Last year was an “almost perfect year”, according to a recent report from the wine trade body Wine of Great Britain (WineGB), written by Stephen Skelton MW.
Figures from the Food Standards Agency's wine team showed total production reached 21.6 million bottles, almost double the amount of the previous year.
Skelton predicts that if plantings continue to increase and yields rise on the current path, annual production will reach about 40 million bottles by 2032.
In this growing industry, sustainability is at the forefront of producers' minds as they seek to future-proof their businesses.
“It's very important,” said James Davis MW, general manager of Bolney Wine Estate. “(In the future) access to water will be difficult, and pesticides will become much more expensive, so the more we can operate and operate sustainably, but also with a business thought process in terms of what we do, the better.”
Denbies Wine Estate, one of the largest single vineyards in England, became the first UK vineyard and winery to achieve Net Zero certification to the UK Carbon Code of Conduct (UKCCC) standard in April this year.
The latest figures from Surrey, including bumper harvests and packing from 2023, show Denbis sequestered more carbon than it emitted, leaving a carbon credit of -96 tonnes of CO2.
Actions taken by Denbies include leaving 4 hectares of vineyards in a natural state to promote biodiversity, installing solar panels on the winery building to self-generate green energy, and environmental best practices for all new capital investments.
The estate has also had success with Solaris grapes. As a PIWI cultivar, it is highly resistant to fungal diseases, which means less spraying is needed in the vineyard.
“We started by blending Solaris into some of our other wines, but it actually holds up well on its own in our orange wine production,” said CEO Chris White. The estate also continued to use some of the bi-products of wine in vermouth.
Bolney also benefits from PIWI Farms. Davis told Decanter that the property found that Rondeau had “about a third less carbon footprint than Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.” He likens the variety to Cabernet Franc in terms of flavour, and believes the sustainability benefits will be well received by consumers, who are becoming more aware of climate change.
Bolney Wine Estates. Photo: James Ratchford
Without restrictions on permitted varieties or other regulations in Old World regions, producers in Britain have the ability to experiment with this type of sustainable approach.
“We don't have to throw away a legacy and, as a result, we can be a little more on top of the science,” said Anne Jones, Sustainability Ambassador at WineGB, among her other sustainability advisory roles.
Back in Sussex, Rathfinny Wine Estate achieved B Corp status last year, becoming the first sparkling wine producer to grow all of its own grapes to do so. It also sets its sights on becoming net zero carbon by 2030.
Winery manager Tony Milanowski spoke to Decanter about the innovative measures the facility has introduced, which include using an electric dialysis machine to achieve cold stabilization, a process that prevents the potential for tartrate crystals to appear in the wine.
The process is usually carried out either by adding chemicals, which may not be desirable to the producer or consumer, or by using very low temperatures, which in turn consumes a large amount of energy. Using electricity as an alternative is a more energy efficient and highly effective option.
Milanowski has also looked to other industries for inspiration when it comes to saving energy. Taking advice from the pneumatics industry, he was able to improve the efficiency of Rathfinny's air compression systems. He also looked at the refrigeration sector in terms of adapting the glycol temperature in order to use less glycol overall.
“We did some very simple things that weren't particularly exciting to other industries but were probably not well understood in the wine industry,” he said.
Tony Milanowski, Winery Manager at Rathfinny Wine Estate. Credit: Rathfinney Wine Estate
At Bolney, the team has been looking into using artificial intelligence to assess what is happening in the vineyard. From a sustainability standpoint, identifying “problem” areas – those at greater risk of pests, disease or frost – and being able to intervene more quickly and with a lower carbon footprint.
Davis also recognizes the importance of learning from the experiences of other wine regions, citing growing Champagne varieties as an example. Polny analyzes data from other vineyards owned by the parent company, Henkell Freixenet, in terms of weather, altitude, aspects, rootstocks and clones.
“There could be cross-cutting transfer benefits from other vineyards around the world which could certainly help Bolney but also help develop the English industry,” he said.
This idea of knowledge sharing and collaboration is greatly appreciated in the growing industry and with the help of WineGB, which aims to “establish Great Britain as one of the highest quality and most sustainable wine regions in the world”.
The Sustainable Wine of Great Britain (SWGB) certification was launched by WineGB in 2020 and now has 23 fully accredited members through audit of wineries and vineyards.
SWGB, among other innovations, has developed a tool that calculates the amount of carbon dioxide generated per bottle of wine and/or hectare of vineyard. For Jones, what sets this certification apart from other sustainability certifications is the fact that it is designed specifically for Britain.
She speaks of her optimism regarding the future: “We are in a position to learn from the history of other regions, thanks to the talented people who are here and who offer their expertise. Nature will take its course, and we must aim to work in harmony with it, along with the benefit of science and innovation,” she said. .
