New Venue For 2007 English Wine Festival

The country’s longest running English wine festival is moving to a new venue at Glynde Place in East Sussex. Following the successful launch of the Glynde Food & Drink Festival in 2006, this year’s event will incorporate the 33rd English Wine Festival. The move will ensure the future of the popular festival and complement the new gastronomic showcase, which attracted 1,200 visitors last year.

It will take place in the magnificent grounds of the Elizabethan manor house on Saturday and Sunday, September 22nd and 23rd. Against the backdrop of the South Downs, food and drink lovers will be able to sample a wide range of fine produce from selected producers, including an oyster bar, farmhouse meats, ethnic cuisine, dairy, bakery, organic foods, spices and accompaniments.

Throughout the weekend there will be demonstrations and talks, plus Amanda Grant’s Kids’ Kitchen that proved a huge hit last year. In keeping with the traditions of the wine festival, a panel of experts will select the wine of the show and members of the public will be able to vote for their favourite wines.

Francis Brand, co-organiser of the Glynde Food and Drink Festival said: It’s a very exciting time for wine in this country. More and more people are realising the fantastic wealth of wine and food produced in the UK. I hope that with the move of the English Wine Festival to Glynde Place and the obvious synergies between it and the Glynde Food & Drink Festival, we’ll create a forum for vineyards, food producers and consumers to meet and have a really good time.”

Christopher Ann, who owns the English Wine Centre at nearby Alfriston, started the English Wine Festival in 1975. He has been a leading ambassador for the English wine industry since the fledgling days when very few people had heard about English wine, let alone tasted it. Today English wine regularly beats its overseas counterparts in international competitions and tastings and last year the country’s 350 vineyards produced three million bottles.

Christopher said: “I’m delighted this important event is to be taken on by Glynde Place. The venue is stunning, with plenty of parking and space for marquees so the festival will be able to grow again to become a vital part of the promotion of English wine. Last year’s inaugural food festival was a huge success and will certainly give the wine festival a new lease of life, which will take it into the future. We look forward to welcoming old friends and new faces to this year’s event.”

Glynde Place is in the village of Glynde, three miles to the east of the county town of Lewes, and is an hourly train service from London.

Further information is available at Glynde.co.uk.