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The most important distinction is between English wine and British wine. English (or Welsh) wine is made from grapes grown and freshly picked in UK vineyards. British wine is an industrial product made from concentrated, imported grape juice.
Most English wine is labelled "Table Wine" because of an EC rule that wine from hybrid grapes may not be described as quality wine -even though some of England's most successful bottles come from the white hybrid Seyval Blanc. However, the English Vineyards Association, the trade body that represents most commercial vineyards, has a gold Seal of Quality label, awarded to wines that pass a stringent analysis and tasting by a panel of Masters of Wine.
The official EC designation 'English Vineyards Quality Wine" should soon appear on qualifying bottles, since the EC is defining the UK quality wine regions and revising its rules.
The name of the vineyard or the local winery that bottled the wine is usually prominent. The label may also bear a description, such as "dry white", or a named grape if it accounts for at least 85% of the contents. If two grapes are named, they may be used in any proportion, but with no other varieties in the blend.
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