With the UK now recognized as an outstanding wine producing country; Figures released by WineGB revealed that 2019 was another productive year for the English wine industry.
It is estimated that 5.5 million bottles of English wine were sold last year, with international sales accounting for 10% of this figure. With 3.2 million bottles sold in 2018, of which 8% were exported, this represents an increase of more than 70% year-on-year. In terms of the actual number of bottles exported, this number doubled from 256,000 in 2018 to 550,000 in 2019.
The Department for International Trade (DIT) continues to support UK wine producers in bottling overseas, with English wines currently exported to 40 countries around the world. Although the United States remains the main export market for English wine, sales to Japan are on the rise. In 2019, English wine sales to Japan accounted for 6% of total exports, double the amount in 2018.
Export Minister Graham Stewart said: “This is an exciting time for the English wine industry, with exports and e-commerce growing strongly, and high production helping the sector recover from coronavirus.”
“A confident English wine industry will be in pole position to benefit from a future trade deal with Japan and benefit from the other agreements we will sign in the Asia-Pacific region, and around the world.”
Wineries across the UK help meet Japanese demand, but the South East still dominates the English wine industry with some 2,147 hectares of vineyards in the region, accounting for 61.5% of the UK total.
Gusbourne Estate is an award-winning vintage wine producer based in Kent, which recently concluded a deal with Japan Airlines. The opportunity will see the sparkling wine sold in the airline's first class lounges, and is set to increase Gusbourne Estate's sales to Japan by 6-fold. The winery currently exports to more than 20 countries across Europe, North America and Asia, with its three most important markets being the United States, Norway and Japan.
Duncan Brown, Head of Export and Travel Retail at Gusbourne Estate, said: “With Japan being the third largest Champagne export market in the world, it offers natural potential for our English sparkling wines.
“Japan’s recent support from the Ministry of International Trade has been very welcome, and we hope that this engagement will continue to accelerate in the years to come.”
Balfour Hush Heath Estate is another Kent-based vineyard that is seeing increasing interest from Japan. The winery recently secured a £100,000 deal with Japanese wine importer and distributor, 21 Community, which was one of 30 wine distributors in Japan contacted by DIT on behalf of the Heath Estate. The vineyard is currently exported to Norway, Finland, Germany, Spain, the United States, Canada, Japan and Hong Kong.
Adam Williams, Sales Director at Balfour Hush Heath Estate, said: “Our experience working with DIT in Japan has been fantastic. They have organized several meetings for us in Japan which has allowed us to find a great distributor for our wines.
“Seeing our wines in so many different countries is very exciting, and although export currently represents a small part of our overall sales, they are growing significantly each year as awareness and interest in English wine continues to grow.”
Although the coronavirus lockdown has impacted overall sales within the industry, direct to customer online sales have seen significant growth.
Simon Robinson, Chairman of WineGB, said: “The premium quality position of English and Welsh wine continues to drive export growth and is a key part of the overall industry strategy.
“Japan is known as a market where high quality is crucial, so it is no surprise that Japanese consumers are turning to our wines.
“The support that DIT and other government departments provide to our winemakers is in turn an important part of the drive to increase exports to Japan and we look forward to increasing our trade with that key market.”
