THE ONLY WINE IS ESSEX

Says you mustn’t overlook the up-and-coming vintages of the estuary

Nicknamed ‘Côte d’Essex’ by doyenne wine writer, Jancis Robinson, one vibrant red reaped from thick London clay is turning heads. Danbury Ridge’s patchwork of vineyards are sown on the Dengie Peninsula off the M25 and its outspoken viticulturist, John Atkinson, likens the sites to the most prized parts of Pomerol. Boasting roots in one of Britain’s driest areas (which basks in 200 more sunny hours than London), Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive.

Jockey turned winemaker Liam Idzikowski pours wines proudly in an unpromising, Barratt showroomlike tasting room filled with plastic plants overlooking the winery. From a former polo field, 2022 Octagon Block Pinot Noir is pretty and built to last for decades, while the standard issue from the same year pleases now. A blend from pylon-fringed sites, it offers notes of coffee, chicory, chocolate and blueberry. For whites, the 2020 Octagon Block Chardonnay is remarkably lovely, with toasted pineapple notes.

‘Danbury will look very different in 10 years,’ says Atkinson, whose mission is to convince the world that England is ‘not just a foggy island full of discontent’. ‘We were meant to go to COP,’ he recalls, which was cancelled due to Covid. The irony is not lost that bringing fully ripened Essex reds to a climate summit would have been a ‘canary in the coal mine…’

Find Danbury Ridge in top restaurants including

Pied à Terre and at thefinestbubble.com, from £37