Former Tory jumps on English fizz bandwagon
Lord Ashcroft, the controversial former Conservative Party deputy chairman, revealed plans to tap into Britain's burgeoning sparkling wine industry. He is looking to acquire 150 acres of vineyard and to build his own winery towards the end of 2014. He says he'll produce 400,000 bottles of quality fizz a year. Recently English Sparkling wine has earned a reputation on a par with French Champagne. Although the 2012 harvest has brought many back down with a bump - let's hope he has more luck with the weather than other English producers this year.
