England

English wine - surely not! But it''s true and we're getting pretty good at making it. As the South of England warms up, the "Garden of England" has been ripening grapes to a tee.

The chalky soils that have made Champagne and Chablis so famous also turn up in Kent and Surrey, allowing England to produce some truly fine sparkling wines, like the award winning Balfour Brut Rosé. In fact, English and Welsh wines have been so successful that they caused quite a stir when they were served at an EU summit dinner, with many Champagne houses, now considering opening operations here.

Bibendum Fact

Contrary to popular belief the grapes, Bacchus, Huxelrebe, Seyval Blanc and Regent were not named after the Queens corgis.