The United Kingdom Vineyards Association.

Integral with the Regional Associations, of which the SWVA is one,  and composed of them is the United Kingdom Vineyards Association.  The UKVA was formed out of the English Vineyards Association in 1996 when it was becoming necessary to recognise the growth of vineyards in Wales and to allow Welsh Wine a separate identity.  The EVA had itself been formed in the 1960s to promote the emerging English Wine industry and to represent wine growing issues in government departments. This is still its primary aim, to which has been added the need to monitor and react to proposals from the EU.

The UKVA is a limited company whose directors are representatives from each Region employing a General Secretary, Sian Liwicki, who looks after the day to day running of the company. 

The UKVA undertakes functions which are best carried out centrally on behalf of the Regional Associations

One of the most important is the need to monitor the availability of pesticides with onlabel approval for vines and to seek to obtain offlabel approvals where important chemicals would not otherwise be available to growers.  The UKVA publishes annually its ‘green book’, free to members, of such approvals and all growers are warned not to spray outside the limits therein. These approvals are for commercial vineyard businesses, not gardeners, however all members of UKVA have such approvals ‘on the nod’.

Wine quality control to meet EU regulations is administered by Defra who have set quality parameters after many years of discussions with EVA/UKVA.  The UKVA is the RIB (Recognised Industry Body) for the administration of the Quality Wine Scheme which encompasses, English (and Welsh) Vineyards Quality Wine and English (and Welsh) Regional Wine. The UKVA organises the tastings, and checks analytical criteria for both levels of quality

The UKVA is a member of organisations whose businesses touch upon our own, such as the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), the NFU and the Confederation of European Independent Winegrowers (CEVI)

The English Wine Producers group of the larger vineyards is partly funded by the UKVA which supports projects such as English Wine Week in May. The website www.englishwineproducers.com hosts the UKVA web pages us.  All UKVA members are eligible for free legal advice offered by WSTA

The UKVA runs the UK ‘Wine of the Year’ Competition held by each region in turn and organises the awards ceremony that is usually held at The House of Lords courtesy of Lord Montagu, the President

Most years there is a Symposium attracting such speakers as Dr Richard Smart (2006).

The UKVA sponsors an e-mail forum for its members, allowing any member to raise a matter of concern and to quickly receive a digest of opinion from other members with experience of the problem.

The UKVA office produces a monthly Bulletin which is distributed by e-mail and a twice yearly magazine format journal The Grape Press, which is distributed through the Regions by mail.  Urgent notices are also sent round by e-mail.

Membership services  are provided either directly by projects such as the  new Vineyard map or through associates such as WSTA for legal advice and credit card facilities

Membership of the Regional Association / UKVA set up is voluntary, but growers should be careful not to take too casual an attitude to membership. Those who do not join are being carried by those who do. Unless the UKVA can claim to represent a large part
of the industry, it risks being ignored in the negotiations where our future is at stake.