Waitrose sees demand for English wine reach new heights
Waitrose has revealed that customer demand for English wine is at an all time high, with sales up 47% year-on-year.
With vine plantings increasing across the country, the supermarket’s wine experts are now predicting that the English wine industry will reach new heights in the coming five to ten years.
Since listing its first English wine in 2001, Waitrose now has 105 English and Welsh wines available to buy online and in its shops. The range includes includes sparkling, white, red, rosé, sweet and orange wine, with prices starting at £9.99.
The supermarket also has its own vineyard at the Leckford Estate in Hampshire, which produces a Brut and a Blanc de Blanc from vines planted in 2009. The vineyard was expanded by 50% in 2017 to cope with demand.
Alexandra Mawson, Waitrose sparkling wine buyer, said: ‘While still a relatively young industry compared to the rest of the world, the winemaking passion and expertise in this country is proving itself to be deserving of the world stage time and time again. We’re seeing the culmination of the hard work of our viticulturists and winemakers paying off in customer recognition and this, coupled with the expansion of vineyards makes it an incredibly exciting time for English wine.”
