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.
