denbies

		By far the largest wine estate in the UK, Denbies' 265 acres of vineyard are beautifully sited on the gentle slopes of the Surrey North Downs, overlooked by Boxhill. The huge winery and visitors centre is imposing, but perhaps a little unfortunately it is built in the style of a plush out-of-town superstore. This edifice also houses an impressive restaurant and large shop selling a range of wine books and accessories in addition to the produce of the vineyard itself.
The scale of the vineyard holdings is impressive, and visitors are free to roam through the vines. It is a beautiful setting, and a leisurely stroll around the vineyard is highly recommended. When I visited last, in August 1998, the crop looked in pretty bad condition, however, many of the grapes showing uneven development and others suffering from mildew.
	Many people come for the tour. It is a bit like a vinous 'Disneyland', catering mainly for non-wine geeks. There is a 3D film, a tour in a mini-train (of the sort that will be familiar to anyone who has visited the Champagne region), and a tasting in the cellars.
The tasting itself is slightly disappointing. Vistors get to try just three wines, served in small plastic vials that anyone who has ever taken communion in a Baptist Church will probably be familiar with. The geeks, however, can taste through the whole range in the large shop and restaurant. There is supposed to be a non-trivial charge for each tasting sample, but this was waived when I came across to the serving staff as keen and reasonably knowledgeable.
	Viticulture is a tough business in the UK, where the growing season is short and suffers notoriously changeable weather. The vineyards do look beautifully lush, though.
	The setting of the South Downs is probably one of the UK's better terroirs, with its chalky subsoil and gentle slopes. The similarities with the Champagne region are striking, and it may well be that sparkling wines will be the most successful product from this vineyard.
With the amount of money that has been thrown at this estate, and its forward-thinking experimental philosophy, it should do well in the long run. Over the last few visits, however, I have been struck by the rather patchy quality of the wines. In the production of all fine wines, the secret of quality lies in the vineyards, and I feel that Denbies have to work harder at matching the grape varieties to their 'terroir', and producing better raw materials for their winemaker to work with. None the less, it is definitely worthy of a visit.		Contact details: Denbies Wine Estate, London Road, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6AA Tel: 01306 876616 Fax: 01306 742224 Open seven days a week, closed Christmas day and boxing day