Although the Romans introduced wine to Britain, the country's location in north-west Europe means that it is not well known for wine producing. A stroll around the 20-acre site of Shawsgate vineyard shows that wine making is very much alive in East Anglia.
Free Walks Among the 30 Year Old Vines at Shawsgate Vineyard
Shawsgate was established over 30 years ago, and is in a beautiful relaxing location about a mile away from Framlingham castle. A guide leaflet is available from the Shawsgate shop, detailing a several circular walking tours through the tranquil vineyards. For more dedicated oenophiles there are guided tours that can be booked on-line at the Shawsgate website that include the tour and a wine tasting afterwards.
The grape varieties grown at Shawsgate are Acolon and Rondo for reds. White varieties include Bacchus, Reichensteiner, Müller Thurgau, Schonburger and Seyval Blanc. Some of the vines date back to the early 1970s, when Shawsgate was first set up. Visitors can taste the wines at the Shawsgate shop. The white wines tend to be fresh and flowery, the red seemed surprisingly full-bodied.
English wines have long been disadvantaged by an abomination perpetrated on the unsophisticated palates of British customers in the 1970s. So called British wine was made in an industrial process from imported grape concentrate to produce a revolting sweet though strong wine at low cost. A free tasting at the winery shop will confirm the excellent quality of Shawsgate's product to any customer who may be of the impression English wine is of the same stable!
History of Wine Making In Britain
The Romans brought the vine and wine to Britain, they of course had the advantage of coming from a Mediterranean country with a warmer climate and a long tradition of wine making. Tacitus, writing in the first century AD observed that the climate was objectionable and unsuited to winemaking. However, archaeological excavation of Roman sites yields some remains of viticulture including grape vine pollen from a site at Wollaston.
This fell into decline with the fall of the Roman Empire, however, by the 10th century there is evidence of vineyards associated with monasteries. The Norman conquest in 1066 brought new expertise in viticulture to the shores of Britain, and the Domesday Book documents thirty-eight locations where vines were grown.
The new nobility clearly felt wine important to them, since they accounted for most locations, the remainder were attached to monasteries. The climate warmed in Britain from around the time of the Conquest for about 300 years, which undoubtedly helped the success of the new vineyards.
The Black Death in the mid to late 1300s changed agriculture, making labour scarce at the same time as the climate was starting to cool, so conditions became less favourable for wine growing. Transportation improved in both cost and speed, favouring imported wines, leading to a hiatus in wine making until the 20th century revival.
After the Second World War, Ray Brock established Oxted Viticultural Research Station to select and breed grape varieties suited to the English climate, and in 1951 the first commercial English vineyard at was established at Hambledon. The new varieties transformed winemaking in England.
Visiting Shawsgate Vineyard
Shawsgate is just off the B1120 Badingham Road, on the left if travelling from Framlingham. Parking is free, and there is a children's play area near the car park and shop. Shawsgate is closed Sundays - check opening times on the Shawsgate website.
Shawsgate is near the impressive Framlingham Castle, a Norman castle worth visiting.
Sources
- Growing Vines to Make Wines, Nick Poulter, Nexus, 1998, ISBN 1854861816
- English Wine Producers website
Richard Mudhar - Originally from London, now enjoying a less hectic pace of life in Suffolk, Richard Mudhar is a keen wildlife sound recordist and ...
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