Ridgeview Wine Estate

A number of years ago we visited several wineries in England and one winery in Wales. Each one of the wineries was boutique, although the largest was Ridgeview Wine Estate which produces delightful sparkling wines. Review.

To discover Breaky Bottom Vineyards, we were told “keep going.” This winery was memorable because we missed the sign and traveled another 45 minutes beyond the long road/driveway to the winery. Eventually we discovered the turn to make and

A little piece of heaven at Breaky Bottom Vineyards

continued until we were in no man’s land. We encountered sheep on the driveway and patiently waited for them to cross our path. Eventually and almost ready to call it a day, we crested a hill and saw a little piece of heaven. The winery and farm property below was highlighted with bright yellow blooming daffodils. Nearby were high cliffs of limestone similar to the limestone of Champagne. Read our review of Breaky Bottom Vineyards.

Roman-style spring at Parva Farm Vineyards

Our visit to the Parva Farm Vineyards in Wales was special, in its own unique way. Also a farm, vineyard and winery,  Parva Farm Vineyards has the remains of a spring that the owners believe may have been built by the Romans. Most surprising was the sign in the winery that said that if the winery was closed, visitors could go to the local post office to get their wine. The owners are warm and friendly and ready to share their story with wine lovers. Read our review online.

Fast forward to today when the wine industry in England is increasing. The following statistics are from the English Wine Producers website which is the official website for the English and Welsh wine industry.

The latest figures show that the region has 502 vineyards with 2,000+ hectares. Today there are 133 wineries. The top three grape varieties growing in the United Kingdom are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Bacchus. However the vineyards are filled with a large number of other grape varieties. Wine enthusiasts will find: Auxerrois, Faberrebe, Huxelrebe, Kerner, Madeleine Angevine, Müller-Thurgau, Optima, Orion, Ortega, Phoenix, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Regner, Reichensteiner, Rivaner, Schönburger, Seyval Blanc, Siegerrebe, and Würzer. Red grape varieties include: Dornfelder, Dunkelfelder, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Regent, Rondo and Triomphe.

Wine lovers traveling to England or Wales should plan to includes visits to some of the unique wineries.

Cheers!
Kathy