Vines in a Cold Climate: The People Behind the English Wine Revolution (Paperback) - Henry Jeffreys

The definitive story of the extraordinary and surprising success of English wine - and the people who transformed our reputation on the global stage from that of a joke to world-class in 30 years.

WINNER, BEST DRINK BOOK AT THE FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS 2024

***A New York Times pick for best wine book of 2023!***

'A tour de force!' - Jancis Robinson

'Henry Jeffreys, who used to work in the wine trade, is an amiable and entertaining guide to 'the English wine revolution'' - Daily Mail

'A fascinating and superbly told adventure' - Independent

'A tremendously gossipy but adroitly helmed examination of where English wine istoday and how it got there' - Telegraph

'An invaluable guide' - Evening Standard

'Delightful details make the book sing' - Times Literary Supplement

'A page-turner' - Financial Times

'Mr. Jeffreys, an English drinks writer, has done an excellent job of telling the story of the quirky characters and visionaries behind the first wave of modern English wines in the 1980s and '90s' - New York Times

The definitive story of the extraordinary and surprising success of English wine - and the people who transformed our reputation on the global stage from that of a joke to world-class in 30 years.

From an amateur affair made by retirees to a multi-million-pound industry with quality to rival Champagne, the rise of English wine has been one of the more unexpected wine stories of the past 30 years. In this illuminating and accessible account, award-winning drinks writer Henry Jeffreys takes you behind the scenes of the English wine revolution. It's a story about changing climate and technology but most of all it's about men and women with vision, determination and more than a little bloody-mindedness. From secretive billionaires to the single mother farming a couple of hectares in Kent, these are the people making wine in a cold climate.

About the Author

Henry Jeffreys studied English and Classical Literature at Leeds University. He worked in the wine trade and publishing before becoming a freelance writer and broadcaster. He was wine critic for The Lady, and his work has appeared in Spectator magazine, the Guardian, the Oldie and BBC Good Food magazine. He has been on BBC Radio 4, Radio 5 and Monocle Radio, and featured on BBC 2's Inside the Factory (2020). He was a judge for the BBC Radio 4's Food & Farming Awards and for the Fortnum & Mason food and drink awards 2018. He is the author of Fortnum & Mason award-winning Empire of Booze: British History through the Bottom of a Glass (2017), The Home Bar (2018) and The Cocktail Dictionary (2020), and in 2022 was awarded Fortnum & Mason drink writer of the year. He is currently features editor for the Master of Malt drinks blog and drink writer for The Critic Magazine. He lives in Faversham, Kent with his wife and two children.