After drinking Champagne for 300 years, and being the 2nd champagne drinkers in the world, Britons decided to outperform France.
By Marguerite
Indeed, British champagne, or «Sparkling wine » is a huge success in the British isles. Climat change is the main reason . 34.800 hectares of land in England and in Wales are conducive to wine culture thanks to climate change, according to a recent scientific survey. The regions concerned are the South of England ( Hampshire) and the South-West ( Sussex, Kent).
A growing industry
Thus, the hectares under cultivation have grown of 150% in 10 years. Today, around 4 million bottles are produced, which represent 68% of wine production in England in 2017. Since 2000, the English vineyards have more than doubled and now reach 2000 hectares. This production should grow because Pinot noir, Pinot meunier and Chardonnay constitute 71,2% of the varietals plantation. « The artisanal industry became a flourishing industry », observe Cherie Spriggs, the chief executive winemaker at Nyetimbe.
The main brands are investing
As a matter of fact, more and more french houses invest in England. The famous brand Taittinger is one of them. « This year, we lost around 30% of our harvest expectation because of our loss of grapes during wine harvest du to mold », said Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger. The price of land, 20 times lower than the price in the Champagne region, also motivated the winemaker to go in Kent. The brand announced a 10 million euros investment over 10 years. The first harvest will be in 2019, and the first sales will be in 2023 or 2024.
However, the Bristish sparkling wine only represents 1% of wine consumption in United Kingdom. Even if the producers expect a share of 5% to 10% in the following years, sparkling wine is a niche market. Moreover, winemakers hire staff from the European Union and fear consequences after the Brexit. A real challenge.
