The rise of English wine
It was once seen as a poor sibling to its French counterpart, but new research has revealed that English wine is on its way up.
A survey from analysts Mintel has found that in the last year, English wine has seen a huge increase in sales, up 50 percent in value, now putting it at £25 million.
English wine is now seen as a quality product, with premium prices and a trendy consumer base. The survey also revealed that half of people think English wine is improving in quality, perhaps due to increased awareness about the product and the warmer weather over recent years.
Chris Wisson of analysts Mintel said: "English wine looks well placed to continue growing in the coming years, with increasing numbers of vineyard plantings and bottles produced.
"While growth is rapid, the English wine industry faces some key obstacles including limited mainstream availability."
English wine is wine that is made in England, from grapes grown over here. It may sound obvious, but if you're trying to impress wine aficionados, never refer to the beverage as 'British wine' - this is made in Britain, but with grapes from anywhere in the world, and is not strictly even classified as wine.
The largest and arguably most successful vineyard in England is Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey, at around 265 acres in size. There are over 350 vineyards in England, with practically all located in the south of the country, though many are all under one acre and sell only a few bottles locally.
The English wine trade also had a publicity boost when a task in the eight series of the Apprentice focused on it. The teams were asked to come up with an advert to promote an English wine.
Emily Bancroft
Tagged in Food & Drink