English wine has surged in reputation over the past two decades, driven mainly by traditional-method sparkling wine made from the classic Champagne trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Vineyards cluster in the warmer south—Kent, Sussex, and Essex—where a cool climate and chalky soils akin to Champagne's yield high-acid, aromatic wines that have outscored French Champagne in blind tastings.
Grapes grown here