At first glance Denbies Wine Estate could be in some remote part of Champagne, and indeed its geology is well-nigh identical to that of Champagne, but it is in fact about an hour’s drive from London, in deepest, darkest Surrey.
English Wine Comes of Age
The notion of English wine has been known to raise a snicker or two, but that is changing. The English wine industry is growing in confidence, with a steady increase in both wine production and international recognition. English wine is a serious business now, as indeed is Denbies.
Denbies Wine Estate won the International Wine and Spirit competition UK Wine Producer of the Year in 2007, and was acknowledged as one of the top four champagne/sparkling wine producers in the world at the International Wine Challenge Awards during the same year. With 265 acres planted with vines, Denbies is the largest vineyard in England, and produces around 450,000 bottles of wine a year.
Enjoying English Wine at Denbies
The Denbies Wine Estate attracts over 375,000 visitors a year, and its evolving attractions helped it to win the Surrey Business Award for “Leisure and Tourism 2007/8”. There are tours of the cellars and vineyard, a nature trail for children, along with a shop crammed with wine-related goodies. The Visitor Centre also hosts the Surrey Performing Arts Library which includes the Vaughan Williams Exhibition.
The "Wine Experience" tour starts in a darkened 360-degree cinema with a film detailing the history of the estate, its spectacular photography taking the viewer on a trip through the changing seasons of the vineyard. People carriers then move visitors past high-tech equipment to the cellars to taste the fruits of the estate.
The Beginnings of Denbies Wine Estate
Denbies is family run. Marcus White bought the farm in 1984, fully intending to keep its pigs and herd of beef cattle. However, Dr Richard Selley, professor of geology at Imperial College, University of London, noted the similarities between the soil of the Denbies region and that of Champagne. Both are chalky limestone escarpments, with south-facing slopes and protection from the wind. So the pigs and the cattle went and, in 1986, the first vines were planted, with the maiden vintage going on sale in 1989.
Wine is not new to the South-East of England. The Atrebates, the main tribe in the region before the Romans came, had a vine-leaf on their coinage, while the Romans planted their own vineyards. Later, according to the Domesday Book, there were vineyards all over the south of England. Many were attached to churches and monasteries which used wine for sacramental purposes. Denbies is continuing a long tradition of wine-drinking and wine-growing in southern England.
How to Get To Denbies Wine Estate
Denbies lies on the A24, close to the M25 and the A3 from London. There are frequent trains from London to Dorking train station, which is a fifteen-minute walk from the estate. The "Wine Experience" tour costs £7.25 (US$10.30).
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