The rise of English sparkling wine from a novelty to a major player in the global drinks market continues, with home-produced premium fizz now exported to a record 27 countries.
Figures published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reveal the number of countries receiving cases of British bubbly, which makes up nearly 70% of the UK’s total wine production, was up from 19 in 2015, with exports heading to destinations such as Japan, Taiwan, France and Italy.
“Thanks to sparkling rosé from Kent, and Chardonnay from Sussex, we are rightly taking our place among the world’s most renowned wine producers,” said the environment secretary, Andrea Leadsom.
“The number of countries enjoying our wine has increased by a third this year, and with major producers on track to deliver a tenfold increase in exports, we could soon be tapping into more countries.”
English wine producers have struggled in the past with an inconsistent climate and higher production costs than continental rivals. But now warmer temperatures and the UK’s chalky, south-facing slopes mean conditions are ideal for producing wine and ripe for a burgeoning industry that now boasts annual sales of around £100m a year.
More than 5m bottles of wine – both sparkling and still – were produced in the UK in 2015. Growing demand has led to land under vine doubling over the last 10 years, with 30 vineyards opening in the last two years alone. There are more than 500 commercial vineyards in the UK comprising 133 wineries spread over approximately 5,000 acres of land.
Among the lucrative new markets opened up this year was the US – with the first two full containers of English wine shipped to New York. In October, the Sussex-based Bolney Wine Estates announced a £2m investment to fund further production through a new winery and major expansion into the US, Scandinavia and Asia.
In the UK, sales of homegrown wine at Marks & Spencer doubled while Waitrose sold 50% more English sparkling wine.
Waitrose has added 12 new English sparkling wines, with sales up 49% compared with the same time last year – the biggest sales rise for any fizz. Cremant – a traditional method sparkling wine from the non-Champagne regions of France, enjoyed a sales increase of 27%, compared with 20% for Champagne, just ahead of Italian prosecco with 16% growth.
Waitrose sparkling wine buyer Becky Hull said: “This year the nation’s appreciation of bubbles has continued to grow, with homegrown fizz proving to be the most popular. Whilst English sparkling has seen the most growth, sparkling wines in general have continued to thrive and with the festive season truly upon us, we think this New Year is set to be an extra bubbly one.”
