(By Henry Crowhurst – UK / editorial / animated pic: New South Wales Wines – Runwayml)
Wales? That is the part of the UK that was given the Prince of Wales by the royal family so that the Welsh would leave their lances and swords in the cellar. It worked well (apart from the miners’ strike in the early 1980s). And they were also allowed to keep their Celtic-influenced place and village names, such as “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch” – which should be off-putting enough to discourage anyone from visiting this (rather beautiful) part of the kingdom. Because the Welsh like things quiet – people like us merely take an insane number of smartphone pictures and are a nuisance. And then there is wine here. Wine in Wales, more precisely in “New South Wales”. Does it work? It does! Even better since climate change: more sunshine, less rain – and the mild winters of the Gulf Stream.
The development of present-day Welsh viticulture is a story barely 50 years old. We might therefore think that Wales and wine have never historically had a truly close relationship. But that is not true: it is more of an on-off story – with interruptions.
The Romans, who else, also planted their imported vines here – because their soldiers were the addicts of the Caesarian and Augustan eras.
The Vikings land – and apparently find wine very dispensable.
After the Battle of Hastings, the French bring know-how to Wales – viticulture experiences a second “golden age”. Though under occupation, which then increasingly loses its enthusiasm for viticulture in the damp climate.
And then Henry VIII arrives, nationalises Wales as a province – and ends the chapter of viticulture once again. Wines in Wales, naturally drunk only by the nobility and the Church, thereafter come from France or Portugal for centuries. Viticulture survives – mostly for personal and village consumption – on just a few parcels.
And then: Since the 1960s and 1970s, more wine has once again been grown in Wales. Tenaciously, unhurriedly, with a certain defiant Welsh perseverance. Today there is a stable scene of wineries that regularly win awards – which, in a country with somewhat more rain than is usual in wine-growing regions, may almost be regarded as a sporting achievement.
Because the climate is, shall we say: character-building – although increasingly friendlier and reminiscent of the Champagne region as it was there in the 1970s. Atlantic, then: sunshine more a guest than anything else during the months useful for viticulture – at least. But certainly not exactly the natural habitat for Mediterranean wine fantasies
So people do not plant Cabernet Sauvignon dreams here either, but Solaris, Rondo, Bacchus, Regent. Early-ripening, robust, pragmatic. Grape varieties that can work under an umbrella too.
And from these rather sober-sounding prerequisites come surprisingly diverse wines:
Sparkling wines – often made from Seyval Blanc, a grape variety nobody knows anywhere else.
White still wines – where Solaris can do more than its name might suggest.
Red still wines – Rondo delivers the most stable results. But it is not really the thing here.
And even fortified wines from Regent, because here one cannot shy away from not trying methods.
The real difference from England lies in the way of thinking. England likes to look towards Champagne and ask: “Can we do that too?” Wales is more likely to ask: “What works here – but please, without the fuss?”
Less imitation, more adaptation. Less prestige script, more regional reality. Minimal intervention, suitable varieties, realistic expectations. Almost endearingly unhurried.
Many wineries place a strong emphasis on hospitality: vineyard hotels, tastings with a view, rooms among the vines. At first, this sounds like weekend romance – but above all, it is economic logic. Because wine alone does not yet support everything it costs – and probably will not be able to carry everything for a long time to come.
A successful Welsh viticulture example is Jabajak: restaurant, accommodation, own wines. Its sparkling rosé was rated 91 points by WineGB. A Welsh rosé that is taken seriously – thirty years ago, one might have thought that more likely to be a Monty Python sketch.
Other producers:
Velfrey – bronze two vintages in a row at WineGB for their sparkling wine. In Britain, that is called “consistency”, which here sounds almost like a knighthood.
Vale Vineyard – won the award for the best “alternative red wine” with a 2023 Rondo. And beat English competition. One may imagine laughing Welsh people. Finally, the Brits beaten. And with red wine!
What stands out is this: Although significantly fewer wines are entered for British competitions than in England, the proportion of award-winning Welsh wines is remarkably high. Quality therefore does not seem to be an accident here. What is missing, however, is awareness.
Because English wine gets headlines, investors and attention. Wales, by contrast, gets nothing but wine tourism. The industry depends heavily on hospitality and wine travel. When tourism is thriving, viticulture grows too. If not, they will need even more good humour here in future.
The big question, then, is no longer: Can the winegrowers in Wales make decent and even good wine? The ratings from WineGB and Decanter across several vintages already answer that. The question is: Can a region permanently establish itself in viticulture when it is travelling the world on only a small marketing budget?
Onwards and upwards – in wellington boots. 🍷