English Wine Needs You!
Despite the ever-increasing current demand for locally sourced produce, 84 per cent of British people choose to buy wine from outside of the UK.
More than half of the population (54 per cent) has never tried English wine, despite there being more than 400 vineyards in England and Wales producing award-winning wines.
The survey of 2,000 people was commissioned by the UK’s leading holiday cottage letting agency, cottages4you, ahead of English Wine Week which runs from 28th May - 5th June.
Although many of us choose to visit vineyards when on holiday overseas, only 11 per cent of us have visited a UK winery, according to the study. One in five people thought the UK had less than 10 vineyards, when there are actually more than 400 located from Cornwall to Lancashire.
Wine drinkers in Liverpool were the least knowledgeable about English vineyards with over a third (38 per cent) believing the nation has less than 10 vineyards.
Merseysiders were also the lowest consumers of English wine with only 24 per cent having tried a glass, compared to over half (56 per cent) of people from Bristol who are now officially the nation’s biggest English wine lovers.
Nick Rudge from cottages4you said: "Although many of us champion locally sourced produce, when it comes to wine, we seem to snub what’s on our doorstep.
"With 41 per cent of us enjoying a glass at the weekends and a growing trend for more experiential holidays, what better reason than to take a short break, sample the local tipple and take a few bottles to enjoy at home?"
Britain is currently the biggest importer of wine with 1.3 billion litres brought in every year at a retail cost of £7.6billion.
The survey found that two thirds of people agreed drinking English wine would boost the UK economy, but still chose to buy French, Australian and Italian wines.
Julia Trustram Eve from English Wine Producers said: "Nearly half of the people questioned said they would drink English wine if they knew more about it, so it’s key we raise awareness.
Denbies Chalk Ridge Rose 2010 triumphed over 21 countries to win a gold medal at this year’s prestigious International Wine Challenge - demonstrating the quality of English wine.
"It’s interesting that the research found that more than half of people questioned said they would have more confidence in English wine if our climate was better, and yet a lot of popular French wine is produced in the north and only a matter of miles from UK shores!"
The survey also suggested that celebrity endorsement might help boost the profile of English wine with Helen Mirren and Stephen Fry the most appropriate ambassadors. Coleen Rooney and Freddie Flintoff were seen to be the least likely.
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