As WineGB gets ready to host its first trade tasting this week under its new banner, Julia Trustram Eve looks back at the work that has been done by everyone in the sector to put the UK wine industry very much on the front foot, both at home and in a growing number of key export markets.
WineGB’s Julia Trustram Eve believes the structure is now there to take the UK wine industry onto another level
It has been another big year for English and WineGB. What have been the main challenges?
Yes – it’s been a momentous year for the UK wine industry. Last summer English Wine Producers (EWP) merged with United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA), to form one single industry association. Wines of Great Britain was born.
Last year we saw some 1m vines planted, the highest ever planting in a single year. We have seen year-on-year growth for the last 10 years now – hectarage has doubled in the last decade – and it is set to continue. This year we reckon that another 1.5m+ vines will be planted. New producers are coming on to the market each year too. The challenge is to ensure that this industry is fully supported from the ground up.
Trustram Eve believes the work done behind the scenes to bring all sides of the industry together is now really paying off
Talk us through the move to integrate the bodies into WineGB. Why did you do that and what has it meant in reality?
It made absolute sense to bring the two organisations together. Both bodies wanted to do more and create change to benefit their members. Given the rate of growth that this industry is seeing it is essential that we have one single and powerful voice – particularly when talking to government and other organisations
A lot of work went in to ensure that there was an industry structure established enabling every producer to have a voice and representation. Thankfully the overwhelming response from members was to vote to merge. The result is a great leadership from both parties now in place to take the industry forward. Simon Robinson (Hattingley Valley) is now chairman and Peter Gladwin (Nutbourne Vineyards) is deputy chair. The board is made up of both large and small producers, so all members are well-represented. We now also have a CEO, David Parkinson, who started in January this year.
The merger has also been welcomed by many outside the industry which is encouraging.
What are the key objectives still to achieve?
The ambitions of WineGB are far-reaching. We want greater support from government, in the way that other regions have, to help the industry grow further, attract more investment, help with marketing to promote domestically and overseas, help develop tourism and all the opportunities that come with it.
First, though, we need to show the value and potential of this industry and one of the first tasks undertaken by our new chief executive, David Parkinson, was to conduct an industry data survey, in conjunction with Wine Intelligence. This is the first survey of its kind that the industry has ever compiled, and it provides us with a benchmark of where the industry sits at the beginning of 2018. This survey also allows us to look at where we might be over the next 20 years. It will become an annual project which over the years will build a very clear picture of this industry.
These first results have been drawn in to a report which will be unveiled this week to members and at the WineGB trade tasting on Thursday.
In this first report we have carefully examined how other wine regions have evolved and drawn on their growth as a benchmark for our own development. Studying their development provides us with a framework of how the UK wine industry can expand by 2040. We can now show government, potential investors, the wine trade and our own members just what potential this industry has. These are exciting times – we have a Great British success story on our hands.
Is this an initiative that you see helping you to have bigger traction with consumers and the national press with Team GB approach?
Wine GB hopes to tap into the same sort of imagery and cut through with the public that the Great British teams have done in the Olympics
Great Britain as a national reference is recognised the world over. The Government’s GREAT Britain campaign has become a world-wide initiative to promote the best in Britain globally – it is a natural fit that our national industry body should follow the same stand.
In the same vein, TeamGB carries a modern, confident and proud message that we all recognise and support. WineGB stands for those same principles.
We have a new name, a national identity – very fitting as we embark on a new chapter of our industry’s history.
Is there more work to be done in terms of how you are communicating what WineGB is all about to the trade? There has been a bit of confusion around the term and imagery of the GB factor.
A new name is always bound to cause a few ripples. Our focus is on the future, and the name will fall in to place in the fullness of time. It’s worth adding that we also received a great deal of very positive comments to the name and the direction we are taking.
Can you give an idea of how well English wine exports are doing?
English wineries have been heavily involved in export events around the world in conjunction with the Wine & Spirit Trade Association and government DTI export teams, like this event in Hong Kong
Growing year upon year. In 2016 the number of countries we export to increased from 19 to 27. This year there is more consolidation as we bed in to those markets. The US is now the number one export market for our producers and will be our focus over the next couple of years, working on an export market strategy. WineGB has set up an export working group that will provide support to members seeking to export and in time to help drive some collaborative marketing initiatives in key export markets.
What sort of split is there between sparkling and still wine in exports?
Nearly all exports are sparkling wine. There are very few exporting still wines. This is primarily due to volume, coupled with the fact that the main exporters are sparkling wine producers.
A further opportunity as we export for us will be wine tourism – this is an area of huge potential and is a natural fit in our export promotion. A market such as US is a very strong one for inbound tourism, and we can work closely with VisitBritain to promote our industry as another destination opportunity in the UK. VisitBritain are currently developing a more integrated food and drink tourism initiative – our vineyards and wines can play a much more prominent part here.
What is the split between sparkling and still wine in the domestic market?
Around two-thirds sparkling to one-third still. The sparkling wine sector continues to show the highest growth. Most of the past and current plantings are Chardonnay, Pinots Noir and Meunier, so much more volume will be coming through over the next few years. Producers are seeing the value in producing a high quality still wine – there are some great developments going on in this sector.
What are the average price points for both?
Still wine is between £13-15 and sparkling wine is around £25/£28. There are of course entry level prices for both categories. There are still wines (often own label) sub-£10 bottle in supermarkets and sub £20 sparkling wines.
An example of the level of support WineGB hopes to continue to attract and build on from the government’s overall export drive for British food and drink
Where are the big distribution opportunities and challenges still for English wine in the UK market?
There are still plenty of opportunities to engage the UK consumer with our wines. More and more consumers are buying in to local food and drink – we know there is real interest out there. We also know there are plenty of opportunities to work more closely with the trade across all sectors to bring the wines to their customers; and of course there are great opportunities to encourage more consumers to visit vineyards as well and engage direct with the producers themselves.
Price for some resellers can be a challenge, but it is more a question of effectively marketing and promoting the value of our products. These are high quality wines that should expect to be sold at a certain price point. Our industry does not produce huge volumes of low value product. That to us serves as an advantage.
The supply chain can sometimes challenge retailers and other outlets – if they want to sell a range of wines it can sometimes prove costly if they are having to sourcing from multiple suppliers. It’s great to see more wholesalers now list wines from the UK but generally the range is small. Purchasing direct from the vineyards in small volumes adds up when you factor in all the carriage costs.
Volume and supply is also sometimes an issue, although this is improving as volumes grow. Sometimes a less than favourable harvest may impact on supply from some producers, but overall demand is healthy and there is more accessible wine stock.
What are the key winemaking highlights you would pick out in terms of styles of wine being made?
The UK as a wine region has certainly found its signature styles. Across both the still and sparkling sectors, the freshness and elegance of the wines are key.
Our sparkling wines now have a phenomenal record of success on the world stage – competition wins over the last 20 years are extraordinarily impressive and proof positive that the style we are producing over here are world class.
On the still front, the light, fresh, aromatic style of a still white is hugely appealing. Bacchus, for example, has really found its home in the UK. It is really exciting also to see interesting developments with Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc as well as still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These wines are proving such great matches for our seasonal food – think Bacchus with asparagus, a light red with salt marsh lamb! The wine and gastronomic experience in the UK is proving to be every bit as exciting and appealing as those that we know and love elsewhere.
The continued hard work to raise viticulture levels in English vineyards is paying off in the quality of the wines
What is the spread of English wine now in terms of the number of counties involved/ how do you see that growing?
Pretty much every county in England has a vineyard now – there are not that many vineyards north of Nottingham but they are there and some great wines being produced.
The heaviest concentration of vineyards remains in the South East: Kent – Sussex – Hampshire – Surrey – these four counties account for over 60% of total plantings. Much of the ongoing planting remains in these four counties.
How are Welsh wines doing?
Really well! Wales has also seen some growth in vineyards and production. They are fortunate to be part of a vibrant food and drink sector supported by the Welsh Government, which is enabling them to collectively promote their wines and get involved in events such as our industry tasting – the Welsh will be at the trade tasting for the first time this year.
If you had £1m how would you spend it for WineGB?
Now you’re talking! We need serious support from the roots up. We want to see investment in more training opportunities in this sector so that we have the viticulturists and winemakers for the future. We have a great set up in Plumpton College who firmly lead the way, and it would be great to roll this out to other parts of the country.
With the marketing hat on here: there are so many huge opportunities to promote English and Welsh wines further and to reach more consumers. Currently all our promotion is funded by the vineyards themselves. Greater funding for our campaign English Wine Week and Welsh Wine Week, for example, will allow us to further engage with and support more trade outlets, encourage more participation and set up more consumer-facing promotional opportunities.
There is also the opportunity to create a national campaign for export, and to promote the industry more fully through digital channels; create more social media traction and support the trade more fully. It would also be great to create high impact stand space at trade and exhibitions and fairs both here and overseas as well. Importantly, we want to ensure that we continue to create a data survey every year and build a continuing comprehensive profile on the industry to allow us to fulfil the many ambitions we have.
- The WineGB tasting will take place at Lindley Hall, London on April 26 featuring the biggest line of English and Welsh producers ever to exhibit together in the UK. The day will feature a number of key sessions, and masterclasses including an industry briefing from chief executive, David Parkinson, and chairman, Simon Robinson, at 11am. For more details and to register click here.
