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English and Welsh wine is growing in popularity as the UK is increasingly seen as a premium wine-producing region, competing on the world’s stage. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that England started to leave its stamp on the wine community, but now there are award-winning wines – including a number of Lyme Bay Winery’s very own English wines – taking home the top taste awards in the UK and internationally.
To celebrate the rising success of English wines, the industry celebrates English Wine Week every year, where businesses can promote their products to new customers and introduce more wine enthusiasts to locally grown and produced drinks.
When is it?
English Wine Week takes place from Saturday 18th June to Sunday 26th June 2022. June marks the start of summer, with the Summer Solstice on the 21st and Midsummer Day on the 24th June, respectively signalling the changing of the season.
This is the time of year in the vineyards of the Northern Hemisphere when the buds turn into flowers and small bunches of grapes begin to grow. Winemakers will be hoping for more good weather this summer to yield another fantastic harvest, as has happened in recent years – notably in 2018.
What Happens During English Wine Week?
Over the course of the week, vineyards and wine sellers put their focus on English and Welsh wines, offering opportunities to taste award-winning wines and take a tour through vineyards. With a whole week dedicated to promoting the drink, it has helped to improve the role of English wine in a competitive and crowded marketplace.
In the same way craft beer festivals have helped launched the beverage on a global scale, the annual event helps put English wine on the map. In recent years, there have been record production and sales of wine produced in England and Wales, which have spiked during English Wine Week.
What Are Lyme Bay Winery Doing For English Wine Week?
On the 18th of June we are tasting a range of our wines at the English Wine Extravaganza in Exeter alongside the likes of Oz Clarke OBE and Telegraph drinks expert Susy Atkins. Click here for full details and to buy tickets.
On Thursday 23rd June tune into @winetimelondon for an Instagram takeover! Brad has given us access to his account of wine lovers to showcase the ethos, people and passion behind Lyme Bay Winery…
And finally, visitors to our Cellar Door in Shute, near Axminster, will also enjoy an extra discount across all our still and sparkling English wines throughout the whole of English Wine Week!
How You Can Get Involved
English Wine Week is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the drink and sample something different from your usual. Many winemakers regard the week as a chance to market a new release and with so much on offer, it makes sense to try something else. A good harvest in 2022 will allow winemakers to continue releasing new bottles throughout the year, so you’ll be able to buy a bottle of wine that wasn’t available just a few months prior. One of the biggest draws for wine connoisseurs to get involved during English Wine Week is a chance to explore one of the country’s wineries.
Many English wineries open their doors to the public, offering special tours of the estate. Visitors can learn about the methods used to create the wine, try some of the tipples, and learn more about the full process from the first vines to the bottle on the shelf. Visiting a winery also offers the opportunity to learn more about the varieties of red and white grapes that go into making English wines, so even if you are a complete beginner in the world of wine, you should hopefully leave with some new-found information.
English Wine Week’s focus on wine grown and produced within England’s borders offers the perfect opportunity to support local producers. People up and down the country are moving to buy locally sourced and sustainable food and drink, and events like this offer consumers the chance to get a better understanding of how they can support homegrown businesses. Even if one bottle of English wine is not to your taste, there is sure to be another one that is!
Celebrate with Lyme Bay Winery
Here at Lyme Bay, we source the best grapes from the best vineyards across the UK to make the best English wines, so why not check out our award-winning selection online? We look forward to welcoming those of you who can pop into our shop to sample our still and sparkling ranges, but if you can’t make it, you can still order our full range online!
