Interest in English vineland has never been stronger. According to Ian Hepburn of Private Property Search, not a week goes by without him being approached by another client interested in buying land in the South East for planting vineyards.
Most of the interest currently hails from northern France and China. Strutt & Parker land agents based in Canterbury have just agreed the sale of 117 acres of land handpicked from a farm for viticulture; the buyers are an established French wine house. Andrew Thomas of Strutt & Parker in Chichester (01243 832605) says: 'Established vineyards are in extremely short supply and if you have an existing vineyard that is performing well, then it pays well to sell the grape to an existing winery.
'The boom in interest has been quite breathtaking and many wineries cannot cope with demand. Hence why around 3,000 acres of bare land has recently been planted with new vines to meet this demand.'
To find out what it takes to become a wine grower in England, look out for Adam Lechmere's forthcoming piece in our June 6 issue of Country Life magazine.
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Rodel House: The Georgian marvel in the heart of the Outer HebridesAn improving landlord in the Outer Hebrides created a remote Georgian house that has just undergone a stylish, but unpretentious remodelling, as Mary Miers reports. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
