England’s on bubbly kick. Who knew?

It is still odd to think of England as a wine region; it’s too cold, too foggy, too wet, too outlying to be anything more than marginal as a place to make wine. But a confluence of circumstances — advances in viticulture, climate change, accidents of geography and, perhaps most of all, an insatiable global thirst for bubbles — has made the country one of the most compelling wine regions on the planet.

In the last 20 years, vineyard projects have sprung up across the southern coast from Plymouth to Dover, mostly given to sparkling wine, forging a collective style that pays homage to Champagne (just 300-odd miles and one English Channel away) even as it remains entirely distinct in character. It’s a case where what was once marginal isn’t — and compelling evidence that the margins will have to be redrawn altogether.

England is, in fact, not a new wine region at all. The Romans practiced viticulture there, and there’s evidence of a medieval heyday about 800 years ago, when the last great epoch of global warming overtook the planet. But the current warming trends have gotten vignerons to start planting again: At present there are 5,000 acres of vines in the ground and 500 vineyards, managed by more than 130 wineries. More than two-thirds of the country’s wine production is given to sparkling wine, and for good reason — the climate here is too unpredictable to grow much else.

Spring frosts can disrupt flowering and fruit-set; rain in the fall can threaten the crop with rot and mildew. But perhaps the most significant reason producers have been compelled to produce sparkling wine is that much of the region’s soils are composed of chalk — the same geological formation that makes much of Champagne such a unique growing region. It’s called the Paris Basin, and it confers on English fruit the same nerve, energy and mineral tang as it does the fruit in France.

Not surprisingly, Champagne houses are taking interest, with Taittinger and Pommery investing in properties across the Channel. These wineries may emulate Champagne, but despite being part of historic properties, many are scruffy affairs with the look and feel of start-ups, like Ridgeview, housed in a corrugated structure that looks like it went up yesterday; or Wiston Estate, which is, in fact, part of a 6,000-acre property owned by a family of landed gentry in South Downs, complete with a manor house that rivals Downton. The winery is housed in an old turkey abattoir.

As with any wine region, there are variations in flavor and texture among these wines. But in many there’s a distinct character that seems quintessentially English.

For starters, they’re fresh. Insanely fresh, bright, mouthwatering and laser sharp, with a fruit character that’s bright and tangy, ranging toward passion fruit and crisp apple in some instances.

The other feature is a pristine texture, with an elegance and a firm tone that’s quite pronounced. Whether or not you believe that a wine can convey minerality, these English sparklers will make you think of the chalk soils from which many originate.