It used to be the easiest way in the wine world to get a laugh - start extolling the virtues of English wine. Oh, how they would chortle! And they had a point.

Until the 1990s hardly any English wine was more than a curiosity to be drunk if you had no other choice. The old-fashioned view of English wine is that of a cottage industry made up of amateurs struggling with the mud and the drizzle. The modern view is of a country amazingly blessed with vast tracts of soil suitable for viticulture, much of it almost indistinguishable from the chalky slopes of Champagne and Chablis, and of a country taking full advantage of the vagaries of climate change to ripen Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to levels perfect for sparkling wine, and increasingly excellent still wines. And it wouldn't be far off the mark to say that England is now the newest of the New World, New Wave wine countries.

The 1990s brought several pioneering sparkling wine producers to the fore - led by Nyetimber and Breaky Bottom and suddenly England has found its wine vocation. Oz has long been a champion of English wines and this book helps you find the best wines, from fizz, whites, some impressive reds and even dessert and orange wines.

One of the great pleasures of wine is to drink it where it is grown and made. Both wine handbook and armchair companion, English Wine is an essential book for all lovers of wine. The opportunity to meet growers, winemakers and winery owners is what draws people to visit wineries and 'have an experience in the vineyard'.

The book is split into sections:
Exciting Times - How it used to be; The Nyetimber effect; Climate: is it almost perfect now?; Location is key; Planting like made; A question of style: sparkling or still; and Grape varieties: a race to the top.
British Bubbles - What is needed to make good fizz; Champagne, the original fizz; Bubbles and how they're created.
A Tour Of the Regions - covers personal experiences and reflections from Oz's many years of visiting talented and passionate producers up and down the country. From Yorkshire to the far west of Cornwall and across to Wales, a small but dynamic part of the UK's wine movement, Oz recommends wines he has enjoyed and found interesting and encourages you to try for yourself.

About the Author

Oz is one of the world's leading wine experts, known for his phenomenal palate, irreverent style, accurate predictions, and enthusiasm for life in general and wine in particular. He is the author of many award-winning books on wine. Before wine took over his life in 1984, Oz was a full-time actor and singer, appearing in West End hit shows and touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Alongside his entertaining television and radio broadcasts, including 'Food and Drink', 'Oz and James' with James May and James Martin's Saturday Morning, he presents a series of concerts, Drink to Music! with the acclaimed Armonico Consort. Oz is also sports mad. He was awarded an OBE in 2020.

Reviews

'No one else in wine comes close to sharing his gift as a storyteller. Put simply: Clarke knows how to make stuff interesting, and here is making English wine interesting.'

-- Telegraph Weekend

'The writing sparkles and delights, much like a glass of south coast fizz...a great source of wine inspiration.'

* Susy Atkins *

'Anything from Clarke O is a bonus and his latest release English Wine is beautifully crafted, informative and entertaining.'

* Nigel Barden *

'An unapologetic celebration of the brave new world of English and Welsh wine. It's a book you'll want to have in your glovebox or saddlebag...as you pootle around England and Wales.'

-- Henry Jeffreys, * Tim Atkin MW.com *

'It's brilliant. Exactly what's wanted'

* Hugh Johnson *

'Utterly riveting and brilliant in a way that only Oz knows how to be...'

* Victoria Moore *

'Such a fabulous book'

* Helen McGinn *

'It's wonderful. A blend of wine and love filtered through Betjeman and Larkin.'

* Joe Fattorini *

'A series of fascinating vignettes...written as though Oz were in the room, recounting them over a glass of fizz.'

-- Rob Buckhaven * Metro *

'If anyone can convince the sceptic, it's Oz.'

-- Hugh Johnson * Decanter *



Book Information
ISBN 9781911624158
Author Oz Clarke
Format Hardback
Page Count 176
Imprint Pavilion
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 640g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 162mm * 22mm