English wine doing sparkling trade as 27 countries choose British fizz
Exports of our top plonk increases by a third in just one year as drinkers turn to Blighty for their booze
CORKS are popping for English sparkling wine producers as it’s revealed exports increased to a record 27 countries in 2016.
The drink that wine snobs would have turned their noses up at just a few years ago is now filling flutes in countries as far flung as Taiwan and Dubai.
Drinkers in ‘Old World’ countries like France and Italy are also snapping up English fizz in growing numbers.
Our winemakers increased the number of export markets by a THIRD from 19 in 2015.
Experts are putting down the increase to drinkers’ love of our unique crisp, dry styles reminiscent of much more expensive drops from Europe.
Warmer temperatures and chalky soil similar to that in the champagne region of France mean people looking to celebrate on a tighter budget are picking up English sparklers in their droves.
Environment secretary Andrea Leadsom said English brands like Nyetimber, Exton Park and Gusbourne “are rightly taking their place among the world’s most renowned wine producers”.
“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,” she added.
What's the difference between 'English wine' and 'British wine'?
Some bottles say they are British wine, while others say they are English, but why?
It’s NOT to do with some being made in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. If it says ‘British wine’ it means a company based in the UK has bought grape juice from other parts of the world and simply blended and bottled it here. A bottle can only call itself ‘English wine’ if the grapes used to make it were grown here.
British winemaking nous is now so highly regarded top producers from around the world are now snapping up land in England to produce their own brands.
Last year champagne giant Taittinger announced it was setting up its own English sparkling wine operation in Kent to be known as Domaine Evremond.
English producers are expecting to increase the number of bottles they export ten-fold from 250,000 in 2015 to 2.5 million in 2020.
But it’s not just drinkers overseas who are snapping up our plonk.
Marks and Spencer doubled its sales of English sparkling wine, while Waitrose said 50 per cent more bottles were sold in 2016.
There are now over 500 commercial vineyards in operation across the UK using 5,000 acres of land.
The vast majority — nearly 70 per cent — of English wine is sparkling, while 24 per cent is white wine.
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