The only wine is Essex! Forget fake tans and TOWIE, the county is now producing stellar vino, says Essex girl HELENA NICKLIN
Essex and fine wine are not usually words you’ll see together in a sentence.
But as a female wine professional who grew up in Essex during the 80s and 90s, my formative years punctuated by misogynistic jokes about girls from my part of the world, nothing’s more pleasing than being able to say this much-maligned county is currently the most exciting region for fine wine on the planet. The only way is Essex. Fact.
But as far as the next frontier goes, and certainly when it comes to fine, still wines, all eyes are on Essex. And for good reason, too. Results just in from this year’s WineGB Awards – the top national competition for English and Welsh wine – confirm a genuine shift.
For the second year running, the ultimate national trophies have been dominated by wines made with grapes grown in Essex. Indeed, there are now more than 55 vineyards in the county, making Essex one of the biggest wine-producing regions behind Sussex and Kent.
So, where exactly is this exciting wine production happening, and why is it different from elsewhere in England?
Of the three emerging sub-regions of Essex, it is the Crouch Valley on the Dengie Peninsula, which lies to the east of Chelmsford and south of the River Blackwater, that’s currently getting the most attention from wine buffs.
None other than Jancis Robinson, the world’s most famous wine writer, has described it as ‘England’s Côte d’Or’, thanks to the rich, complex, ‘Burgundian’-style still wines coming out of it made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes.
Forget fake tans and TOWIE, the county is now producing stellar vino, says Essex girl Helena Nicklin
Burgundy itself has also got the memo, with producers from the famous French villages of Gevrey-Chambertin and Chassagne-Montrachet announcing joint ventures with two of Crouch Valley’s top players: Danbury Ridge and Missing Gate Vineyard. It did, after all, hit 40 degrees in ‘cool climate’ Burgundy this summer, which fine wine grapes struggle with. The peak temperature on the Dengie Peninsula has been a relatively pleasant 32 degrees.
It’s not just the French eyeing up Essex though: Jackson Family Wines, a major Californian-based wine company, founded Marbury – another Crouch Valley operation – in 2023, persuading celebrated English winemaker Charlie Holland to jump ship from Gusbourne in Kent to build a portfolio of still wines in Essex.
‘I first noticed the wines coming out of the Crouch Valley in 2018,’ Charlie tells me. ‘Some were a significant step up from anything I had tasted in the UK before.
‘Now I’m winemaking here, being able to consistently ripen grapes to above 13% alcohol by volume (ABV) naturally, even in a difficult year, is a game changer.
‘Elsewhere, they struggle to get about 11%, which is fine for sparkling – but I firmly believe this is the best place to grow grapes for still wine in this country.’
Being able to ripen grapes fully is more important for still wines. Riper grapes have more sugar which means more alcohol, fruitiness and body.
Sparkling wines, by contrast, actually need grapes to be less ripe, as they are more about crisp acidity than voluptuous ripe fruit. For riper grapes, parts of Essex have the trump card compared to other places in the UK.
In the Crouch Valley, it’s all about the soils; the heat-retaining London Clay to be precise, as well as a warmer, drier microclimate, keeping frost at bay and helping ripen grapes to make still wines that aren’t weedy and acidic.
Octagon Block Danbury Ridge Vineyard Essex
North-west Essex around Saffron Walden and out towards Colchester, between the Colne and Stour Valleys, are the two other hotspots for fine Essex wine, though here the focus is on sparkling vino and aromatic grapes like Bacchus and Pinot Gris.
Saffron Grange is one to watch, having just won three awards for its sparkling wines at WineGB East 2026, with Bromley Brook, located near Manningtree, taking home ‘Best Pinot Noir’ at the same competition. Essex knows it’s got a good thing going and happily for its growing number of international visitors, it’s understood the importance of wine tourism too, with numerous wineries opening up restaurants and tasting rooms on site.
Wine educator Paul Laurie, who is known as Essex Wine Man and is an ambassador for New Hall Estate in Purleigh near Maldon, is excited for what’s coming next.
‘We’ve hosted big corporate events with brands like BMW and Porsche recently,’ he reveals, ‘and with new Essex Wine Tour companies setting up as we speak, it’s all only going to get bigger.’
Thirsty yet? Get a taste of Essex with these eight top tipples:
Blackbook Winery, NightJar Pinot Noir 2024, £30, blackbookwinery.com
Blackbook Winery, NightJar Pinot Noir 2024, £30
Made by the brilliant Battersea urban winery Blackbook using grapes from Clayhill Vineyard in Crouch Valley, this is a silky pinot with concentrated red and dark cherry, bramble fruit and a peppery spiciness. One for lamb or grilled beef and a superb choice to confuse the posh winos in your life when you serve it blind. They’ll think it’s French.
Marbury Pinot Noir 2024, £44, elementarywine.co.uk
Marbury Pinot Noir 2024, £44
Soft and velvety with concentrated notes of dark cherry, baking spice and plum compote, this is an accomplished English Pinot. It’s like Burgundy but bolder and will love a leg of lamb or duck pancakes. It will age beautifully too.
Bromley Brook, Bacchus 2023, £20, bromleybrookvineyard.com
Bromley Brook, Bacchus 2023, £20
A fantastic example of wine made with the Bacchus grape from an award-winning vineyard out near Stour Valley, with notes of grass, forest floor and citrus. One for Sauvignon Blanc fans, and it will make a great pairing for goat’s cheese and most types of salad. A good choice for a lunchtime tipple.
Danbury Ridge Chardonnay 2023, £39, thewinesociety.com
Textured, complex and creamy, with a lemon peel tang and a pinch of spice, this is a truly knockout Chardonnay, sitting somewhere style-wise between a fine Burgundy and coastal Californian. Pair with nutty cheese, chicken or a posh monkfish dish. You might want to decant it too.
New Hall Single Estate Pinot Précoce Rosé 2025, £14.95, thewinesociety.com
Made by the Crouch Valley’s oldest winery, founded in 1969, this uses Pinot Précoce, an earlier-ripening relative of Pinot Noir, and is a wonderfully crisp and crunchy, rosehip-scented pink. Sip as an aperitif or pair it with prawns. Well-priced and interesting, a great wine to start your Essex wine journey with.
Riverview Pinot Noir Rosé 2025, £25, thegoodwineshop.co.uk
Made with 100 per cent Pinot Noir, this is a laser-focused, pure and lean pink with vibrant ripe berry fruit. Wonderful with smoked or baked salmon and a nice treat with cold cuts, this could also hold its own with lightly spiced Asian food. Try the still Chardonnays and Pinots too, once they’re back in stock!
London Clay Brut NV, £18.50, crushedandcured.co.uk
Producer London Clay makes delightfully fruity, easy-drinking fizzes, which are made like Prosecco but with Champagne grapes. This is an unpretentious and very modern tipple that’s ideal when paired with simple, salty nuts and snacks. A good choice for intimate gatherings with friends.
Saffron Grange, The Rebel, Blanc de Gris Sparkling 2023, £30, saffrongrange.com
A fun new wine from multi-award-winning Saffron Grange, this is a generous, traditional-method Pinot Gris/Chardonnay blend with notes of melon, pear and brioche. A bit different and great for gifting thanks to its funky packaging and star-on-the-rise story. Pair it with pastry-based snacks and it can take a little chilli spice.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.