Is Albariño England’s next star grape variety?

Kent-based winery Balfour is joining the ranks of English wineries honing in on Albariño as a key grape for the region, having sold the majority of its first vintage prior to its release.

The latest statistics from WineGB put the total area of Albariño planted in the UK at just 4 hectares in 2022. Grown across seven sights, Kent has the most plantings of the Iberian variety.

Balfour Winery, based in Tonbridge, Kent, has said it will increase plantings by over 1,000 vines per annum in the coming years. The producer has already sold the majority of its first single-varietal Albariño from the 2022 vintage before putting it on general sale.

Fergus Elias, Balfour’s head winemaker, said that while the grape still represents a “very small, single digit of our overall percentage at Balfour”, which also grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Bacchus, Pinot Blanc, Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Riesling, Regent, Reichensteiner, Gamay, Pinot Gris. But the winery is planting more each year, and “more of [the] vines are coming into maturity now”.

Balfour isn’t alone. Chapel Down, the UK’s biggest wine producer, and Ancre Hill have produced Albariño wines which are commercially available.

Elias said the team behind the new release “knew we were on to something exciting”. The UK is the export market for Albariño from Spain, where is originates.

Sales of the new wine will focus on the on-trade, and Balfour has been in discussion with three-Michelin-starred London restaurant Sketch about listing its first release. Wine director Frederic Brugues has replaced examples of the grape from Spain and Uruguay with the English alternative — a move he feels shows just how high the potential is in the UK.

“Albariño is a fascinating grape and works beautifully for pairing,” he said in a press release. “For us, this grape works perfectly with our fresh, seasonal flavours — and provides a real talking point too. We have long championed English wine in our three-Michelin-star-rated restaurants, and we are already receiving wonderful feedback on this latest revelation.”

Elias said this was just the beginning of Albariño in the UK. “My father, Owen Elias, first planted Albariño in the UK some 15 years ago,” he said. “He felt our climate was superbly suited to producing what was then a reasonably unheard-of grape. And I feel it’s only now we’re seeing its true potential. We’re rapidly expanding our plantings of the grape alongside the growing interest, and each vintage it becomes more exciting.”

With a limited quantity of the first release, Balfour has focused its efforts in the on-trade. “However we will be making a limited amount available to our Wine Club customers and through Balfour At Bow; our London home of Balfour Winery. We know there’ll be customers asking for the wine at our Cellar Door too, so we’ve aimed to keep a limited amount aside for those who visit us in Kent,” Elias added.