He also applauded government support for rural development and food and drink businesses in the UK.
Speaking as he welcomed Meon Valley MP George Hollingbery (pictured left with Ian Kellett and local councilor Rob Humby) to Hambledon Vineyard last week, Kellett said: “Hambledon has had a fantastic year in 2015 and we are now planning to expand our facilities to deal with the increased demand after winning two major sparkling wine competitions in as many months. It may not have been possible to produce the wines that are now winning these awards without the enabling funding we received from the UK Government and the EU in 2011.”
Hampshire claims to have the lion’s share of the chalk in the South Downs. Kellett believes that finding the optimal slopes, altitudes and microclimates locally will prove far more possible than looking to Kent and Sussex, which are mostly green sandstone.
He believes that Hampshire will be recognised in the future as England’s vineyard county, much as Kent is the garden of England.
