English Wine

Supporting the English wine trade

Wine growing in England is not new, but has depended on wine growing conditions; it can be traced back to the Mediaeval Monasteries. It was therefore fitting that the Beaulieu Estate owned by our late Chancellor Lord Montagu, with its Cistercian origins, should have been one of the first three estates to re-establish commercial wine production in the 1960s.

Since the warmer summers of the 1970s many more vineyards, large and small, have been planted and today there are over 400, more than 100 being open to the public. Increasing numbers are winning international acclaim not only for their sparkling wines but increasingly also for their still white and rosé wines. The quality of still red wines is improving year on year.

The Guild supports this trade seeking opportunities to showcase English wines. The Wine Guild trophy is offered annually by the UK Vineyards Association in the category of best high volume wine.