United Kingdom
Over a very short period of time, the world has started to discover English wine, and in particular, English Sparkling Wine. Wine is made in many places in the UK, but it is in the South and South East, where Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, the holy trinity of Champagne grapes, grow and flourish. Rich and diverse soils, as well as an extended growing season combined with world class winemakers and vineyard management have come together to make the UK one of the newest and most exciting Old World wine regions anywhere. The wines are elegant and refined, characterized by subtle orchard fruit balanced by lively acidity. As of 2019 there were over 450 wineries producing over 3.15 million bottles a year.
Harrow and Hope
Harrow and Hope, winner of the 2019 UK Winery of the Year, is a boutique family owned and run winery specialising in world class sparkling wine located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. The soil of the single-family estate vineyard is a mixture of flint gravel mixed into thick orange clay on top of chalk, thus perfectly suited for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier to thrive. Henry Laithwaite grew up surrounded by wine and wine culture before setting up his first vineyard project at Chateau Verniotte in Bordeaux. Together with his wife Kaye, they returned to the UK in 2010 and set about raising their family and inspired by the emerging wine environment in England founded Harrow and Hope. Together with a small team they make stunning non-vintage Brut Reserve as well as vintage dated Rosé, Blanc de Noirs and Blanc de Blancs. Erik Asimov of the New York Times has praised English sparkling wine as having, ‘spirited, glowing acidity and an orchard-fruit freshness’, while describing Harrow and Hope’s wines as ‘savoury and harmonious’. The Sunday Times in the UK rated the Brut Reserve a perfect 5/5
Ranger Wine has a generous allocation of the Brut Reserve and smaller allocations of the remaining production.