There are an increasing number of books being published on English and Welsh viticulture. The following are currently available and are worth studying for historical, or tourism material. If you have a book that should be on here, please let me know.
 | A guide to the Wines of England and WalesA Guide to the Wines of England and Wales - Packed with up to date information and fully illustrated, this new book provides a topical insight in to the UK wine industry. The book has been compiled by the award-winning Wine behind the Label team whose books have scooped all three of the major wine-writing awards in the UK . This is the first of their series of regional wine guides. Over 100 vineyards are captured in full colour, packed with essential facts and background information, including their location, a profile of their leading wines with tasting notes and interviews with the vineyard owners themselves. There is also a section devoted to the industry’s leading winemakers, along with chapters on history, climate change, a glossary and info on grape varieties.Available from the publishers or leading booksellers |
 | First pickings in 2009A survey of the earliest grape pickings of 2009 Readable here in PDF format |
 | Grapes of the NorthA survey of the Vineyard Terroir, grapes and growing locations and in the north of England and Wales.readable here |
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Grape Britain: A tour of Britain's Vineyards At last- a good well-illustrated guide to Britain's vineyards,with the right mix of detail, photographs and humour. Circa 200 vineyards visited, with some described in full detail and others briefly.Complements but does not compete with Stephen Skelton's book. Well worth £14.99 |
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The Winelands of Britain:Past,Present and Prospective A geological and climatic guide to the areas in viticulture through the ages. The last section is devoted to ideas as to where future vineyards could be sited. |
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The Wines of Britain and Ireland
(Stephen Skelton ) Faber & Faber 2001 20.00 (or cheaper via Amazon or Books on Line) The authoritative work on English vineyards and their grapes- now superceded by Skelton's own published version. Sections on History, Site selection, all the types of vines and their problems, plus a section on over 200 vineyards. Essential reading for people wishing to visit vineyards. Increasingly historical as many vineyards have closed, and many more have opened. New edition due 2008 |
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Successful Grape Growing for eating & Wine Making- 2nd edition Alan Rowe Groundnut Publishing 2001 ISBN 0-9527141-2-4 Vinces Road DISS Norfolk IP22 3HG
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 | Vines & Wines in a small Garden- from planting to bottling
James Page-Roberts ISBN 1-871569-77X Herbert Press Ltd. 1995 Excellent book on growing grapes and making wine on a small scale. |
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Wine Tourism Around the World C.Michael Hall Centre for Tourism, University of Otago, Liz Sharples School of Leisure and Food Management, Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Brock Cambourne National Capital Wine Tours, and Benchmark Tourism Consulting, Canberra, Australia Niki Macionis University of Canberra, Centre for Tourism and Leisure Policy Research. Wine tourism is a rapidly growing field of industry and academic interest with changes in the consumer markets in recent years, This book includes detailed examples from Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UK and the USA * detailed information on the growth and development of wine tourism from both supply, demand, marketing and management perspectives Spring 2000 from Butterworth Heinemann |
Guides to the vineyards of the United Kingdom appear, like buses, at irregular intervals, even, as of late, more than one a year. Stephen Skelton is the one regular producer of an updated encyclopedia of the subject- this is effectively the 4th edition, and all have new facets.
In the 2010 edition, Stephen has managed to extract the database of UK vineyards from a reluctant DEFRA- the Freedom of Information Act has its benefits, and has made use of it to provide as full a survey as is possible. It covers vineyards from the Isles of Scilly to the Island of Lewis, and from Mersea to the centre of Eire. The latter region is the subject of an entirely new chapter that covers the successes and failures of trying to establish the vine in the emerald isle. Sadly, the latter examples are the more numerous and damp conditions wreak havoc with the crops.
What is especially interesting is the section on available vines in the UK, and Stephen’s comments on their suitability. The statistics of hectareages are especially fascinating. In the first edition, Muller Thurgau (146), Reichensteiner(62) and Seyval Blanc (53) were the three main vines grown. At that time, there were 4.6ha of Pinot Noir. In 208, Muller was down to 61ha. Pinot Noir was top with 218ha and Chardonnay to 201ha . A demonstration of how ‘mainstream’ the UK vineyards industry has become.
A very good read and well worth the £22.95. Available online at www.lulu.com and at