History
Historical evidence of vineyards in Central Southern England is hard to come by. Vineyards were long associated with the Monasteries, which prior to Henry VIII's monastic dissolutions, were numerous in the area, with Abingdon, Reading and Bisham being notable examples.
However few traces of their vineyards, if indeed they had any, have been found. Stephen Skelton ("The Wines of Britain & Ireland, Faber 2001) found a few references to post-dissolution vineyards at Oatlands Park in Surrey (the property of James I), and at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, which was once visited by the diarist Samuel Peyps. Painshill at Cobham (Surrey) was planted with vines in 1740 as part of an extensive garden and has recently been replanted.
Interest in vineyards in England was rekindled in the 1950s. After the initial pioneers, most famous of whom were Guy Salisbury Jones at Hambledon (1951), Jack Ward at Horam (1953) and the Gore-Brownes at Beauilieu (1957), a second wave of viticulturalists arrived, including several in the Thames Valley.
Bernard Theobald at Westbury was probably the best known of the locals, believing as he did that the local climate was similar to that of Bordeaux and therefore ideal for grapes. He also championed the Geneva Double Curtain training method, believeing that grapes should be grown 'high wide and handsome'.
He was followed by Peter Latchford who planted at Frithsden in the northern Chilterns in 1971, by Mac and Mary Mackinnon at Hendred in 1972 and by Roger Fisher at Bothy in 1977. There was then a wave of developments in the 1980s, of which Valley Vineyards, Brightwell and Wooldings were the largest. Some have their own wineries whilst others rely on contract producers and wine makers, including the internationally renowned John Worontschak.
The grapes grown have been developed especially for northern climates and include Madeliene Angevine, the ever reliable Seyval Blanc, Reichensteiner and the red Triomphe and Dornfelder. Of recent years there has been an expansion in the planting of traditional French varieties, particularly for the production of sparkling wine, thse include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Our producers use these to make a range of crisp, fruity white wines, 'interesting' reds and prize-winning sparkling wines, enjoyable for any discerning palate.