You had me at Merlot

The British wine industry is growing at a rate of Nebuchadnezzars, altering the palate of the countryside market, finds

- Annunciata Elwes

FOR the first time, the UK is home to more than 1,000 vineyards-and counting. Hampshire, Kent, Sussex and Surrey are positively awash with acres under vine, after an increase in temperatures over the past decade ramped things up for an industry that had historically fallen somewhat flat.

From as early as 43BC, wine-loving Romans, Catholics and Normans established vineyards on these shores-indeed, the Domesday Book of 1086 recorded 42 vineyards in England, 12 of which were attached to monasteries. However, these efforts were scuppered by powerful adversaries such as Vikings, the Black Death, imports and the great British weather.

English wine as we know it was born again after the World Wars, when 'founding father' Ray Barrington Brock trialled more than 600 varieties in Surrey, forming a selection that still informs winemaking in this country today; this was followed by the publication of pioneer George Ordish's book Wine Growing in England in 1953. In 1952, Maj-Gen Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones planted the first commercial vineyard (Seyval Blanc) at Hambledon in Hampshire -and the rest is history.