wines of Great Britain

Great Britain is a premium wine-producing region, witharound 650 vineyards in England and Wales covering some 2,750 hectares andproducing sparkling and still wines. English and Welsh wines have won manyprestigious awards recently and Stephen Skelton is the leading authority on the wines of the UK. The wines of Great Britainis acomprehensive survey of the history of UK wines, as well as of the currentstate of the wine industry and its future prospects. After a short introductionshowing where UK wine is in 2019 and where it might go in the future Skeltonconsiders the history of winemaking in the UK from King Alfred in the fifth century, through the medieval period to recent developments in the twentieth andtwenty-first centuries. The wines of Great Britain then takes us on a tour of contemporaryviticulture 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 sparklingwines and their market position.A substantial part of thisimportant 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.