What is the best white wine? Well, everyone knows that the best is a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc… Or at least that was the wide opinion around here before we tried our first English white wine.
What Defines a Great White Wine?
With over 600 varieties of white wine growing across the globe, white wine’s perfect flavour is a brilliantly subjective conversation. However, there are a few core elements which create a popular and lasting impression of the quality it provides. Crisp whites (created by grapes like Solaris, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc) are noted for their high acidity, low residual sugar content, light body, and generally unoaked aging. Whereas some people find a sweeter, fruitier white wine more preferable. High residual sugars and lower acidity create a delicious white using a Muscat or an Ortega grape.
What Are the Things That Help English Vineyards Excel?
White wine grown in England has the upper hand of having a generally longer grape ripening period due to having a cooler climate than its European counterparts. This means, biologically for the grape, it has time to develop flavour whilst still holding its natural acidity and undertones. This makes for a fresher flavour and a cleaner finish which just makes that extra sip seem so much more tempting! This isn’t the only climate-related effect. Cool nights paired with warm days create the perfect environment for balanced flavours. When the sun is out, all of the sugars and growth occur. Then when the coolness of the evening washes over, it helps the grapes hold onto their acidity and aromatics.
All wines reflect the soil they grow upon, and English white wine is no different. Our soil, for example, is chalky. It drains well and encourages the vines to send their roots deeper in search of water throughout hotter months. Combined with our climate, this helps produce grapes that make fresh, elegant white wine.
When Should You Drink White Wine?
Well, National White Wine Day, of course! National days may seem quite menial, however, they are a brilliant excuse for getting yourself a different glass of vino you’ve never tried before, guilt-free. Summer has so many opportunities to try white wine, especially English ones. With BBQs, football events, riverside picnics, and local holiday adventures, now is the best time to drink a crisp, cold white wine.
“Ok, well what foods should I be eating with them?” we hear you ask. Here’s a great way to remember it.
High acidity works as a palate cleanser, sort of like a squeeze of lemon on a piece of fish, which tells you that a high-acidity white would be great with a delicious fish, or even if you’re keeping it English, fish and chips! Red wines have tannins, which often mix badly in flavour with iron and oils in fish, leaving a metallic taste. Another good tip is to try and match the weight of the wine. If you are having a buttery meal (for example a creamy pasta) a buttery drink like a Chardonnay will allow for a smoother food-to-drink transition. Similarly with sweetness, you wouldn’t want a savoury wine with your dessert. Go for a sweeter, fruitier wine to match the sweetness of a fruity dessert like apple crumble and custard.
Looking for Something New This National White Wine Day?
Here’s a great idea for you this White Wine Day. Start something new by learning about one of our Sealwood English white wine bottles. We have two different bottles here at Sealwood: The Duchess White Wine, and the Celebration White Wine.
Our Duchess is very, very similar to a Sauvignon Blanc. Very crisp, acidic, light-bodied, and ridiculously easy to knock back (trust me, we are experts!). We create it using a grape called Solaris, one you will see many areas of England use for their wines. It was created in 1975 at the Grape Breeding Institute in Freiburg, Germany, by agricultural scientist Norbert Becker.
Our Celebration white wine has a completely different flavour profile, which causes a lot of shock when comparing the two at our wine tastings! It uses the Ortega grape, also created in Germany (that’s a trend with a lot of our grapes, they tend to be the most cold-resistant), which has a slightly fuller mouthfeel than the Duchess. The acidity and dryness of this wine is notably lower than that of the Duchess, more comparitable to a Muscat. We don’t elongate the ripening period for our Ortega, so the sweetness is slightly less but has the most delicious fruity undertones and nose notes.
So, this National White Wine Day, instead of automatically reaching for your usual Sauvignon Blanc, why not pour yourself an English white?
At the end of the day, wine is meant to be enjoyed, not overcomplicated. Hopefully this National White Wine Day has given you a little more confidence to explore, ask questions, and discover what makes a great white wine.
– Written by Trinity Trappett
03/08/2026