Make mine a large glass of sparkling Sussex, bartender

Fancy a bottle of Burgundy? A flute of champagne? Or how about a large glass of Sussex?

In another potential boost to the profile and prestige of English wine, wineries in Sussex are set to apply to the EU for protected designation of origin (PDO) status, the highest of three titles that guarantee local authenticity and origin.

Jamie Everett, chief operating officer at Rathfinny winery, one of the groups leading the campaign, said they were seeking a joint PDO status for both sparkling and still wines across the county.

“We think Sussex is a great name,” Mr Everett said, “a traditional old county with a lot of quality producers. If you were in a bar somewhere else in the world, you could say, can I have a glass of Sussex, please?”

English wine was a growing industry, he added. “Quality-wise we have improved massively in the last 20 years and are already holding ourselves up to international competition.”

The EU application, first reported in “Decanter” magazine and expected to be made this month, comes amid a boom for the English wine industry. The number of wineries is at a 20-year high of 135, which in 2013 produced a record 4.45m bottles. Sparkling wine accounts for two-thirds of English production; still white makes up 25 per cent, with the rest rosé or red.

The Department for Food and Rural Affairs believes global retail sales of English wine could hit £100m this year. But there is plenty of room for growth at home: English wine accounts for a mere 0.14 per cent of the UK market.

Tom Forrest, English wine expert at Vinopolis, said: “The producers of Sussex are simply stating that the soil and climate of Sussex creates different flavours in wines compared with wines produced in other regions or blends of wines from other parts of England.”

He added: “The modern English wine production industry can only date itself back to the early 1950s. Compare that to another English PDO, such as West Country Farmhouse Cheddar cheese, which has been in continuous production since the 12th century, and this PDO seems very quick.”

Acquiring the PDO would mean subjecting Sussex wine to stricter rules than the existing basic analysis and “no faults” tests, said Mr Everett. The sparkling wine, for instance, would have to age in the bottle for at least 15 months, similar to champagne, and have a higher minimum alcohol content than current guidelines.

It would also be subject to third-party taste testing. “If it doesn’t taste good enough, it won’t go through.”

Dozens of other UK products have PDO status, including Dorset Blue cheese, Cornish clotted cream, Orkney lamb and Jersey royal potatoes. However, “English wine” — without any regional differentiation — has until now had only protected geographical indication, one rung lower in the EU’s food name scheme.

PDO status is a “badge of honour stating that you will not be able to find this product anywhere else in the world”, said a spokesman for Defra, which is helping the wineries make their application in Brussels. “Other producers [in the country] will tell you gaining it has helped raise their profile and boosted the local economy.”

Many more English producers are applying for protected name status of various sorts, such as Tenby daffodils, Dundee cake and even the Birmingham balti.