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English wine maker With domestic sales growth slowing, they are betting on increasing exports to maintain their once novelty product.
This strategic focus has been reinforced BritainThis is the hottest summer ever recorded, having adapted to the conditions, and recently achieved an international victory.
a few days ago this year CropEnglish sparkling wine overtaken by french Champagne To claim one of the industry’s most prestigious awards, the International Wine Challenge.
The win is set to boost its prospects in key markets including Norway, Japan and China.
The emphasis on overseas sales has become paramount as the UK’s weak economy is impacting demand for premium products domestically.
This trend has also seen international producers actively acquiring land in the country, driven by its increasingly attractive conditions for viticulture, with the aim of selling both domestically and abroad.
This direction was underlined by senior winemaker Brad Gretrix of Nyetimber – the first non-French winner of the IWC Sparkling Wine Awards in September – saying: “Export is where the real growth will be in the times to come.”
From fairways to vineyards
English wineries began to emerge in the 1990s as adventurous landowners took advantage of the warm summers. Now, on chalky slopes in southern England, vines are being planted on land that was once used for crops, apple orchards and golf courses.
Since 2000, English wine production has increased by an average of 7 percent per year, and will continue to grow following a 30 percent increase in land devoted to vines between 2020 and 2024.
However, while British demand has driven growth so far, sparkling wine sales last year – which stood at 6.2 million bottles, accounting for 70 per cent of total wine sales – remained flat, down from 11 per cent growth the previous year.
In September, Britain’s largest wine producer Chapel Down canceled plans to build a new winery.
Nicola Bates, CEO of industry body WineGB, said steady sales were an achievement at a time when restaurants and bars were struggling and when Champagne shipments in the UK fell by 13 per cent last year.
English fizz is a luxury product for many consumers, with the largest brands Chapel Down and Nyetimber priced at £30 ($40) and £42 per bottle respectively, similar to Champagne.
With more vines planted, Bates said, “for medium to long-term health we need to grow sales at a faster pace”.
Norwegians are requesting English wine
Although some winemakers won’t sell this year’s prized vintage for several years, exports are a bright spot they hope to pursue.
The share of exports is expected to rise from 35 per cent to 9 per cent of total English wine sales in 2024 and Bates said she is aiming to double that figure by 2030.
Norway tops the list of buyers in terms of volume. Imports of English sparkling wine rose to 111,639 liters last year from 451 liters in 2015, according to its wine monopoly, the single state body allowed to import wines and spirits.
Arnt Egil Nordlein, head of monopoly products, said this increase is far ahead of that of other countries.
Alexander Iversen, a sommelier at Brasserie Koukou in Oslo, says Norwegians are open-minded and curious about wine. Some customers specifically request English wine while others discover it on recommendation.
He said, “Most people are surprised by the quality, they often comment that it rivals the top Champagnes, but with its own unique character.”
more unpredictable weather
Alistair Nesbitt, chief executive of viticulture consultancy Winescapes, said English vineyards have experienced “almost perfect growing season conditions” this year.
Average temperatures in southern England during the spring to autumn viticulture season have increased by 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius over the past 40 to 50 years, he said, but this is not always straightforward.
Climate change means more unpredictable weather events and this is also affecting England. For example, persistent wet weather in 2024 affected the grape harvest, causing production to halve compared to the previous year.
While climate change means more variability for wines global manufacturerNesbitt said that a cold climate like that of England has an advantage over areas of southern Europe, which are being killed Due to frequent droughts and heat waves.
Wine producers from the US, France and Australia began buying English land about a decade ago, with French Champagne house Taittinger acquiring a site in 2015 and California’s Jackson Family Wines establishing a presence in 2023.
“If you’re in a real climate-stressed area of the world, and you want to continue your wine production enterprise, you look to cooler areas like the UK,” he said.