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History of Wine Making in Britain

 

The revels of Dionysus, as shown at the Eden Project, Cornwall

It might seem strange writing on the history of wine making in Britain, since this is not something the country is well known for. However, wine has a very long history, and its influence hides behind many familiar aspects of life.

Britain is well known for its gardens, and for its tradition in literature of exploring man's relationship with nature. This is a constantly recurring theme in Shakespeare, and in the whole of the Romantic tradition. Wine represents one of the earliest partnerships between man and nature. Grape vines require pruning to give of their best, and the pruning knife became almost a mythic symbol. The wine god Dionysus was often portrayed holding such a knife. Many myths swirl around Dionysus, and they are typically concerned with nature in its wild state, and the control of that wild power. As described at the Eden Project, Dionysus appears in many forms, as virile youth, lion, serpent and bull. The Maenads were the followers of Dionysus, and they would writhe through the vines beating drums and carrying out wild rituals, often involving live sacrifice. Set against all of this is the quiet control of vine cultivation, the pruning knife which Dionysus sometimes holds. There are various myths explaining how the beneficial effects of pruning grape vines were discovered. My favourite involves a donkey who enjoyed eating grape vines, and whose eating habits inadvertently produced the same effect as pruning and thus a vine producing better grapes. In the early seventeenth century Shakespeare wrote of "pole clipt vineyards" in The Tempest, and those vineyards represented the good side of man's relationship with nature, a beneficial order which gardeners and cultivators imposed. One of the oldest gardens in Britain, eighteenth century Painshill Park in Surrey, has a vineyard, and the present restored garden contains descendents of Painshill's original vines.

The history of wine tracks the change of climate in Britain over the millennia, and consequent change in customs. Vine growing and wine making were introduced to the British Isles by the Romans who invaded in 43AD. The grape variety now known as Wrotham Pinot is directly descended from original Roman varieties. Wine made from these grapes is available from richardgrantwine.com . In Roman Britain the weather was warmer than it is now, and by 1086 when the Domesday survey was carried out there were thirty nine vineyards officially recorded in England, although the actual figure may have been much higher. Temperatures began to drop in the second half of the sixteenth century causing a retreat of vine growing from the north and east of Europe. At this point beer offered more stable profits. Beer was made from barley which was more suited to a cooling climate. Tea and coffee drinking also began at this time. The loss of vine growing sits quietly behind drinks associated with Britain today. Next time you have a glass of beer or make a cup of tea, you can listen out for a distant echo of strangely chilly days in the mid sixteenth century.

 

 

Chapel Down Vineyard, Kent

In my own visits to vineyards I have been struck by the atmosphere of industrious peace. Wine making always seems to have been associated with peace. This is demonstrated rather tragically in the story of the emperor Probus who ruled the Roman Empire between 276AD and 282AD. Probus had tired of warfare, and encouraged his legionnaires to engage in peaceful reconstruction work. This outraged the soldiers who were trained killers and wanted to stay that way. The end for Probus came when he was inspecting a legion which had been given the job of setting up a vineyard in Surmium, now in modern Serbia. Soldiers took this opportunity to attack Probus and kill him.

The years of war that preceded and followed the end of the Roman Empire saw a huge drop in the acreage devoted to wine growing in Europe. In Africa there was a similar loss which coincided with the first forceful expansion of Islam. The prophet Mohammed expressly forbade his followers to drink wine. Perhaps wine was too strongly associated with a rival religion. Vine growers struggled on doggedly amidst the violence, replanting vines which had been stripped of fruit or hacked down. It wasn't until the year 1000AD that the vine was beginning to recover its former territories.

Walking around a vineyard on a sunny day is a peaceful experience. You will probably see people busy amongst the vines, but even in its relentlessness, the business of growing vines has always been seen as a peaceful one. In the Iliad, Homer's epic story about the Greek siege of Troy, the great warrior Achilles has a vineyard depicted on his shield. Perhaps this is an ironic and rather touching view of the peace that has been left behind. Perhaps peace is the only shield that Achilles can really rely upon.

We can give the last word to Socrates, who had good advice about the enjoyment of wine:

"I feel that drinking to men is like the earth to plants. For even they cannot hold themselves upright if the heavens water them too heavily at one time; but they receive just so much to drink as does them good, then they will not only grow upright, but flourish and be fruitful. And so it shall be with us" (quoted in Vivat Bacchus. by Rudolf Wenhold, p208).

There are now over four hundred vineyards in Britain, the majority in southern England. The largest of the British vineyards is Denbies Wine Estate on the North Downs of Surrey. Many of the larger vineyards are orientated towards visitors. A small selection of vineyards with particularly good facilities for visitors can be seen below:

 

 

Three Choirs Vineyards

If you are thinking of visiting a vineyard then Three Choirs in Gloucestershire seems particularly well organised to cater for you. There is a visitors' centre, a wine and gift shop, cookery courses, wine tastings, a nature trail, and daily winery tours at 11.30am. There is an award winning restaurant, open for dinner seven days a week,and for lunch six days a week - closed for lunch on Monday. Two night wine tasting breaks are available, accommodation provided at an on site hotel. There is also provision for conferences and weddings.

Three Choirs is on the B4215 two miles from Newent, Gloucestershire. Leave the M5 at junction 11A, or the M50 at junction 3.

Contact:

telephone: 01531 890223

web site: www.threechoirs.com

 

Denbies Wine Estate

Denbies Wine Estate is the largest vineyard in Britain, covering over two hundred and sixty five acres of attractive North Downs countryside. There is a visitors' centre open all the year round, and a tour. Tastings are included in the charge for a tour. Contact the vineyard for details of tour availability.

Denbies is on London Road just outside Dorking in Surrey.

Contact:

telephone: 01306 876616

web site: www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk

 

Carr Taylor Vineyards

Carr Taylor is an award winning vineyard offering a vineyard trail, free wine tastings in the shop, and guided tours for groups by prior arrangement. There is a tea shop, or you can picnic by the pond. A gift shop sells wines, preserves, hampers and gifts.

Carr Taylor Vineyards is at Westfield, just north of Hastings. In the centre of Westfield turn left at the crossroads by the Old Courthouse pub. Continue on for a mile, and the vineyards are on the left.

Contact:

telephone: 01424 752591

www.carr-taylor.co.uk

 

Chapel Down Vineyard and Winery

The Chapel Down winery in Tenterden, Kent is England's largest producer of wines. Selected grapes from all over south east England are used to produce some of the country's best wines. There is also a vineyard on the site.

There is a wine and fine food shop. The wine bar and bistro has a pleasant balcony giving views over the vineyard and surrounding countryside. There are facilities for conferences and weddings. Tours are available in the summer months. It is always possible to go for a wander around the vineyard.

Chapel Down is a few miles south of Tenterden in Kent, off the B2082.

 

 

Contact:

telephone: 01580 763033

web site: www.chapeldownwines.co.uk

 

 

Daffodils at Chapel Down