Stephen Skelton MW Master of Wine – Viticultural ConsultantStephen Skelton has beeninvolved with growing vines and making wine since 1975. He spent two years inGermany, working at Schloss Schönborn in the Rheingau and studying atGeisenheim, the world-renowned winegrowing and winemaking college, with thelate Professor Helmut Becker. In 1977 he returned to the UK to establish thevineyards at Tenterden in Kent (now the home of the UK’s largest wine producer,Chapel Down Wines) and made wine there for 22 consecutive vintages. From 1988to 1991 he was also winemaker and general manager at Lamberhurst Vineyards, atthat time the largest winery in the UK. He now works as a consultant tovineyards and wineries in the UK and is currently setting up vineyards for theproduction of both still and sparkling wine. His latest and largest project todate has been with Taittinger’s Domaine Evremond in Kent where he found theland for them and laid out and planted all 60-ha of vines currently planted.In 1986 Stephen started writingand lecturing about wine and has contributed articles to many differentpublications. In 1989 he wrote (and published) his first book, The Vineyardsof England and in 2001 his second, The Wines of Britain and Ireland(Faber and Faber) which won the André Simon Award for Drinks Book of the Year. Thiswas followed by three editions of the UK Vineyards Guide (2008, 2010 and2016), Vine Varieties, Clones and Rootstocks for UK Vineyards (2014 and2020) and Wine Growing in Great Britain (2014 and 2020). Hislatest book is The Wines of Great Britain (2019), one of the titles inthe Classic Wine Library series. He has also written Viticulture – A guide to commercial grapegrowing for wine production which is aimed at Master of Wine (MW) and WSET Diplomastudents, plus anyone considering owning or establishing a vineyard anywhere inthe world. Viticulture was originally published in 2007 but was revisedand updated in 2019. This has also been translated into Japanese and Chinese. Healso writes on English and Welsh wine for Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companionto Wine and Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson’s World Atlas of Wines.He is currently working on an update of his varieties book.Stephen was a director of theEnglish Vineyards Association (EVA) from 1982–1995 and of its successororganisation, the United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA) from 1995–2003.He was Chairman of the UKVA from 1999–2003. He was also at various times between1982 and 1986 Treasurer, Secretary and Chairman of the South East VineyardsAssociation, Secretary of the Circle of Wine Writers between 1990 and 1997 andhas served on various EU committees in Brussels representing UK winegrowers. In1999 he took three years off from the wine business to do a BSc in MultimediaTechnology and Design at BrunelUniversity. While atBrunel, Stephen was awarded the Ede and Ravenscroft Prize. In October 2011 hereceived an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Anglia RuskinUniversity. In September 2011 he completed an MA in Life Writing (Biography) atthe Creative Writing Department of the University of East Anglia.In 2003 Stephen became a Masterof Wine, winning the prestigious Robert Mondavi Trophy for gaining the highestmarks in the Theory section of the examination. In 2005 he won the AXAMillésimes Communicator of the Year Award for services to the MW educationprogramme. He served on the MW Education Committee from 2003 – 2009 and was theeducation course wine coordinator. In 2009 he was elected to the Council of theInstitute of Masters of Wine and served on it until 2016. He was Chairman ofthe MW Research Paper Examination Committee from 2013-2021 and Panel Chairmanfor the English and Welsh wines for the Decanter World Wine Awards between 2009and 2021. He was also Chair of the WineGB Viticulture Working Group from 2018to 2022. He was made a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Vintners in 2021and a Liveryman in 2024.
