Chicago, IL, decided to move to England to retire. Stuart, a wealthy manufacturer of medical and dental xray equipment and his wife Sandy, one of America's top antique dealers, learned that the southern region of England was not only beautiful, but it was also beginning to become known for it's sparkling wine.

The couple spent months searching for the right location. Extensive research, with the help of French Master Winemaker, Jean-Manuel Jacquinot, they learned that greensand was the best soil to grow Champagne grapes. But in England the soil is very rare. While searching around West Sussex they found the soil was, in fact, greensand - the perfect soil for growing chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes: the classic Champagne blend.

The search zeroed in on the South Downs, in particular, which sits on the same chalk seam as the Champagne region of France. The area is only 80 miles north of Champagne, and provides a nearly identically terroir soil, and climate.

In a stroke of luck, the couple found Nyetimber Manor, which not only had a rich history, including being the former residence of Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry the VIII, most importantly, it sat on 100% pure greensand soil.

Originally they were told by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that they would be wise to stick to growing apples, but Stuart and Sandy were convinced that the gently undulating south-facing slopes with well-drained, Greensand soils would be ideal for production of high quality grapes for making sparkling wines.

The Moss's planted 20 hectares of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and produced their first wine, a Blanc de Blancs, in 1992. In 1993 they made their first release of Classic Cuvée which is a Champagne-style Chardonnay/Pinot blend.

Nyetimber is now one of Britain's most successful vineyards. It produces what is undoubtedly the best sparkling wine in the country.The 1993 vintage beat top bubbly from all over the world and was awarded the Yarden Trophy for best sparkling wine at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 1998.

For three years in a row, Nyetimber wines have swept the board at the award ceremony, winning the trophy for best English wine and beating 43 other countries to the gold medal for sparkling wine in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

And if bubbly drinkers find that hard to swallow, they can look to an even more regal source for proof of Nyetimber's superiority.

Nyetimber is a favorite of the Queen who toasted the new millennium on New Year's Eve as well as her golden wedding celebration. She has also selected the brand for several State occasions including banquets with the Chinese President and the Japanese Emperor.

In 2006 the 36-acre estate was purchased by Eric Heerema, a Dutch entrepreneur who plans to take the winery into a new league commercially and raise production from 60,000 bottles per year to 600,000 by 2012.

Mr Heerema, who paid about £8 million for the estate, has gotten off to a flying start with its Classic Cuvée 1998 being voted the best sparkling wine outside of the Champagne district in this year's International Wine and Spirit competition. He has also just finished harvesting the latest batch of grapes and early signs are that it is going to be an exceptional year.