Stephen Skelton

Stephen Skelton has been involved with growing vines and making wine since 1975. He spent two years in Germany, working at Schloss Schönborn in the Rheingau and studying at Geisenheim, the world-renowned college of winegrowing and wine-making, under the late Professor Helmut Becker. In 1977 he returned to the UK to establish the vineyards 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 1988 to 1991 he was also winemaker and general manager at Lamberhurst Vineyards, at that time the largest winery in the UK. He now works as a consultant to vineyards and wineries in the UK, setting up new vineyards for the production of both still and sparkling wine and helping existing growers expand.

In 1986 Stephen started writing and lecturing about wine and has contributed articles to many different publications. He has written several books on the wines of the UK: The Vineyards of England in 1989, The Wines of Britain and Ireland (Faber and Faber) in 2001 - which won the André Simon Award for Drinks Book of the Year - and the UK Vineyards Guide in 2008 and 2010. He is the English and Welsh vineyards contributor to the annual wine guides written by Hugh Johnson and Oz Clarke and writes the section on English and Welsh wine in both Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion to Wine and Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson’s World Atlas of Wine.

Stephen was a director of the English Vineyards Association (EVA) from 1982–1995 and of its successor organisation, the United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA) from 1995–2003. He was Chairman of the UKVA from 1999–2003. He was also at various times between 1982 and 1986 Treasurer, Secretary and Chairman of the South East Vineyards Association, Secretary of the Circle of Wine Writers between 1990 and 1997 and has served on various EU committees in Brussels representing UK winegrowers.

In 2000 he completed a BSc in Multimedia Technology and Design at Brunel University. While at Brunel, Stephen was awarded the Ede and Ravenscroft Prize for his final year project. In 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration from Anglia Ruskin University and in 2012 he completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

In 2003 Stephen became a Master of Wine, winning the prestigious Robert Mondavi Trophy for gaining the highest marks in the Theory section of the examination and in 2005 won the AXA Millésimes Communicator of the Year Award for services to the MW education programme. Between 2003 and 2009 he served on the MW Education Committee and was Course Wine Coordinator and since 2009 has served on the Council of the Institute of Masters of Wine.

Stephen is the UK wines panel Chairman for the Decanter World Wine Awards and has judged in the past for the International Wine Challenge, the International Wine and Spirit Competition, the Japan Wine Challenge and the Veritas Wine Awards