Monday 5 October 2015

English Wine Production to Double In Less Than a Decade

New figures have indicated to the Ideal Wine Company that English wine production, once thought of as nothing more than a novelty, is expected to double in less than a decade.

Growing industry


When you think of great wine regions you think of Burgundy, Tuscany and Bordeaux. You can buy some great Bordeauxs here at the Ideal Wine Company. What you don’t think of is Kent, Sussex or Cornwall; the English have never been counted among the world’s best winemakers. Yet this once obvious truth is rapidly changing. Here on the Ideal Wine Company blog we’ve noted that the UK’s wine industry is growing all the time, and that our nation is even developing a robust wine tourism trade.

Wine production to double


The latest data indicates that there are now 470 vineyards and 135 wineries in England, which collectively produce 3.15 million bottles of our favourite tipple every year. A Group of MPs recently toured one of the UK’s most prominent wine producers; Rathfinny Wine Estate in Sussex, and as they did they heard some rather interesting news.

The latest statistics indicate that English vineyards have recorded an impressive growth rate of 11% over the past decade. The Drinks Business reported that this means that if English Vineyards keep charting their current trajectory, land under the vine in England and Wales, which stood at 1,884 hectares in 2013, will double in the next seven years.

Success story


Tim Loughton MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Wine and Spirits, was one of the politicians touring Rathfinny when the news broke. He commented on the growth volumes English wine production is expected to record, saying that it opened MPs’ eyes “to see at first-hand what an important British success story our domestic wine industry is becoming.”

The chief executive of the UK’s Wine and Spirit Trade Association, Miles Beale, explained why English wine production is set to become such a success story. He said: “It is fantastic to have MPs taking a real interest in the industry and seeing the benefits it delivers to local communities and the wider economy. The English Wine industry has the quality and technical capability to compete globally and – with capacity increasing rapidly – it represents great export potential for our economy.”

Producing stellar vintages



These figures have made it clear that English wine production is no longer the joke it’s been regarded as for centuries. Changing weather patterns are transforming various regions throughout the South of England into major players on the global wine stage, which are increasingly turning out stellar vintages.