Where there’s muck, there’s brass as the saying goes, or in the case of English wine production, where there’s chalk, there’s class.
Where the ‘muck’ is global warming, the ‘brass’ is rooted in the growth of the English wine industry. Wineries in counties throughout the South East and South West are benefitting from warmer summers and subsequently, better yields. Demand for English sparkling in the domestic market is growing steadily, and wineries are beginning to see good returns on their investment into tasting rooms, accommodation and cellar door experiences. Meanwhile, the warming terroir of the southern counties is attracting investment from the likes of Taittinger, Pommery & Freixenet – keen to seek new locations as their traditional vines fall victim to the same climate changes which are benefitting southern England.
I’m not overstating the case when I say that English sparkling wines are good, really good – much like our Olympians, they outperform expectations on a regular basis – beating long-established market leaders from Spain, France and Italy.
Despite the critical acclaim, however, English wineries can find establishing a firm footing in foreign markets tricky.
Even before the first pallet is shipped, English wineries are fighting historical biases. England, after all has a long-held reputation for warm beer, bland food, and sub-optimal dentistry. Not a particularly appealing image. As such, it’s hard to imagine Champagne devotees stocking a vintage Sussex as the house bubbly or celebrating a milestone event with a Kentish carbonate. And, at €40-€50 a pop (pardon the pun), it is a challenge to sway the prosecco/cava/sekt consumers, too.
Currently, just 8% of English wines are exported, in-part due to the complications of bureaucracy (especially post-Brexit), the rising costs of transportation, and ever-changing local laws.
Beyond this, even in a more-or-less united regulatory market such as the EU, tastes, habits and attitudes vary dramatically – placing additional pressure on marketing and export strategists to identify and mitigate ‘unknown unknowns’. While the launch of English wine under world-famous brands is likely to raise the profile and reputation of our domestic sparkling, now is the time for brands to get to know their overseas client base.
How can UK winemakers explore new markets?
Three steps to guide market research for overseas UK wine opportunities:
- Gather options
Before committing Export Managers’ time, budget and energy to developing relationships and distribution strategies, deep-dive your feasibility and market studies. Creating a framework for market entry strategies/timelines helps to manage workload, risk and marketing – and can be outsourced to experts in international markets for a more effective, more affordable, and more reliable output. Local Chambers or British Chambers of Commerce in target markets can provide information and resources, or you can reach out to us at International Trade Matters to get the ball rolling. And of course, WineGB is a crucial partner in any endeavour to promote domestic wine production.
- Trust & Verify
A client once said to me; “Why do I need to go to China? When I need to know how to do business in China, I’ll just Google it”. I’m confident that anyone reading this blog has a bit more nous than that, however, it bears emphasising that the power of witnessing first-hand consumer behaviour in target markets always, always outweighs the power of Google. Distributors, agents, competitors, suppliers and collaborators are easy enough to find at trade shows and industry events – but you can’t replicate their context or truly understand (or trust) it, until you’ve spent time in their worlds. Specialist trade tours are a great place to start, offering cheaper, pre-prepared itineraries and connecting you with a network in each target area.
- Lobby, hustle & shout
Getting hold of up-to-date, accurate and relevant export data and regulatory guidance is a tough challenge – untangling the data, the laws and the trends can and should be supported by wine sector associations and government policy.
Having been an expat for over 20 years, I continue to be a huge advocate for gastro-diplomacy – chamber events, networking sessions, embassy functions are all perfect opportunities to showcase English wine & food – yet more often than not, the canapes are variations on an English theme (ANOTHER mini Yorkshire pudding with roast beef shavings and a splodge of horseradish, anyone??) but the wine is not promoted or lauded as much as it could be. Is our natural reticence to sing our own praises, holding us back?
Opportunities for English wine exports abound – but require a significant amount of research and outreach. Bigger houses are planting in the UK, they do not need to do the same level of work to understand international markets, trends and distribution channels – and will, inevitably raise the profile and understanding of UK wine, but also threaten the single-estate pride, and have pockets deep enough to knock more established UK wineries off the shelves, so the more avenues and markets that can be developed and maintained for small producers now, the better.
To talk to Viktoria and the team about opportunities for UK wines or other great British produce, use the form below and we’ll be in touch!