British wine
The United Kingdom is a major consumer but only a very minor producer of wine, with English and Welsh wine sales combined accounting for just 1% of the domestic market.
Traditionally seen as struggling with an unhelpfully cold climate, the English and Welsh wine industry has been helped by warmer summers and global warming may encourage growth in the future. English sparkling wine has also started to emerge.
The limestone soils (technically chalk) of Sussex, Kent and other portions of southern England are suitable for growing the grapes used to produce sparkling wine, and particularly on south-facing slopes, the climate, at least in recent years, is warm enough. At the last official count, the Wine Standards Board reported that there were just over 450 vineyards producing wine throughout England. The largest of these is Denbies Vineyard in Surrey which, as of mid-2007, has 265 acres (1.07 km2) of vines, although Chapel Down Wines near Tenterden in Kent, has the biggest winery and produces more wine, and will soon overtake Denbies. "English wine" is also a common generic term used in India meaning "Western spirits". The most northerly commercially producing vineyard is in Leeds, Yorkshire.
Welsh vineyards were first planted by Romans, but in the 1970s, modern vineyards were planted in South Wales with the intention of creating Welsh wine. Despite a slow start, by 2005 Wales had 20 vineyards, producing 100,000 bottles a year, primarily white wines, but also a few reds.
According to the Wine Standards Board, by September 2015, there were 22 operational vineyards in Wales.
The most northerly grape vine of the UK is grown in a polytunnel on the island of Unst, Shetland - the most northerly of the Shetland isles. Unfortunately the label is lost but the vine produces many bunches of small green grapes every year and by leaving them as long as possible (Sept/Oct) they are usually sweet enough to eat straight from the bunch. The majority are turned into several jars of grape jelly.
The term British wine is used to describe a drink made in Britain by the fermentation of grape (or any other fruit) juice or concentrate originating from anywhere in the world. It cannot be used for wine in the legal sense which must be produced from freshly pressed grapes. The most common style is a medium or sweet high-strength wine that is similar to sherry. and was formerly known as British Sherry.
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