267: The history of english wine - and its sparkling future

<div>The history of English <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/why-is-wine-not-vegan-the-guide-to-understanding-wines/">wine</a> has been a bumpy one, and it starts much further back than many people would believe.<br> <br> </div> <div>There is evidence that the Romans grew grapes for wine in English soil some 2,000 years ago.<br> <br> </div> <div>For many hundreds of years after that there have been numerous attempts to make English wine the preferred choice amongst drinkers, with varying degrees of success.<br> <br> </div> <div>In fact, its fair to say that until relatively recently, English wine had a bad reputation both at home and elsewhere in the world.<br> <br> </div> <div>But today, the white and sparkling wines produced in England are often rated among the best.<br> <br> </div> <div>So how did we get here? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by wine writer, Liz Sagues, to find out exactly that.<br> <br> </div> <div>It's easy to dismiss early attempts at making English wine as being blighted by cold weather and too much rain, but there's more to it than that.<br> <br> </div> <div>Easy access to European wines, a lack of expertise, and a <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/podcast/is-the-history-of-beer-at-the-heart-of-human-civilisation-food-podcasts/">love of beer</a> have also played their part.<br> <br> </div> <div>But if it was so difficult to get wine-growing to take off in this country, why did so many people persevere?<br> <br> </div> <div>Liz introduces us to some of the trailblazers. <br> <br> </div> <div>She talks about the Honourable Charles Hamilton, who planted a vineyard at <a href="https://www.painshill.co.uk/">Painshill Park</a> in Surry, and accidentally made early English sparkling wine.<br> <br> </div> <div> <a href="https://www.carr-taylor.co.uk/">The Carr Taylor vineyard</a>, near Hastings, which made the first commercial quantities of wine in 1986.<br> <br> </div> <div>Sandy and Stewart Moss who made sparkling win