Will global warming advance the English wine industry? Still embryonic, but could the leading vineyards produce future investment wines.
English sparkling wines have been winning international awards for years and the land devoted to vineyards is ever expanding in the south of England. Kent apple orchards and rolling Sussex hills are being transformed by Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines.
The chalky soils of the Sussex South Downs have been likened to the terrain of the world’s foremost producer of fizz – Champagne. As English summers grow warmer our climate may soon become comparable creating further opportunities for growers of sparkling wine.
Top Champagne houses investing in English vineyards
Taittinger certainly thinks there are opportunities in the English wine market. They were the first great Champagne house to acquire land to grow vines in the UK. Taking a 55% stake, Taittinger has invested in a multi-million-pound project and a ten-year plan launching Domaine Evremond. Named after the 17th Century French poet famed for increasing the popularity of Champagne during Charles II’s reign. Perhaps Taittinger hopes for similar success with King Charles III.
Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger stated that “Our aim is to make something of real excellence in the UK’s increasingly temperate climate and not to compare it with Champagne or any other sparkling wine.”
Which English wine producers are leading the way?
English vineyards are growing in numbers, international recognition and trade. Those that are already seeing their wines traded on Liv-ex include Gusbourne, Nyetimber, Balfou Winery, Wiston Estate and Sugrue South Downs.
Chapel Down, the official Sparkling Wine of English Cricket in 2023 - no doubt there will be hope that much will be quaffed during the current Ashes series – market themselves as England’s leading wine producer. Located amidst the slopes of Kent’s North Downs the vineyard’s wines received 11 awards with Wine GB 2023 and 9 Decanter World Wine Awards 2023 this year. Stand out wine is Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvee, receiving a gold award and you can toast International RoséDay on the 23rd June with their sparkling Rosé. Chapel Down is listed on the Acquis Exchange.
Gusbourne, also in Kent, is majority-owned by Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft, and listed on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM in 2013. The company’s shares are on the rise with some active trading in June 2023. The vineyard’s wines are also seeing interesting price performance with Gusbourne Blancs de Blancs 2013 rising 98% since release.
Ridgeview has been strongly supported by the Royal family with Ridgeview Blanc de Blancs 2016 served at King Charles II ‘s first state banquet at Buckingham Palace in November 2022 and previously at the late Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations. Ridgway is also leading the way with sustainable business practices and has been recognised with BCorp certification .
Nyetimber first planted Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines in 1988 and was acquired by current owner Eric Heerama in 2006 who brought in husband and wife winemakers Cherie Spriggs and Brad Greatix. Their wines regularly win international awards at blind tastings with highly reputed experts.
Our view on English wines as potential future investments
Queen Camilla, as patron of Wine GB, has good reason to raise a glass of English sparkling. The international wine snobs have stopped deriding English wines and are now starting to watch our vineyards with interest. Many of these producers have only released a handful of vintages, therefore if they are holding back for a premium price then it could be another 10 to 30 years before we see a continuous stream of premium wines being released in England.
There is also the battle of getting products to market quickly and prioritising this over the opportunity to focus on investment grade wines. If anything it will be the major Champagne houses we see first attacking the region as top producers as they have established this market. As only a handful of houses have released wines, we are looking at 5-10 years before we see any big impact of this.
The backdrop to this is the very real challenges being faced by growers in Champagne and vineyards throughout Europe as a result of global warming. It is not difficult to imagine how England's importance as a wine growing region looks set to become more valuable in future decades.
So, we applaud the pioneers of the English wine scene and look forward to watching this fascinating space evolve over the coming years!
For more information on current trends in Champagne wine investment and opportunities see our latest Report and speak to a member of our expert team on 0203 384 2262.