Freixenet Copestick acquires English sparkling wine estate

Bolney Wine Estate, which was founded in 1972 by Janet and Rodney Pratt and is now run by their daughter Samantha Linter, has recently experienced a growth of +56% IRI MAT to 28 November 2021.

Freixenet Copestick managing director Robin Copestick said: "When we first saw Bolney Wine Estate, we were sure we had found the perfect winery.

“The sparkling wines are excellent and the business is excellently run by Samantha Linter, she will work closely with the Henkell Freixenet and Freixenet Copestick teams as managing director.

Together we aim to realise the opportunities of English Sparkling Wine and continue to grow Bolney Wine Estate's position."

New chapter 

The English Sparkling Wine category was regarded by Louise Dixon & The Associated Press as “comparable to Champagne” and the Bolney Wine Estate, located near Brighton, boasts a portfolio of sparkling and still wines which have won several awards, the most recent of which was the UK Glass of Bubbly sustainability award.

Linter added: "This is a new chapter for Bolney Wine Estate. Over the past 50 years my family and I have worked hard to bring Bolney to where it is today.

“I am now very much looking forward to working with Freixenet Copestick and helping to develop Bolney within the group nationally and internationally."

With top 10 wine brands such as ‘I heart Wines’, which sold nearly 33m bottles of wine around the world in 2021, and Freixenet, Freixenet Copestick is the leading sparkling wine importer and distributor in the UK and Ireland. 

The wines of Bolney Wine Estate will become immediately available from the Freixenet Copestick sales team as well as Jascots, the London On Trade wholesaler, and via the Slurp eCommerce website.

Pearls of Europe

Henkell Freixenet CEO Dr Andreas Brokemper said: "As producers of Champagne, Crémant, Cava, Prosecco and sparkling wines of various origins, we are delighted to add English Sparkling Wine, a still young, prestigious sparkling wine speciality to our "Pearls of Europe".

“We are convinced as the global market leader in the sparkling wine market, we can further strengthen the image of English Sparkling nationally and internationally."

“We very much look forward to continuing with the excellent relationships we have built over the years with all our other partners and customers.”