The Ideal Wine Company has
learned that UK environment secretary Liz Truss recently announced that the
first official English wine summit will be held in 2016.
Emerging wine maker
When someone mentions ‘first
class fine wine,’ your mind might turn to celebrated wine making nations such
as France. Certain regions in the western European country, particularly
Bordeaux, have been making wine for centuries. If you want to see why Bordeaux
is known for producing fabulous vintages, why don’t you buy the
Chateau Latour 1983, a hearty red with subtle hints of cocoa, plums and
chocolate, from the Ideal Wine Company today?
But
France’s neighbour to the north, England, is rapidly developing a lucrative
wine industry of its own. Traditionally England’s famously miserable weather
hasn’t been conducive to wine making, but climate change has provided southern
regions in the country, such as Kent and Sussex, with the environment needed to
cultivate robust wine producing operations.
Wine summit
At present, there are 470
vineyards and 135 wineries in England. Statistics suggest that English
vineyards have been growing 10%, on average,
over the past decade, and that ‘land under the wine’ in England and Wales is
set to double, if current trends persist, in the next seven years.
The industry’s growth potential
has caught the eye of the UK’s government. Environment secretary Liz Truss,
along with the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WTSA), the industry’s trade
body, has said that a ‘wine summit’ will be held in the new year to promote
English wine making.
Truss said that she wanted to
“encourage the industry to grow,” and that she would hold a round-table with
representatives of the English wine sector at the event to discover how to
achieve this aim. The WTSA will also host a discussion at the event, in order
to identify land suitable for viticulture in England, as well as encourage data
collection and data sharing in the sector to promote growth.
Huge potential
Commenting on the announcement of
the summit, WSTA chief executive Miles Beale, was quoted
by The Drinks Business saying that “we are delighted to be part of this
round-table discussion to drive support for the English Wine industry.”
Continuing, Beale added, “it is
an industry which has huge potential and is proving to be one of the new faces
of modern British agriculture.” He went on to note: “If properly backed by
Government it will encourage the growth of highly skilled jobs, increase
tourism in the UK, stimulate local economies and we hope to see a boost to the
export market of another great British product.”
Growing industry
The English wine making sector
may be growing rapidly, but it’s still in its infancy. Unlike nations such as
France that have been making world-class wine for centuries, English vintners
don’t yet have the experience necessary to produce truly legendary vintages.
This summit could provide English wine producers with the support they need to
compete on the global wine making stage.
