2 ★ FT Weekend 17 August/18 August 2019Luke Edward Hall
Readers’ questions
wines only appeared last year. The vines
had to mature, equipment had to be
installed and as they produce sparkling
wine, the wine needed time to age.
English weather is limiting, says
Driver, and late spring frosts have been
the biggest hindrance to his yields in
recent years. “But the main thing,” he
says, “is to find a market for your wine.”
Rathfinny plans to export up to half of
its overall output, which Driver hopes
will top 700,000 bottles in a few years.The long view
While not every English winemaker
is happy about Brexit, most appreciate
its main effect: a weaker pound. In
trade-weighted terms, sterling has
fallen about a fifth since the Brexit
referendum in June 2016. Cheaper ster-
ling should mean higher sales overseas.
Producerssuch as Ridgeviewsay they
cannot meet all their export orders.
President Donald Trump’s recent threat
to put tariffs on French wine and cham-
pagne could add to the allure of English
sparkling wines.
The Drivers opted for large-scale
production, as have other big produc-
ers, such as Ridgeview and Chapel
Down in Kent. That is understandable,
given that UK consumersdrink about
4m bottles of local fizz annually, rising
by more than 5 per cent every year. By
2022, if all goes well, six winemakers
alone will have the capacity to produce
1m bottles each.
Others prefer a more cautious
approach. “The less you know, the more
you spend,” quips Guy Howard.
But the Howards, too, are expanding
while, foreign buyers, from France, the
US and South Africaare circling keen to
get into English wine.
What would the Howards have
done differently? They lament not
growing the business more aggressively
at an earlier stage. But as long as
the weather holds up, expect more
industry growth and more wannabe
English winemakers.
Additional data reporting by Ido VockWill you make money?
Some English producers do well. Per-
bottle running costs are about £6 for a
producer of 20,000 bottles annually.
That is a fraction of cellar-door prices
for English sparkling wine (between
£25 and £30 per bottle or more) and
suggests good returns — assuming a suf-
ficient number of visitors.
However, adding investment costs for
equipmentor more landcan deplete
that margin. But at least the grower is
not at the mercy of outsourced wineries
with limited capacity. Makers using
third-party producers report a lack of
available capacity to process harvests.
Do not forget revenue lost to tax. In
the UK, makers of sparkling wine
(with more than 8.5 per cent alcohol)
pay £3.43 per bottle including VAT.
That has risen 70 per cent in the past
decade, points out winemaker and
writer Gavin Quinney. In France the
equivalent duty is 8p.
Tamara Roberts, chief executive of
East Sussex-based Ridgeview Wine
Estate, believes that small-scale wine-
makers (producing up to 20,000 bottles
a year) can earn a decent living. That
explains why new ventures keep
appearing — 80 small estates opened in
England in 2017, more than double the
number four years earlier.
However, Roberts believes that the
next stage — producing between 30,000
and 100,000 bottles a year — is more
stressful.Rising marketing expenses
and the margin erosion from distribu-
tion both squeeze profits.
Those choosing to sell through super-
markets will find Waitrose has about 60
per cent of the UK market for English
sparkling wine. The retailer varies its
stock by region, perhaps selling one
estate’s wine in just two stores. Online it
offers some 25 brands nationally.
Ridgeview plans to double the
number of bottles it sells to around
700,000 in the next few years. Across
the English producers, prices per bottle
that start in the low £20s and rise to
£100 have yet to dent demand.
Roberts does not expect prices to fall
over time. “We can’t have a race to the
bottomparticularly when grape yields
are relatively low,” she says.Do your homework
Mark Driver, 55, founder of the Rath-
finny Wine Estate, is an example of the
new breed of “lifestyle” owners of
English vineyards.
As a newbie, Driver was determined
to do his homework. He left a career in
fund management in 2009 and took
foundation courses at Plumpton Col-
lege, one of England’s new centres of
winemaking. Driver established Rath-
finny in 2010, in the Sussex South
Downs, known for its chalky, well-
drained soil.
Investing heavily in land and infra-
structure, Mark and his wife Sarah plan
to plant 140ha by 2021. Rathfinny’s firstContinued from page 1If your picnic table
is dressed to the
nines, you reallyshould be too. Go
bold and theatricalIs there any such thing as a
stylish picnic?“Charles! You’re to come away at once.
I’ve got a basket of strawberries and
a bottle of Château Peyraguey, which
isn’t a wine you’ve ever tasted so
don’t pretend.”
I have always loved thisBrideshead
Revisitedline, and the picnic scene
from the 1980s television series,
adapted from Evelyn Waugh’s novel,
has long given me aesthetic inspiration.
There is nothing more delicious on a
summer’s afternoon thangathering
essentials, packing provisions,
travelling to meet friends or family at
some special place then whiling the
hours away eating, drinking, napping,
reading and swimming (if you’re
lucky) on repeat.
So what to take to that sun-dappled
river, grassy hilltop or sandy dune? A
basket, naturally. Fortnum & Mason, of
course makes plenty — all very nice but
I am not convinced by those giant
painted letters. I prefer something
understated, so I search for old
basketware on eBay.
You will need a rug — or several.
A few weeks ago we picked up a hugeold Welsh blanket in deep blues and
greens for nothing at a little antiques
shop in Bridport in Dorset, but
Retrouviusin London usually has a
good stock of old ones too, and Melin
Tregwynt, a Welsh company that
ships internationally, makes a variety
of new options.
Take several and layer them in a
haphazard way. The key to chic
picnicking is to treat the meal like any
other: the odd item is bound to get
broken or damaged, but that does not
mean you will not want to sip your
Badoit or vinho verde from real,
weighty glasses. Just pack those you do
not feel precious about. I love the
colour of Pentreath & Hall’s Amber
Twist water and wine glasses, and HK-
Living, a Dutch company, makes
drinking glasses with removable hand-
woven wicker handles, which feel
appropriate for outdoor lunches (see
websitefor stockists).
I do have a soft spot for
indestructible melamine, so I get my
fix at the Conran Shop, where a
fabulous selection of outdoor dining
plates, bowls, tumblers and salad
servers called Pebble is stocked
(sunflower yellow is my favourite).chairs? Fermob, based in
France, makes folding
tables and chairs in a range
of bright colours, opening
up possibilities: tablecloths!
candelabras! Cabana(the
homeware offshoot of the
magazine of the same name)
sells delicate floral-linen
tablecloths inspired by
historic Tuscan designs, as
well as delightful items such
as lavender Murano glass
carafes and vintage plates
from Hungary.
My final tip: think like
Hockney at Glyndebourne or
Beaton at Ashcombe: make a
sartorial effort. If your picnic
table is dressed to the nines, you
really should be too. Go bold and
theatrical. Just, whatever you do,
please do not call it eatingal fresco.Luke answers readers’ questions on design
and stylish living every week. Email him at
[email protected] follow him on
Instagram @lukeedwardhallCatch Luke’s masterclass in interior design
at the FT Weekend festival on September 7Running a
vineyard
(Above)
Chardonnay
vines at
Ridgeview; (left)
David Bates at
Welland WinesFor a one-stop shop, try the
Stockholm-based interiors
wonderlandSvenskt Tenn,
founded in 1924 by Estrid
Ericson (full disclosure: I
designed a range of products for
them this year). The emporium
makes and stocks beautiful
items for hamper-packing,
including birch veneer trays
and paper napkins printed
with the kaleidoscopic designs
of Ericson’s collaborator, the
Austrian architect, artist and
designer Josef Frank.
What about aesthetic
inspiration? That sepia-toned
photograph of a young,
blond David Hockney at
Glyndebourne taken some
time in the 1970s, with his giant,
floppy bow tie. Or this 1935 black-and-
white photograph of Cecil Beaton and
friends picnicking in the garden of
Beaton’s house, Ashcombe, in Wiltshire
— the absolute picture of elegance
(above right). These images are a
reminder that we could all turn up the
dial, fun-and-effort-wise, when it
comes to picnics.
Why not take your own table andA fresh take on
dining outdoors
House Home
House & Home UnlockedFT subscribers can sign up for our weekly
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global property market, distinctive
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Go toft.com/newslettersFT Weekend Festival
The FT Weekend Festival returns on
September 7 at London’s Kenwood
House. Themes discussed in the
House & Home tent will include the
future of the property ladder and
sustainable gardening. For tickets,
go toftweekendfestival.comInside
KChâteau in Nérac, Aquitaine,
France, €3.5mWhereThe village of Nérac in the
Lot-et-Garonne département, 130km from
Bordeaux. Toulouse, Bordeaux and Bergerac
international airports are all within an hour
and a half.
WhatA17th-century, eight-bedroom
château on an 140-acre estatewith
swimming pool, guest house, cottages
and gardens.
WhyThe estate’s 35 acres of vineyards
produce 80,000 bottles of Cabernet Franc,
Merlot, Sauvignon and Gross Mensing
annually.
WhoLegget,frenchestateagents.com,
tel +44 87 0011 5151KPalace, Póvoa de Lanhoso,
Portugal, €7.5mWhereThe village of Póvoa de Lanhoso,
70km from Porto. Francisco Sá Carneiro
airport is an hour away.
WhatAn early20-century15-bedroom
palace clad in bright turquoise tiles, theITenuta Tor di Greve, Tuscany, Italy, €5mWhereThe village of Greve di Chianti,
30km from Florence. Florence airport is
40 minutes away.
WhatA sprawling16th-century, 16-bedroom,
25-bathroom winery in the Tuscan hills. The
main villa is made up of five independentapartments, with two more in a second
building. A steam room in the former stables
completes the20ha estate.
WhyThe5ha of vines produce around
20,000 bottles of Merlot, Cabernet
Sauvignon, and Sangiovese every year.
WhoHamptons International,hamptons-
international.com, tel +44 20 3151 6841setting of the 2005 filmMagic Mirrorby
Manoel de Oliveira.
WhyThe12ha estate yields 200,000 bottles
of Portugese green wine of the Loureiro,
Trajadura and Pedreña varieties every year.
WhoChristie’s International Real Estate,
christiesrealestate.com, tel +35 12240 57008
Ido Vockchairs?
France, makes folding
tables and chairs in a range
of bright colours, opening
up
candelabras!
homeware offshoot of the
magazine of the same name)
sells delicate floral-linen
tablecloths inspired by
historic Tuscan designs, as
well as delightful items such
as lavender Murano glass
carafes and vintage plates
from Hungary.Hockney at Glyndebourne or
Beaton at Ashcombe: make a
sartorial effort. If your picnic
table is dressed to the nines, you
really should be too. Go bold and
theatrical. Just, whatever you do,
please do not call it eatingtime in the 1970s, with his giant,Some dream of
owning rolling
expanses of
sunkissed
vines. Others
see different
business
opportunities. Within the UK’s
wine supply chain, specialists
can make money.
Henry Sugden (above)
thought so. Six months ago he
was working in London for
Deloitte. Today, he runs Defined
Wines, a contract maker of wines
based near Canterbury in Kent.
After a quarter of century
in the army, anda few years in
the City, the 53-year-old needed
a new challenge.“I had thought
through what I enjoyed —
having written off skiing,
kitesurfing and travel as not
being income-generating,”
he says.
Unlike some wine consultants,
he cannot boast a CV chock-full
of assignments at various
estates. At least, not yet.With a bit of capital, help from
remaining EU grants and more
than a little gumption, he has put
together an independent
contract winemaker.
Sugden makes no pretence
of havingexpertise, and so
brought in his own experts.
Large UK estates, such as
Denbies and Three Choirs,
produce wine for third parties.
But they also compete
with them.
Business is good for Defined,
with new prospects arriving
regularly. Hiscompany already
has capacity of roughly 30,000
bottles, with plans to more than
triple that in the year ahead.
Growing grapes is one thing. But
Sugden points out“a lot of
people now realise that having a
winery is expensive, and for that
you need a whole other area of
experience”. Givencomplaints
among UK vineyards of a lack of
winemaking capacity, he has
timed his entry well.
ALIt takes a lot of bottle
English sparkling
wines are a
distinctive
addition to the
world’s range of
good to very-
good wines. They
arewidely respected abroad now,
too, with many an American
specialist wine writer (and the odd
high-profile American and French
wine producer) keen to inspect
English wine country and wineries.
None of them is cheap, but then
neither is Champagne. Most English
sparkling wines stand up well to
comparison with Champagnes at
the same price — but they tend to
be crisper (acidity is a virtue in a
sparkling wine), and many have a
longer active life. There has been
some serious investment in English
wine over the past few years.
It is too early to predict the best,
recent vintages as most English
sparkling wine is agedbefore
release — especially from the best
producers (2014 is typically the
year currently on release, though
there are a few from 2015 around).
British summers have been
hot for the past two years, but
extra ripeness is not necessarily a
good thing for sparkling wine.
Falling acidity levels in
Champagne’s warmer summers
have driven some Champenois to
invest across the channel.
But English still wines will
definitely benefit from warmer
summers. The real difference
should be evident here — which is
what I will be writing about in my
FT column in September.Jancis Robinson is the
FT’s wine columnistJancis Robinson: the
critic’s viewHOT
PROPERTIESVINEYARDS
Ask the architect
A solid case for not using concrete,
and how to convert a shed
Page 8Spanish homes
Madrid gives South Americans
a taste of Europe
Page 4Interiors
Welcome to the surface centre
Page 9Specimen plants
The RHS works to digitise the
samples in its herbarium
Page 10Robin Lane Fox
Why native plants are not always
the eco option
Page 14Artisans
Woodworker turns to Scottish oak
to craft outdoor furniture
Pages 12 & 13UK property
Totteridge struggles to maintain
a respectable premium
Page 6The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’sРЕ
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ИHouse & Home UnlockedHouse & Home UnlockedHouse & Home UnlockedHouse & Home UnlockedHouse & Home UnlockedЛЛААГРftweekendfestival.com
Рftweekendfestival.comftweekendfestival.comftweekendfestival.comУУПsustainable gardening. For tickets,
Пsustainable gardening. For tickets,
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Аfuture of the property ladder and
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