English Wine - from Kent to Devon and Gloucestershire  Add/Read Comments

What a crap throw-away closing line! English wine about to trounce Jacob's Creek? I don't think so. The rest of the article, covering English wine, is interesting though looking at the state of the English wine industry from a starting-a-vineyard viewpoint. Until the effects of global warming are ascertained (are we going to boil, to drown or to freeze?) it's not an industry I would invest in mind.

The Times
"Where to start? Roger Marchbank, chairman of the UK Vineyards Association, says the first step is to buy a good book on vine-growing. He has had vines at the end of his Hampshire garden for more than 20 years that produce about 1,000 bottles a year. His Coach House white is as crisp a drop as you’ll find south of Guildford.

“I tell people they should budget about £5,000 an acre for plants, posts, wire and all the paraphernalia you need for successfully creating a vineyard,” he says. “Soil is much more important than aspect. You really want sandy, gravelly conditions. Grapes cannot grow with wet feet.”