Soon we’ll be looking across the South Downs and seeing nothing but grapevines for producing wine.

That is the opinion of Nick Mosley, co-director of Brighton And Hove Food And Drink Festival.

He says the growing Sussex wine industry is the region’s big food and drink success story. “Award-winning and globally recognised local wine estates such as Ridgeview, Bolney and Nyetimber are being joined by vast new vineyards including Rathfinney.

“Plumpton College now offers postgraduate degrees in viticulture.

“In a decade or so, we’ll be looking out over the South Downs and seeing vineyards as far as the eye can see, mainly producing English sparkling wine that is as good as, if not better than, many French champagnes.”

It’s not just insiders bigging up the Sussex wine industry, though. Outsiders also see its quality and potential.

In 2016, the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium will be held in Brighton and Hove.

Emerging wine region

“This is genuine recognition of the status of southern England as an emerging wine region,” argues Mosely, who reveals the Brighton And Hove Food And Drink Festival will be teaming up with the symposium for the event in two years’ time. The festival is running its Sussex Wine Bus Tours this summer to take consumers on behind-the-scenes tours and tastings. The jollies to Ridgeview and Bolney begin on Saturday, May 24, and run every fourth Saturday of the month until September.

Before those journeys on old Routemaster buses, Mosley has the small matter of the festival’s Spring Harvest, as the event enters its 13th year.

“There’s definitely more of an international angle to this year’s Spring Harvest,” he explains.

“While supporting the local food economy has always been and will always be core to the festival, it’s exciting to invite more quality food and drink from around the world to join us.”

Showcase events include Discover The Origin Supper with produce from five protected designations of origin (PDOs): Bourgogne, Port and Douro wines from France, Portugal and Spain, plus Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Parma ham from Italy.

There’ll be Oriental food and drink at Yum Yum Ninja, and wines from Down Under at a Taste Of Western Australia at Hotel du Vin.

But the international chef exchanges have been such a success festival organisers are working on swapping the entire festival with an Italian region.

“We’re not only exchanging chefs and restaurants but also, in June, we’ll be showcasing the best of Sussex as part of the Nivarata Festival of granita in Acireale in Sicily.

“I’m particularly excited by this opportunity to engage one-to-one with Italian festival-goers and celebrate what we do so well here in Sussex.”

The chef exchanges, which began in 2012 between Drakes in Brighton and The Beaumont in Maastricht, have now visited Rotterdam, Lyon and The Hague. Future visits to Guernsey, Helsinki, Sicily, Dubai, Canada and Australia are in the pipeline.

“Even in neighbouring European countries such as the UK and Holland, it has been fascinating to find fruit and vegetables that we were completely unfamiliar with, but were commonly accessible there due to the historical popularity of Indonesian cuisine.”

More than 100 food and drink stalls will be set up on Hove Lawns on Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19, for Sussex And The World Market.

TV wine expert Olly Smith will host free masterclasses in the festival’s Live Food Show marquee on Saturday as part of the event, which also features the Children’s Food Festival, the Mixology Rum Shack, DJs, Harveys beer bar and the Mix-Off cocktail competition.

“We should be celebrating our cocktail bar scene,” says Mosley. “Few other cities in the UK have such a high quality and extensive cocktail offering whether at places such as Hotel du Vin and Merkaba or Twisted Lemon and Be At One.”

  • Discover The Origin Supper: Wednesday, April 16, 7pm, Hotel du Vin, Ship Street, Brighton, £55.
  • A Taste Of The Orient: Thursday, April 17, Yum Yum Ninja, Meeting House Lane, Brighton, £25, call 01273 329491.
  • A Taste Of Western Australia: Friday, April 18, 7pm, Hotel du Vin, Ship Street, Brighton, £25.
  • Sussex And The World Market: Hove Lawns, Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19, 10am to 5pm, free.

Brighton and Hove Food And Drink Festival – Spring Harvest
 

Venues across Brighton and Hove, Wednesday, April 16, to Sunday, April 27