English wine looks to take the world after warmest summer on record
British winemakers are betting exports will increase to sustain their once-innovative products as domestic sales growth slows.
This strategic focus is supported by recent international victory and Britain’s hottest summer on record, where conditions have been optimised.
Days before this year’s harvest, English sparkling wine has surpassed French Champagne and qualified for the International Wine Competition, one of the industry’s most prestigious awards.
This victory is set to boost its prospects in key markets such as Norway, Japan and China.
The importance given to foreign sales has become even more important as the demand for first-class products in the country is suppressed due to the UK economy being under pressure.
This trend has also led international producers to actively acquire land in the country and aim to sell both domestically and abroad, driven by increasingly attractive conditions for viticulture.
Underlining this aspect, Brad Greatrix, senior winemaker at Nyetimber, the first non-French winner of the IWC sparkling wine award in September, said: “Exports are where the real growth will be in the coming period.”
From fairways to vineyards
British wineries began to emerge in the 1990s as adventurous landowners took advantage of the hot summers. Now, on the chalky hillsides of southern England, vineyards are being planted on land once used for crops, apple orchards and golf courses.
Since 2000, British wine production has increased by an average of 7 per cent per year and is expected to continue growing, with land devoted to vineyards increasing by 30 per cent between 2020 and 2024.
However, although demand in the UK has driven the growth so far, sales of sparkling wine last year (which accounted for 70 per cent of total wine sales at 6.2 million bottles) remained flat, up 11 per cent on the previous year.
In September, England’s largest wine producer, Chapel Down, canceled plans to build a new winery.
Nicola Bates, chief executive of industry body WineGB, said steady sales were an achievement at a time when restaurants and bars were struggling and shipments of Champagne to the UK fell 13 per cent last year.
For many consumers, British soda is a luxury product; the largest brands, Chapel Down and Nyetimber, cost 30 pounds ($40) and 42 pounds per bottle respectively, similar to Champagnes.
Bates said that as more vineyards are planted, “we need to increase sales faster for medium- and long-term health.”
Norwegians want English wine
Although some winemakers won’t sell this year’s prized vintage for several years, exports are a bright spot where they hope to thrive.
Export volumes are up 35 per cent, accounting for 9 per cent of total English wine sales in 2024, and Bates said it aims to double that figure by 2030.
Norway tops the list of buyers in terms of volume. According to the wine monopoly, UK imports of sparkling wine rose from 451 liters in 2015 to 111,639 liters last year.
Arnt Egil Nordlien, Tekel’s product manager, said that this growth was far ahead of the increases in other countries.
Aleksander Iversen, sommelier at Brasserie Coucou in Oslo, says Norwegians are open-minded and curious about wine. Some customers specifically request English wines, while others discover it on recommendation.
“Many people are surprised by the quality; they often say it rivals the best Champagne but has a distinctive character,” he said.
More unpredictable weather
Alistair Nesbitt, managing director of viticulture consultancy Vinescapes, said British vineyards had experienced “almost perfect growing season conditions” this year.
He said the average temperature in the south of England during the grape growing season from spring to autumn had risen by 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius over the last 40 to 50 years, but this was not always straightforward.
Climate change means more unpredictable weather events and this is affecting the UK. For example, persistent wet weather in 2024 hit the grape harvest, halving production compared to the previous year.
While climate change means greater variability in wine global manufacturersNesbitt said cooler climates like England have an advantage over regions in Southern Europe. get hit due to more frequent droughts and heat waves.
Winemakers in the US, France and Australia began buying up British land about a decade ago; French Champagne house Taittinger acquired a location in 2015, and California’s Jackson Family Wines began a presence in 2023.
“If you’re in a really climate-challenged part of the world and you want to maintain your winemaking business, you’ll turn to cooler regions like England,” he said.
