English sparkling wine sales fizz

The Wine & Spirit Trade Association’s (WSTA) latest statistics show that sales of sparkling wine have increased by 61% over the past five years in both shops and pubs.

An equivalent of 26m bottles of sparkling wine were sold in the past 12 months, a 9% increase on the year prior.

However, Champagne saw a slight dip in sales, with around 4.8m bottles sold in the past year, down 5%. 

The drink has lost value in recent years as other sparkling wines like Prosecco have enjoyed growth.

WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said: “Last year was another sparkling success for fizz sales in the UK and we were delighted to hear that the new Government chose English sparkling wine to celebrate its election victory. 

“British consumers are becoming more and more adventurous when it comes to exploring the sparkling wine market.”

The association is calling on the Government to cut wine duty at the next Budget.

True testament 

Pub giant JD Wetherspoon (JDW) swapped Champagne for English sparkling wines across its estate in 2018, in advance of Brexit.

Wine sales overall have dropped by £146m within the on-trade in the past year​, according to CGA’s On Premise Measurement data.

Some 17% of consumers said they now drink less wine than they did a year ago.

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers called the growth of English sparkling wine a “true testament” to the export opportunities that could be found in Brexit.

She added: “Last year was a bumper year for the industry and proves that British producers have the knowledge and ingenuity to compete on the international wine market with our fantastic home-grown produce. 

“I look forward to seeing what 2020 has in store for this innovative and exciting industry”.