Royal family to produce its own wine from Windsor Great Park grapes

 

By Victoria Moore 6:45AM BST 05 May 2011

 

But now the Royal Family is going one step further with plans to make an English wine of its very own, the Telegraph has learned.

This Sunday, or early next week, depending on the weather, 16,700 vines will be planted in a section of Windsor Great Park, the former hunting park to which Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were so devoted.

The fledgling vineyard will be planted with champagne varieties – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, too – with a view to making an English sparkling wine from grapes grown on this corner of Crown Estate.

The Duke of Edinburgh is said to be closely involved and it’s understood that Master of Wine and viticultural consultant Stephen Skelton – who planted the first vines at Chapel Down, now Britain’s biggest producer, back in 1976 – has been advising on the project, which has been greeted with great excitement by the English wine trade.

“It is quite simply the biggest boost the English wine industry has ever had,” says Bob Lindo of Camel Valley vineyards who had a royal visit in 2008. “It’s fantastic".