EWW - English Wine Week Bibendum Wine

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Albourne Estate
Overlooking the beautiful South Downs, located just eight miles from the beaches of Brighton, Albourne Estate is a family-owned winery and vineyard nestled in the heart of Sussex, who make exciting and distinctive still and sparkling wines.

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Balfour
Set within the rolling hills of Kent, Balfour Winery has been at the forefront of the growing English wine movement. With dense oak forests and quality vineyards are planted side by side, the estate’s conservation is at the heart of what they do. It was the official English wine of the London 2012 Olympic games.

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Coates & Seely
Hidden in the heart of Hampshire’s chalk downlands, Coates & Seely share identical soil to Champagne and employ a variety of modern and traditional winemaking techniques, including the use of well-aged French oak barrels and concrete eggs. Their wines are listed in royal palaces and Michelin-starred restaurants around the globe.

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Fitz
Unlike your usual traditional method English sparkling, this fun, fruity fizz is Prosecco-like in production and taste. It is 100% vegan and made from high-quality grapes grown by a talented network of English farmers, some of whom have been growing grapes for over 40 years.

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Litmus
Still wines are Litmus’ speciality. With the aim of highlighting the best of cool climate, they moved away from the traditional fruity – and sometimes one-dimensional – English wine style. On their winemaking approach, the team uses older barriques and extended lees contact to produce more textured, food-orientated wines.

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Weyborne Estate
Established almost two decades ago, Weyborne Estate is a family-owned vineyard known for its dedication to sustainable viticulture and commitment to crafting premium wines. Renowned for their distinctive style, characterised by a very dry, reductive, flinty profile, Weyborne's wines exude freshness and offer a truly unique sparkling experience in the English wine scene.

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Silverhand Estate
Silverhand Estate is one of the newest players in the English wine, founded to redefine the rules of English sparkling wine. Based in Luddesdown, it draws its values and inspiration from the village’s rich history – one of constant evolution, meticulous craft, and ingenuity.

[ click on a producer name to find out more ]

Our English wine producers

Mindfully produced

The English wine producers featured in our portfolio, including Albourne, Balfour, Litmus, and others, are exemplary in their commitment to sustainability. Through practices such as minimal intervention winemaking, conservation of biodiversity, and energy efficiency, they prioritise environmental stewardship while producing exceptional wines.

This dedication to sustainability blends seamlessly with the ‘shop local' movement, which emphasises the environmental and social benefits of supporting nearby producers. As consumers increasingly value sustainability and local sourcing, we anticipate continued growth in the sales of English wine, reflecting both the quality of the product and the values it represents.

The grapes

Right after traditional method’s main grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – some of the most popular grape varieties in English vineyards include Bacchus, Pinot Gris, Seyval Blanc, and Ortega.

The English wine industry has certainly established a reputation for its fine sparkling wines and the production of still wines has been significantly growing, year-on-year. While their true brilliance is yet to reach its full potential, there are now many examples of top quality still wine made in this part of the world. At the same time, as many restaurants and hotels build their reputation on sourcing local ingredients, they can too do so with English wines, which are greatly suited to many seasonal dishes.

The
case
for
still

With the same production methods, grape varieties, and climate as Champagne, traditional method English sparkling wines offer a similar taste profile, featuring notes of toast and biscuit complemented by fruity undertones such as citrus and green apple.

Its value to volume proportion ratio is larger than sparkling wines from other origins suggesting it commands a higher price in the GB on-trade. With Champagne sales falling but sparkling wines from the UK growing, it indicates that some consumers are not necessarily turning to the cheapest sparkling wine options but to English Sparkling Wine.

ENGLISH
SPARKLING
WINE

vs

CHAMPAGNE

A relative newcomer to the wine scene, English Sparkling wine grows in popularity every year, seeing one of the strongest YoY performances, experiencing both a volume (+11.2% YoY) and value (+11.3% YoY) growth. It now stands as the second largest volume driver of sparkling wine in the GB On Trade, a significant ascent considering it held the fourth position just four years ago, trailing behind Italy, Spain, and France. On par with the production split, sparkling wine is an important category making up over half (64.2%) of UK wines in the On Trade.

A SPARKLING CATEGORY

From poised classics like Weyborne Family Reserve and Balfour Blanc de Blancs, to textured skin contact wines such as Litmus Orange Bacchus, and refreshing rosés like Albourne Estate’s, the range of this small but perfectly formed wine region is continuously evolving and an exciting one to explore.

In record time, and against all odds, Britain has become a staggering new force, earning well deserved recognition across the globe, by producing sparkling wines that stand amongst the finest Champagnes and exciting still wines that exceed all expectations.

ENGLISH
WINE