As we celebrate English Wine Week 2022 (ends 26 June), customer demand for English wine is at an all time high, according to Waitrose. With sales up 47% year on year and an increase in vine plantings across the country, our wine experts predict the English wine industry will reach new heights in the coming five to ten years.
With a market share of over 50% and 105 English and Welsh wines available to buy online and in our shops - the biggest range of any supermarket- we are proud supporters of the English wine industry.
From small suppliers making wines for local and regional distribution, to world famous award-winning English sparkling wine that’s available in all of our shops, our buyers are committed to finding the very best homegrown wine for our customers to enjoy. Our range includes fizz, white, red, rosé, sweet and orange wine and prices begin at £9.99.
We’ve continued to increase our range since we first listed an English wine in 2001 (from Denbies in Surrey). New to Waitrose in 2022 is a sparkling rosé from well-known English vineyard, Chapel Down in Kent. Their English Rosé NV will launch in 265 shops and on Waitrose Cellar in August.
We also have our own vineyard, at the Leckford Estate in Hampshire, which produces a Brut and a Blanc de Blanc from vines planted in 2009. We increased the vineyard at Leckford by 50% in 2017 to cope with demand, and it’s one of the ways we are committed to investing in the future of English wine.
Alexandra Mawson, Waitrose sparkling wine buyer, noted, ‘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.
'Our customers love supporting homegrown, local produce and English wine is a shining example of this.’
Waitrose English wine facts
Number of reds: 8
Number of whites: 31
Number of rosés: 13
Number of sparkling wines: 12 in national distribution and 41 local and regional wines
Sales breakdown:
Sparkling wine in national distribution is +45% year on year (last 52 weeks). Still wines and local fizz up 28%, local red sales up 70%, local sparkling up 73%, local sweet wine up 18% (all year on year, 2021 vs 2020)