From strength to strength

Earlier this month the Rother Wine Trail launched to help market the vineyards in and around Rye, part of a multi-million pound and hugely successful industry. It now has a world class reputation, but as Peter Connock reports that has not always been the case. So why is Sussex so good for wine production?

Some 10 years ago a French colleague and I started a discussion about food and wine in our two countries. Very reluctantly, as you can imagine, he conceded that British cheese could actually be quite edible but wine … never … (especially red wine)!

This resulted in a small challenge where I provided him with a bottle of English sparkling wine to try. He assembled his family to taste it, one of whom was rather fond of champagne, and the tasting took place. A few weeks later, and very reluctantly, he pronounced the product was quite excellent, and priced at the right level for its quality. This wine happened to be from Gusbourne, just over the border in Kent … but look what has happened here in Sussex since then!

Who would have thought that Sussex would now have 140 vineyards and 30 wineries, higher than any other county in the UK. Many are award-winning and open to the public, offering cellar door sales, tours, tastings, food and drink, shopping, accommodation (often quite quirky) as well as a variety of events (both private and corporate) and activities.

The Rother Valley is low lying, with a warm microclimate that receives more sunshine than anywhere else in the UK. Along with its unique terroir* of alluvial soils and sand, silt and clay and sandstone ridges, the region produces award-winning wines of the classic sparkling method, as well as varieties including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Alsatian Pinot clones.

The Rother Wine Triangle, launched as part of English Wine Week, showcases 7 local vineyards taking part in a pilot to promote Sussex wine. 

Grape production is increasingly part of the diversification activities of, mainly English, farming. But it is not for the faint-hearted! Establishing vines is a skilled and long-term process, with a great deal of manual work and several years of development before they can be harvested for wine. As with other crops, they cam be very vulnerable to disease, with a long recovery period if things go wrong.

But, in the launch event, the enthusiasm of these new entrepreneurial wine makers was infectious and the settings of their vineyards stunningly beautiful – which when combined with excellent quality wine creates an experience that is increasingly appreciated by locals and tourists alike. 

Sadly, this rapidly expanding sector comes as a result of climate change, allowing the particular soil conditions and landscape to be exploited for grape production. While the industry started with quite a limited range of grape varieties that were supported by the conditions, many wine producers are now experimenting with many more types of grape and producing increasingly interesting wines. I would expect that my French colleague would be horrified to learn that there are now some excellent English red wines!

This has resulted in Government funded schemes to promote wine and wine tourism via the Sussex Winelands initiative. The plan aims to grow Sussex’s wine tourism sector from its current value of £25million to £283million by 2040, generating over 3500 new jobs and securing Sussex’s position as the UK’s premier wine tourism destination. The Rother Wine Triangle, involving Carr Taylor Vineyard, Charles Palmer Vineyard, Mountfield Winery, Oastbrook, Oxney Organic Estate, Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard and Tillingham, has been chosen as a pilot to help achieve these goals.

Lisse Garnett, the well-known Sussex wine writer said: “Winelands is a great idea as it offers a cohesive way for visitors to connect with our wine region which is one of the most exciting and successful in the country. East Sussex has so much to offer tourists … ⁠we know that because we live here but it’s an unknown entity to many who have never had the pleasure of visiting Rye, exploring the cellars of Winchelsea, eating our fish and chips or tasting our lovely wines.

“Many of our wine businesses are run by farmers or ethical entrepreneurs who invest in our communities, employ local people and offer training opportunities to our children that could one day take them anywhere in the world. Our hospitality industry benefits from the English wine industry too – hospitality employs one eighth of the UK workforce and they need our support at a time when many of us are struggling to pay rent.”

This whole development is a tribute to the entrepreneurialism of the local farming community, seizing an opportunity to diversify and make farming more sustainable in the long-term. Efforts are also made to support biodiversity in the vineyards, some compensation at least for climate change that has enabled this opportunity. Wine production is now becoming an important element supporting our rural community, a sector of vital importance to Rye and the surrounding area.

Cllr. Hazel Timpe, from Rother District Council and responsible for the pilot said: “We are proud to have so many good wineries in the Rother ‘microclimate’ with some of the best involved in this trial. This 2-year programme has been a real team effort, and we look forward to seeing it expanded further.”

But all this is not without challenges. Overseas wine producers, especially of sparkling wines, are keen purchasers of prime land for vineyard development, potentially threatening “local” production. And while no one can deny the high quality of wines now being produced in these, and other vineyards, it does not come at a budget price … something that will inevitably restrict the size of market that can be addressed. This is why initiatives like this are essential, promoting not only the wines but also ”wine tourism” as well.

The Rother Wine Triangle is easily accessible from Rye, and well worth exploring as part of an appreciation of English wine and its local producers …. Santé!

* terroir – the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate.

Image Credits: Peter Connock , peter connock .