England's wine industry has grown rapidly on the strength of its sparkling wine, made from the same three Champagne grapes on the same chalk seam that runs beneath the English Channel into Kent, Sussex and Hampshire. A warming climate and improving viticulture have pushed quality sharply upward over the past two decades, and English sparkling wine now regularly beats Champagne in blind tastings. Still wines, particularly from Bacchus, are also carving out a distinct, aromatic, cool-climate style.

Key grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Bacchus