English Wine School

The BBC recently published an excellent overview of English sparkling wine. Author Lizzie Enfield, like others before her, compares it to Champagne because of southeastern England's chalky soil. What do you think? Is English bubbly equal to Champagne? Is it less tasty? Is it far superior? We'd love to hear your thoughts! 🧐🍾 #englishwine #sparklingwine #champagne #winewars #englishwineschool https://lnkd.in/ggFM-Bht

Founder Casey Dvorak had the pleasure of visiting Chapel Down Group recently on the most beautiful of fall days! Kit's Coty, the vineyard pictured here, produces some of Chapel Down's finest wines. Chapel Down is England's largest producer of wine, and one of a select few available for purchase in the US. The newly released 2016 Kit's Coty Coeur de Cuvée has won multiple awards, including Top Sparkling Wine at this year's WineGB Awards. It has delectable tasting notes of brioche, green apple, and toasted nuts, all balanced with a nice acidity. It's a bit pricey, but is truly one of England's finest wines. Let us know in the comments what you think of it! #chapeldown #englishwine #sparklingwine #winegb #englishwineschool

Yesterday gave us absolutely glorious weather for our day trip through the English countryside with Wine Tours of Kent! We tasted. We conversed. We crushed some fish & chips. We'd highly recommend them if you want to take a peek into this wonderful world of English wine. Here's how the day went: After being picked up from the train station, we headed to Chapel Down Group for a tasting flight in an idyllic English garden gazebo. Next up was lunch at Woolpack Pub in Tenterden with a tasty sparkling flight from Balfour Winery and some shopping on the adorable Tenterden High Street. Then, we were treated to a natural still wine tasting in situ with spectacular vineyard views at Wayfarer Wines. As soon as we were seated on the train home, the rain arrived, giving us all the cozy vibes as we sped back to London. We could not have asked for a more perfect day out! #englishwineschool #chapeldown #wayfarerwines #winetoursofkent #visitkent

We attended a fascinating deep dive into Port yesterday evening at West London Wine School in conjunction with Symington Family Estates's School of Port. Taught by self-styled "Port Geek" Adam Odor, the masterclass and tasting was a fun, delicious, and highly informative educational experience that made us want to promptly traipse off to Portugal without a backward glance. (Especially intriguing was the white port, which just begs to be made into a spritzy summer cocktail!) We're looking forward to even more palate training from delightful local London wine buffs like Adam in the future. #portgeek #wine #wineeducation #wset #englishwineschool

The best part of being in the wine trade? Learning about wine! "New British Wine," written by Abbie Moulton and photographed by Maria Bell, is a fantastic primer on where UK wines currently stand. Published in 2023 by Hoxton Mini Press, the tome features overviews of current producers, brands, sommeliers, and restaurants that are championing the wines coming out of this stunning region. Unlike many Old World wine regions, England and Wales are still figuring out what works best for the diverse geology and climate here, so there are few rules. One of the exciting trends that has emerged lately is the prevalence of low-intervention (natural) wines. Moulton writes, “While I didn’t set out to write about natural wines, many of the winemakers and restauranteurs spoke of their respect for the land and love for locally sourced ingredients, and so it follows that the wines in this book tend to lean towards this style.” If you’re looking for a quick overview of current British wine trends, we’d highly recommend "New British Wine." Plus, it’s a delight to leaf through with a chilled glass of (English) bubbly. #englishwine #englishwineschool #hoxtonminipress #wineresearch https://lnkd.in/gB__XFqX

To the modern consumer, sustainability in wine is a trend of ever-increasing importance. 🌿 Earlier this week, English Wine School attended an expert panel on sustainability in the British wine industry at this year's WineGB National Trade Tasting event. There were so many interesting tidbits, but here is a big one I walked away with: Despite disease and fungal pressure being a major issue here in the UK's damp climate, many producers are implementing organic and biodynamic practices, taking advantage of the exploratory nature of this budding wine region. Moderated by Sustainability Ambassador Anne Jones, the panel featured commentary from Susan Daniels from Marks and Spencer, Ruth Simpson of Simpsons Wine Estate, Patrick Schmitt MW from The Drinks Business, and Luke Harbor DipWSET from THE PIG Hotel | B Corp.

This was the second year we had the pleasure of attending the incredible WineGB Trade Tasting at Battersea Arts Centre in London. So many fantastic wines to taste and write about, and all of them produced here in the UK. A few of our sparkling favorites from England were Nyetimber, Gusbourne, DIGBY FINE ENGLISH, and Domaine Hugo, and Vale Vineyard from Wales. The English wine scene is dynamic and changing all the time; these are definitely some wines to watch! #winegb #englishwineschool #londonwine #wine #sparklingwine

Welcome to English Wine School! In the coming months, we'll be posting about the latest news in the UK wine industry, general wine knowledge, and some of our favorite British wines. Drop us a comment about what you want to see more of! 🥂 #englishwineschool #englishwine #welshwine #londonwine