Did you know that England, and indeed Essex, has some really decent wineries? We’re lucky enough to have some great wine producers right here on our doorstop. And this English Wine Week is the perfect opportunity to discover more about them!

Why Essex?

Located in the southeast of England, Essex enjoys more sunshine and less rainfall than almost anywhere else in the UK. This dry, sunny climate is critical for growing grapes in a country traditionally challenged by cool temperatures and short seasons. One of the standout regions within Essex is the Crouch Valley, which benefits from a unique microclimate – sheltered by surrounding hills and warmed by the nearby River Crouch. Combined with light, free-draining soils – particularly the sandy loams and gravelly terraces – the Crouch Valley offers exceptional conditions for ripening still wine varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to a level rarely achieved elsewhere in the UK.

It’s no coincidence that some of the UK’s top sparkling wine producers, including Chapel Down and Lyme Bay, now source fruit from Essex. But it’s the still wines – especially those from the Crouch Valley – that are turning heads, with estates like Danbury Ridge and New Hall earning critical acclaim for their expressive, high-quality wines

 

Danbury Ridge: Redefining English Still Wine

Founded in 2014 and located near Chelmsford, Danbury Ridge Estate has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most ambitious and premium wine producers. With a laser focus on quality over quantity, Danbury Ridge is proving that English Pinot Noir and Chardonnay can rival cool-climate wines from Burgundy or Oregon.

What sets Danbury Ridge apart is its meticulous vineyard management and exceptional terroir. Situated on warm, sheltered slopes with gravel and clay-rich soils, the vineyards benefit from excellent drainage and optimal sun exposure. This allows for full phenolic ripeness which refers to the point at which a grape’s tannins, skins, seeds, and other phenolic compounds have fully matured, resulting in smoother textures and more balanced, complex flavours in the finished wine. This is a rare achievement in England, especially for Pinot Noir, only made consistently achievable by the changing climate.

The wines? Elegant, structured, and full of character. They are hand harvested, whole-bunch pressed and then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.

Danbury Ridge’s Pinot Noirs are richly textured with notes of cherry, spice, and earth, maintaining an elegant balance between concentration and refinement.

 

The Chardonnays display precision, minerality, and a creamy depth that speaks of skilled oak integration and lees aging. Lees aging is the process of leaving wine in contact with the dead yeast cells (lees) after fermentation to enhance its flavour, texture, and complexity, often adding notes of bread, nuts, or creaminess. The creaminess in the Chardonnay also comes from malolactic fermentation where sharp malic acid is converted into softer lactic acid, resulting in smoother texture.

In just a few vintages, Danbury Ridge has garnered critical acclaim, being hailed by critics as a benchmark for English still wine excellence.

New Hall Vineyards: A Historic Producer with a Bright Future

While Danbury Ridge represents the new elite, New Hall Vineyards is one of the oldest commercial vineyards in the UK, with a history dating back to 1969. Located in Purleigh, one of the warmest and driest parts of the country, New Hall has been a pioneer of English wines.

New Hall’s strength lies in its diversity and consistency. The estate grows a wide range of grape varieties, from the traditional Bacchus and Pinot Noir to less common types like Ortega and Reichensteiner, producing both still and sparkling wines. Their Bacchus, often dubbed “the English Sauvignon Blanc,” is zesty and aromatic, with notes of elderflower, citrus, and green apple – perfect for refreshing summer drinking.

New Hall’s Single Estate Bacchus is a vibrant, aromatic white wine bursting with spring blossom, passionfruit, grapefruit, pear, and peach, complemented by fresh herbal notes of nettle and cut grass. It’s produced from hand-harvested Bacchus grapes, and fermented cool in stainless steel, with 1.5% barrel fermentation in third-fill French oak to enhance mouthfeel. The result is a crisp, refreshing, medium-bodied wine with zesty acidity and a lingering mineral finish – ideal for alfresco drinking or pairing with seafood and salads

New Hall’s Barons Lane Red is a light-bodied blend, consisting typically of Acolon, Regent, Rondo, and Triomphe grapes, and bursting with black cherry, bramble, and hints of red cherry and almond on the nose. The palate is supple yet structured, offering juicy dark fruit, subtle tomato leaf, and a gentle smoky peppery finish. With an approachable 11% ABV, it delivers refined English red character without oak influence, making it a versatile match for casual meals and light meats.

Barons Lane White is a crisp, dry, fruit-driven blend predominantly of Huxelrebe, Pinot Blanc and Schönburger, offering lively aromas of pear, grapefruit, lemon, and delicate floral notes like honeysuckle and English hedgerow. Sourced from heritage vines planted in the 1970s–80s on sheltered southern slopes in the Crouch Valley which has London clay with underlying chalk, it undergoes cool stainless-steel fermentation to preserve varietal purity and subtle complexity. This wine delivers a supple, round palate with a slight saline minerality, which leads to a mouth-watering, refreshing finish

 

Choose Essex wines this English Wine Week

With producers like Danbury Ridge setting new quality standards and New Hall building on decades of experience, Essex is cementing its place at the forefront English wine. Its natural advantages combined with bold, quality-driven winemaking, make it a region ripe for discovery.

Pop in store to discover Essex wines for yourself this English Wine Week.