335: Why are major Champagne houses, like Taittinger and Pommery, spending millions on English vineyards?

Why are major Champagne houses, like Taittinger and Pommery, spending millions of dollars to buy and plant vineyards in England? How did Brexit reshape the English wine industry, from barrels to picking grapes? Why does visiting the English wine country feel like uncovering a hidden secret?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Henry Jeffreys, author of Vines in a Cold Climate.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

 

Giveaway

Three of you are going to win a copy of his terrific book, Vines in a Cold Climate. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [e-mail] and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

 

Highlights

Is England's greatest wine yet to be discovered?

What makes Peter Hall of Breaky Bottom such a memorable and inspirational person?

What is it like to visit English wine regions as a tourist?

How can you make the most out of a trip to London as a wine lover?

What was the most surprising historical tidbit about English wine that Henry uncovered while researching?

Which significant milestones have signalled the improved quality of English wine in the past 20 years?

What makes English winemakers different from those from other regions?

If English wine is such a precarious venture, why have champagne houses like Tattinger and Pommery chosen to plant in England?

How did Brexit impact English winemakers?

What’s the biggest risk to the English wine industry?

 

Key Takeaways

Henry observes that Champagne is warming up and the concern is that eventually the grapes might not have enough acidity, so they're hedging their bets. He also thinks they are entrepreneurial. If you could bring your expertise and get it to work and make a great, great wine - which is what they're interested in - then, why not?

Brexit had a big impact on the English wine industry. There was a hell of a lot of upheaval, but I think generally the industry has adjusted and worked out how they can bring things in. The cost, obviously, has gone into the wines, and we probably have to pay more. But I think all the problems have already been dealt with. It's all kind of factored in.

Southern England, especially in the spring and summer, Henry says, is breathtakingly beautiful in a way that no other country is. There are beautiful little villages and hills and churches. It can be quite incongruous sometimes seeing the vines, especially if on a cold day when you’d expect to see horses and apple trees. Wine tourism is quite in its infancy at the moment, but it’s coming on strongly. A lot of wineries have realized that you can sell tourists wine without anyone taking a cut. So they’re beginning to take it a lot more seriously… have restaurants on site, really good tour guides. The potential is massive because most of the vineyards are within an hour and a half of London.

 

About Henry Jeffreys

Henry Jeffreys worked in the wine trade and publishing before becoming a writer. He’s a contributor to Good Food, The Guardian, Harpers Wine & Spirit, and The Spectator, wine columnist for The Critic magazine, and has appeared on radio, TV, and The Rest is History podcast. He won Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year in 2022 and is the author of four books, including Empire of Booze and Vines in a Cold Climate, which was shortlisted for the James Beard awards and won Fortnum & Mason drink book of the year. Along with Tom Parker Bowles, he hosts the Intoxicating History podcast. He lives in Faversh