English wine region trying to 'rival Champagne'

When Nick Wenman was planning to start a vineyard, he "probably thought that if he ever realised that dream it would have to be in France", his daughter says.

Lucy Letley said that when he came to plant his vineyard in Surrey 16 years ago it was "perfect timing in terms of the English wine industry".

English production has grown quickly since then, and Letley is now the general manager of the 20 acre (8 hectare) Albury Vineyard, near Guildford.

"It was initially a retirement hobby for him, but it's grown a lot over the last 16 years," she said.

"He probably works harder now than he did when he was properly working."

The vineyard is one of nine in the area which have joined together as Vineyards of the Surrey Hills.

They have organised Surrey Hills Wine Week: a series of events promoting their businesses as tourist destinations.

"We're trying to get people to come and visit us, see the vineyards, taste the wines, meet the people behind the vineyards and explore the whole region if they can," Letley said.

Tourists want "the story and the authenticity behind the wine", Letley told the BBC, which was something "English vineyards now do incredibly well".

She also claims the wine itself "rivals that of Champagne and top producing wine countries in the world".

Surrey Hills Wine Week runs from Saturday until 7 June.

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), there were 7,020 acres of active vines in the UK in 2021.

By 2025, that figure had risen to 10,769 acres.

WineGB estimated the industry employed about 3,300 people with a further 13,000 seasonal positions in 2024.

The industry body estimates about two thirds of a typical year's production in the UK is sparkling wine.

Letley said that although a warmer weather had allowed for Champagne grape varieties to be grown in Surrey, climate change was causing problems for English growers.

Albury Vineyard staff had been out on multiple occasions with bougies - a type of candle - used to try and stave off frost,

But the vineyard has "nevertheless had some frost damage to some of the varieties," Letley told the BBC.

"In the last month we've had we've had sunshine, rain, frost, and the spring frost has been a nightmare for growers," she said.

"We've had hail and then we've had [heat], so these real extreme weather conditions that we're seeing, it is a big challenge actually."

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