Okay i’m gonna get going so good Afternoon everyone my name is natalie Merzoff i’m the business development Manager for the uk for the wine and Spirit education trust and coming to you From a very hot and sunny sussex today In the uk Welcome to all of those who are joining Us from around the world Hope you’re going to get some insight Into our wonderful world English viticultural world today Um we are hosting this jointly with ygb Ahead of english wine week 2022 which Starts on saturday the 18th of june So wset is a global association we Operate we run qualifications in wine Spirits and sarcasm Globally across the world and four Different levels from beginner level one Up to advanced level four and if anyone Wants any information on the Qualifications that we offer they can Visit wsatglobal.com So can i just remind you that this is Being recorded and is available to watch By the wact global events hub on youtube Any questions please can you post them In the q a box and we will try to cover As many at the end of the session as Possible And we anticipate the session will last For about 45 minutes followed by about 15 minutes of questions
So i’m just going to briefly introduce You to our hosts um Emma rice is a wine maker for hattingly One of england’s Biggest and most prolific Vineyards and wineries Um she will introduce herself in a Minute and tell you a little bit more in Depth about her background we’ve also Got wendy ausweight who’s barrister Stroke lawyer those americans here uh Turned winemaker who has her own uh Vineyard called ambriel delicious Delicious wines i hate to say And um our chair today is um simon Thorpe who’s ceo of ygb Uh he has a vast and extended cv and i Won’t bore you with all the details Because i’m sure he can go through them Himself but um a leading figure in English wine So without further ado i’m going to pass You over to them and i will see you Again at the end Yeah great uh thank you uh thank you Ever so much uh natalie um i i’d i’d Just like to say uh we’re gonna spend The next 59 minutes uh going through my Cv in detail and then and then we’ll Spend a minute talking about english English and welsh wine um uh not Seriously but i must introduce also Phoebe uh french who’s here uh on on my Left um
Who is uh works for wines of great Britain as well who’s uh also Importantly um a very very recent or the Most recent winner of the daryl a Jameson prize for the diploma or the Level four um In the wact and uh uh well done well Done phoebe so she’s probably the Biggest expert that we have here um Anyway i i thought um we would we would Probably just do a slight slightly Fuller introduction of who we are so so Um me first um i’m uh simon thorpe i’m a Master of wine i’ve been the lifer in The wine industry um in uh in the uk Um doing mainly things like uh importing Distribution buying um and uh those Sorts of things i passed my mw an Awfully long time ago uh which is quite Alarming there’s a there’s a sort of Collective group um of mw’s uh get Together you have a dinner when you have Passed uh 24 it’s their 25th anniversary Of your passing of the mw and alarmingly My 25th anniversary comes up now i’ve Been a lifelong supporter or a career Long supporter of the wset i’ve been on The board of trustees before and i’m Still involved with the master of wine Examination as well so in the last 18 Months i’ve been the the ceo of vines of Great britain and we’ll talk about that A little bit more as we go through but Uh i couldn’t um wish for a more
Exciting job in a more exciting industry Uh than we have at the moment with uh With the english and the welsh wine uh Uh explosion of of um Of wines vineyards quality recognition Sales so it’s a really uh you know Fantastic thing and a brilliant Opportunity to be able to talk to Really quite an extraordinarily uh International audience uh this evening Here in the uk um we we normally talk to People from uh cornwall or Northamptonshire or kent or sussex um And i’ve seen taiwan San francisco india All sorts of different place turkey all Sorts of different places come up on the Chat so it’s brilliant for us to be able To talk to you And i’m going to hand over to emma who’s Next on here just to give a little bit Of background about herself Hi so i’m emma rice and i’m the head Wine maker at hattingly valley in Hampshire uh started the Project here back in 2008 so i’ve been Here 14 years first vintage in 2010 and We are now one of the biggest uh Wineries in the uk not not the biggest But certainly one of the biggest and one Of the leading exporters of english Sparkling wine to the rest of the world Um i didn’t i didn’t start in the Production industry i actually started
Out in the trade and started doing my Basic certificate wset back in 1995 And i did my diploma in 2003 so about 20 Years ago now which is also a bit Frightening um Decided to i’ve spent my entire working Career in the wine trades In london and wine editing for mitchell Beasley Working for hugh johnson And then made the decision to move into Winemaking when i was about 29 years old Went back to plumpton college In which is just outside brighton in West in east sussex and uh spent a Couple of years working in california Then tasmania and made my way back to England where i Met simon robinson the owner of Hattingly and the rest is history um so Yeah and without further ado i’ll hand Over to wendy to introduce herself What a classic there’s always one so my Name is wendy athlete and i used to be Completely outside the wine industry i Used to be a lawyer a barrister you see The people who go to court and funny Wigs and things like that And then uh we had a bit of a change and I decided to make sparkling wine in west Sussex so i’m not as big as emma’s Winery i’m a boutique winery in west Sussex
And uh we planted in 2008 and we’ve been Making sparkling wine ever since Okay so we’re gonna do the first poll Now i think oh yeah so so we’ve got some Work for you um and uh we’d love you to Do a poll so uh do we how do we do this We launched the poll and we really the First poll is Um uh is to find out whether you’ve um Uh drunk um uh uh english and or welsh Wines and it’s a very simple yes or no Answer so we’re just uh just trying to Engage a level of uh of understanding of Knowledge of the wines that we’re Producing here in this country so um if You can uh Uh answer the poll now that’ll be great We’ll give you 30 seconds or something to make that Decision And we can’t tell can we We’ll know the results we’ll know the Results in a minute Yeah so so his everybody has had a Chance to to uh to enter can we see the Results The results are a yes is 64 And a no is 36 percent Yes it’s 64. no it’s 36. okay okay well That’s great so so So some people um you know the majority Have had a uh you know At least the beginnings of an Understanding of of what we do and our
Aim today is to be able to to explain a Little bit of the context of the Industry works in here you know i think The the uk great britain has always been Um a real uh kind of trading hub for for Wine um uh and and uh you know we wanted To give a little bit of uh background Around um around the history um around The styles of wine where the wines are Made uh in this country where the grapes Are grown about the about the the Commercial side of it but crucially Around the styles of wine and where we Sit where we feel we sit now um in as an Industry and a little bit about where We’re going as as an industry as well i Think because there’s no doubt that um When you look at uh at Us At the minds of of great britain um then Then uh there’s been such a fast growth Curve um that it’s a little bit Difficult sometimes to actually see Where we are where we’ve been and where We’re heading and it’s such a sort of Period of time where we need to catch Our breath somewhat and um Take stock and uh and review but this Would be a really good uh chance for us To to take you through that i think um And i would urge you please please Please uh if you have questions uh Please put them in the q a we will Either if they’re really pertinent to
The to the slide or the particular topic That we’re talking about now then we’ll I think we’ll probably answer them Straight away or we’ll look to answer Them straight away otherwise we’ll get To them at the end but but you know Presentations are much better when There’s a there’s a bit of two-way There’s a bit of interaction and equally We’re um despite our reputation we’re Not going to be very formal uh this Evening so um so if i uh you know if i’m Talking uh uh wendy and emma please plea And phoebe please do uh chip in and uh Correct me or i’ll add on to things so Uh the slide in front of you uh Indicates that actually uh the the Romans were the first to bring vines We’re not alone in this the romans were The first to bring vines to Great britain uh in 1843 and actually There are some Some sites uh where you know there’s Been a sort of um There’s a sort of historical uh uh Connection to to the rums there’s a There’s a there’s a vineyard in a place Called rockstar in shropshire in sort of The midlands Near north wales where there’s a roman Villa and right next door there’s Actually still a working vineyard i Doubt whether the vines are still the Same ones that were planted back then
But you’d never know But really the modern British wine industry english and welsh Wine industry started in the 1950s the 40s and 50s And when we say modern commercial Revival This is Possibly a little bit of a stretch this Is when the first few vineyards were Being planted and primarily they were Planted with Germanic grape varieties things that Were able to um to produce a crop uh From uh you know in a in a climate which Is both marginal from a temperature Point of view as well as from a from a Rainfall or humidity point of view as Well uh but this was still very much a Small um a small industry there are some Of the vineyards that are still um that Are still uh operating at the moment uh From this time but this is really kind Of the start of what we have today Um definitely in the 70s 80s and 90s we Saw an expansion in plantings and also In their 80s i think was the the first Plantings of the of the three main uh Grape varieties used in champagne Chardonnay pinot noir That was the sort of the starting point For what we might call Um the the new uh the modern Wine industry as it is in uh in in
England and wales now um and uh that That growth has been accelerated Enormously actually so i think we Calculated the other day um that that uh We’re approximately 3 800 hectares but But that’s doubled in the last seven Years uh and um and you know this growth Is going to continue because that um you Know another Between 1.6 and 2 million vines planted This year 2022 And that means that uh there’s no sign Of that growth that growth can continue Not continuing really um So we have uh now uh uh uh An ex an understanding there’s 879 Nearly 900 different vineyards and 195 Wineries um in in england and wales There’s a couple of of uh vineyards in Scotland as well And they’re all across the country we’ll Come we’ll come to that in a little in a Little moment So so some facts and figures um So so as i say there’s 879 vineyards 195 Wineries three nearly 3 000 hectares um And uh it’s it’s a it’s an Extraordinarily diverse um uh range of Different great practices we can’t Calculate the 66 great varieties uh Planted in the uk um now what what um What what is uh I suppose notable about about that is That is that of those uh 66 grade
Priorities and of those 3 000 nearly 3 800 hectares 71 Of that of that um of that of that Hectare which comes from the from the Three main champagne grape varieties Chardonnay pinot noir So that gives you an indication of how The industry has evolved in the last 20 Years 20 30 years um and we are um you Know as a as a production side uh still Very heavily predicated on uh on wines Made in there in the traditional Champagne method we call it the classic Method um of of uh of Sparkling wine production Um and uh and primarily that’s uh Chardonnay pinot and pinot mernier but Equally we have um we have some other Grape varieties which get added into the Into the mix so there’s quite often that You’ll see some say that oblong mixed in With mixed in with those with those Great varieties as well um and then and Then further down the list of hectares And and you know in the grand scheme of Things these are very tiny volumes um But you can see things like bacchus so Bacchus Um is a great variety which is planted It’s the fourth most widely um Grown planted great variety here in In england and wales 264 hectares um and It’s quite a sort of specific style Really i guess of primarily still wine
That’s made from bacchus And it has a quite a herbaceous um uh Character often referred to as our Example of sauvignon blanc i’m not sure Whether everybody would um would agree With that and i’m sure emma and wendy Would have a view but but uh you know Something that’s quite specific here Also on this list you see uh solaris is On there and then there are others lower Down which don’t make it on the top ten Or if that’s the top ten um but then We’re Because of our marginal climates and our Low yields uh we’re also looking as an Industry of ways to um To To have more consistent and more uh and Better yields per hectare and some of The great varieties that are being Planted uh increasingly although still In small numbers Are um disease resistant uh varieties Such as such as solaris and um there’s Others of the of the red uh divico and And such like uh the the so-called Peewee varieties uh i think that’s uh Probably you know enough on that slide [Music] Okay So um so you can see where where so Where where are the vines um And uh The majority of vines um in implanted
Are in southeast england so On the map there’s the purple which is Which is sussex and kent um north of That is essex there’s also hampshire um To the west and then it’s sort of Gradually there are fewer and fewer Vineyards as you get away from the Southeast and um we define uh the Definitions on here south east west Midlands and north uh east anglia thames And chilton those are wessex and wales Those are our regional association um Definitions of the of the different Vineyard regions some of those are Enormous because in fact midlands and North even incorporate scotland as well And northern ireland um but but the Majority are down in the in the Southeast i think um Is it 59 percent of the total plantings Are in kent sussex and surrey uh and Then uh you know very a very small Amount also in uh in wales uh we have a An active and growing welsh Vineyard and winery scene But but you can see that it’s still You know really quite a small A small Amount i think it’s around two percent It’s necessary But 66.7 hectares yeah very very so 66 Hectares but actually planted there’s Been some quite substantial plantings Just recently in wales
Um and um Uh emma uh wendy if you’ve got anything Else you want to add to that um uh to That sort of section of introduction Really on the industry before we hand Over to emma to talk about talbot Okay over to you emma all down to me Yeah So um The terroir in england someone was Asking in the chat box which by the way Don’t forget questions in the q a Otherwise they might get missed in the Chat um So It’s a very cool climate here in um In england we are marginal um on that First Pit underneath that first picture i’ve Put in um the growing degree days for Some regions around the world Um and we you can see that we’re on a Similar level to champaign in terms of Growing degree days this is a Calculation um that is made up from Uh The temperate the days above 10 degrees Celsius 50 degrees fahrenheit during the Growing season which in the northern Hemisphere is essentially april through To october You can look that up on Google find out the Calculation that’s used to do that
Um so you can see the champagne in England are very similar and we’re both In region 1a Uh burgundy goes into region 1b with Considerably higher Level of growing degree days than us Bordeaux River and napa valley which is on my Screen has fallen off the bottom i think Napa valley is on there um You know you’re starting to look at Quite high numbers for those growing Degree days um More easy to understand i’m guessing is The growing season average temperature Um so england our average temperature During that growing season is 14.1 Degrees celsius which is 57 fahrenheit And it that’s comparable to marlborough Okanagan and british columbia uh canada And champaign and france um but we are Lower than those and every degree counts When you’re growing grapes um nothing no Grapevine will grow below 10 degrees so You have to be Reaching 10 degrees or more as you’re Growing season average temperature to Even have a chance of producing any Fruits or having your vines grow And The other key thing about the about England is that our soils so you can see There’s a picture the first picture There there’s uh fred and olly from
Exton park which is in hampshire Uh close to hattingly where i’m based um You can see that that’s solid chalk so Most of the vineyards that are on the Chalk downs running through kent uh Sussex and hampshire Are you know they have 20 to 30 Centimeters of topsoil flinty loam Topsoil and then you go straight into This bedrock of solid chalk which you Can see goes four Meter upon meter down into the into the Into the hills Um it’s not the only soil type we have It’s uh i don’t know if you all know the Iconic picture of the white cliffs of Dover where you can see the chalk Exposed on the coast um that runs all The way through kent all the way through Sussex and spreads out when it gets into Hampshire so there’s this line of hills Running through Those three counties um and it also Uh there’s a line of um chalk as well That is in northern kent and runs across In the on the north downs in surrey as Well sort of just butting up towards London And that is where the majority of the Grapes have grown in the middle um of Those two hill systems you have the the Wheels which is Right at the bottom is heavy clay and is Not ideal for for growing grapes but
There’s a band of green sand that runs Between the chalk and the clay Around the inside of that basin Which i believe wendy you might be on That green sand yes so you get these Very different styles of grape coming From each of the different soil types The chalk is Fantastic uh for um It really really holds the water but it Doesn’t keep it acts as a big sponge for The vines so the water the vines can Access the water when they need it but They’re not sitting with wet feet so They’re quite happy on chalk but it does Take a long time for your vines to Establish on chalk because it’s a very Challenging environment for the for the Vines to have to deal with it’s very Alkaline Um Essex and in other some of the other Regions there’s more sandy soils um Parts of kent are also on sandy soils They tend to Ripen a bit earlier um actually can Suffer from drought essex in the last Few years has suffered from drought Believe it or not Um has the lowest rainfall in england The highest sunshine hours and essex is The area where we are seeing more and More Still wines produced so there are
Producers in essex in particular who are Um Managing to grow pinot noir and Chardonnay and natural alcohols of 13 And a half 14 And making some really world-class uh Still wines from from those great Varieties down in hampshire it’s a bit More challenging and we stick to what we Do best we stay in our lane which is um Making sparkling wine it’s a lot cooler The further west you go as you can Imagine The closer you get to the atlantic ocean The more Impact the weather has the weather that Comes in off the atlantic has on on the Vineyards And essex and kent are somewhat Protected by hampshire And the counties further west Um One key thing which i think is really Important about the terroir here in England we’re often comparing ourselves To champagne it’s almost inevitable that We compare ourselves to champagne and That the the market compares us to Champagne because our wine styles are so Similar Um one thing that champagne the rule in Champaign always used to be That From flowering which is happening around
About now or happened maybe two weeks Ago in champaign they would expect to be Harvesting a hundred days later so 100 Days from flowering they would expect to Be harvesting That is now closer to 85 or 90 days i Think in 2020 it was 85 days between Flowering and harvest That suggests to to me and the rest of The world that champagne is getting Warmer and it is unable to um It has to pick the grapes earlier in Order to maintain the acidity and not Have the out the potential alcohol the Sugar levels rise too high in england we Are almost Perfectly on that hundred days so you Could argue that we are We have to climb it now that champagne Had 30 years ago And a lot of the champagnoire can only Dream of the acidity Um and sugar balance that we have here In england now um None of them would ever admit it i’m Sure i hope there aren’t anyone for Champaign on the uh In the audience Um So and as another example of another Very cool climate um very similar kind Of place is canada where they’re sort of 90 to 100 days this is for sparkling Varieties between flowering and um
And harvest itself So it’s quite interesting how england is Is probably where champagne used to be In back in the 80s And global warming is probably the cause Of that oh look there’s someone’s just Put a message in the chat that’s popped Up is global warming felt in england Well Spend a bit of time at a vineyard in England then you’ll see global warming Um happening in a glass We made uh sparkling uh still wine for The very first time in 2019 and then 2020. Um and i it’s not very popular but i you Know those Those wines are essentially Global warming climate change in a glass They um you say global warming um Yes the temperatures are rising Generally over the last 20 30 years but What we also get is the climate change Is is probably the key thing to just way To describe it because not only are we Getting slightly warmer but we’re also Getting a lot more volatile so we get Very very we’re having more and more uh Uh really hard frosts later and later in The season Um And You get much more volatile weather During during the growing season so it
Can rain an awful lot Um And i just seen another question pop up Or another comment pop up Um do we is that why champagne are Investing uh so yes there are two Champagne houses that i know of that Have invested in land and vineyards in The uk In in kent and primary here in hampshire Uh and hattingly actually makes the Primary wines for them we take the Grapes from their vineyard make their Wine for them um they will be building Their own winery at some point uh but It’s not ready yet and i think that that Two big champagne houses like that Uh it is an indication of their Confidence in or lack of confidence in In their own climate and uh and Confidence in the quality of the wines That we are um That making here um and also It’s it’s you can’t just plant more Vines in in champagne you have to it’s a Limited um There are certain restrictions on Planting and you can’t just plant a Field somewhere you have to it has to be In a registered uh Plot before you can plant it um and In england we don’t have such Restrictions we have natural Restrictions you know anyone who plants
Over 100 meters in height is taking a Big risk um and obviously there are Severe frost pockets there are places Which are off to exposed and so site Selection in england is key but there Are no restrictions whatsoever in in our Planting um here in england which is is Great Um but can lead to Very expensive mistakes I’ve seen a few vineyards which probably Never should have been planted but Anyway um That’s inevitable with a growing Industry that some people some people Will make mistakes and uh other people Will get it right and it takes a few Years to work that out so unfortunately Some people probably still hopeful that They’re going to get a crop we’re going To get some wine um but we’ll we’ll Struggle to do so no doubt we are in a Very very marginal climate for growing Grapes here in england and if you get The wrong sight then you really don’t Stand a chance to be honest um And i’d say i put my hands up that Hattingly is one of those vineyards We’ve got we’ve got one site which is uh The exception that proves the rule that You should plant your lines above 100 Meters we have one that’s 160 180 meters And the quality of the fruit that comes Off it is fantastic but the yields are
Just not commercial so if that were the Only vineyard we worked with in the only Vineyard we have we would have gone out Of business 10 years ago before we even Started um But by expanding and and getting grates From across the the south east of England um and different vineyard sites Uh different different growers that we Work with we are you know that’s that Ameliorates or the risk the growing risk That so that you could have from just Having one one particular site I think that probably covers everything On there i don’t know if there’s any Questions on the terroir um Don’t need to answer some of those Questions as i go as we wait till the End yeah and i think what we’ll do um uh Emma actually because the next slide Goes goes into wine styles and uh There’s another there’s a second poll Actually which would be good to do now Which has just popped up on on the Screen so it’d be really good to be uh To have a just an understanding of the For those who have tried uh an english Or welsh wine uh what what they’ve um What they’ve tried and do um do tick More than one box if you’ve tried more Than one style um and um perhaps we Asked that whilst you’re answering Perhaps we can just um just look at a Couple of the questions to go through uh
So from the From the top i suspect there might be Some quite quite big questions in here So the wine industry’s vision and Challenges for a post Uh covered 19 world i i’m not sure that Um how to answer that really um Interestingly um for the for the for the Uk wine industry Um Covid uh you know And actually in the uk overall uh wine Consumption increased uh during during The sort of two year period of code Restrictions i guess um and in the last Two years uh wines produced here in England and wales actually increased Their sales by Uh by a combined 69 So so so it’s really strong demand um For for the wines that are produced here And now post um vision and challenges Post covid what’s happening is that Obviously the world is is um is opening Up and um and that’s uh you know Brilliant for wine tourism uh we’re Talking we’ll touch on tourism in a Minute um but it’s fantastic for that But it’s also great for international Visits as well as domestic visits so That’s a key a key driver and it’s also Allowed Producers here to engage very directly With that with the consumers uh in uh in
Local in in the domestic markets that’s Been that’s been really really really Key um i just answered one or two more i Don’t know i mean before it goes off the Screen do you want the results i’m not Sure oh yeah yeah sorry where’s where do We sorry i think we’ve now lost can you Read the results I can see it yeah so the classic method The which stars have you tried so 52 Percent of triclapic classic method Sparkling uh 18 other Methods sparkling wines 35 still wines Red white and rose orange wine 12 have tried other things like vermouth Or fortified wines and then of course we Got that 38 You’ve never tried english or welsh wine Okay well that’s interesting because you Know from a production perspective and We’ll talk about this a little bit in a Second so so roughly two-thirds of wine Uh produced here is uh sparkling wine And the majority the vast majority of That sparkling wine is made through the Classic traditional method so that kind Of fits with uh with production um so That’s that’s quite good um there’s a Question on here about clones actually Um uh emma one for you perhaps uh pinot Noir and chardonnay Primarily sparkling or is it mixed It’s definitely mixed so Um we definitely have burgundy clones
And champagne clones and geisenheim Clones in our vineyards all over the Country they all bring something Different and some clones do better in Some years and other clones do better in Other years um so no it’s there’s no set Um Formula for what kind of clone you plant And i’d say in england you you you Spread your risk as far as you can so You you print some you you plant uh as Many different clones as you can as you Feel you need to also with the burgundy Clones quite often they’re the ones that If we can think about doing sparkling uh Still wine then they’re often the ones That will um if you’ve got the right Weather conditions and you you’ve got The nerve to hang them longer they’re The ones that you can get the really Good quality still one from Wendy what’s your situation with the Clients we are um well we’re risky Obviously because we’re exclusively Burgundian clones but we only make Sparkling from them so um there we go Yeah it would be fair and tell me if i’m Wrong here but it’d be fair to say that That that That still wines are sometimes made from From champagne clones and stuff Sparkling wines are sometimes made from Burgundy cleansing so so i think that’s Uh yeah that’s a kind of uh yeah as you
Say hedging you’re hitching your bed Somewhat um so your slide implies a Fragmented industry average about four Hectares per vineyard so the smaller are The smaller growers selling grapes or Using other wineries to make english and Welsh sparkling wine so the answer is Yes yes to both Yeah so it is very fragmented you know The average vineyard size is low and What’s happening uh uh With new plantings is that those are Being planted into larger vineyards so That gradually that’s um that that Average vineyard size is is increasing Absolutely But we still have an uh a very large Uh number percentage of small producers Small growers here and and a lot of them Um Are sending their grapes to uh contract Um winemaking facilities uh and that and That you know that’s part and parcel of The industry here so so um uh you know It’s a it’s a it’s a established trend Um and probably uh contract winemaking Um will continue to be important in this Country uh over the years but it’s a It’s a it’s a it’s a growing element of What we’re doing Um Why i have a good question here why Don’t we see significant plantings in The uk about the classic cooler climate
Wine varieties like riesling and gruner Who wants to don’t ripen Don’t write Yeah that’s true both riesling and Gruner need a nice hot patch in the Middle and our Summers are just gentle benign little Summers so we get hot but we don’t have The searing heat that you get for a Short time where both gruner and Riesling thrives Yeah done some trials at plumpton and They just don’t ripen Just doesn’t just doesn’t work So yeah Okay um So there uh there’s a question here Which is very pertinent uh question for Right now what are the details of the New sussex pdo um There’s a lot of coverage in the press You can go and read it from page news Here in England um so what’s happened well a Little bit of context is that is that um England has its own pdo um as a whole Country and so does wales and i think The english pdo uh geographically if you Take it um Forgive me if i’m wrong but i think it’s The largest geographical area for any For any pdo of for wine in the world i Think so and that might be wrong but What that does is and it indicates that
There’s sort of a um early development Of our of our industry uh we we’ve um There’s one other pdo in in england Apart from the the news from yesterday And that’s a a tiny single vineyard Bacchus um Bacchus vineyard down in cornwall called Which is which is um uh owned and run And produced wine from by the camel Valley winery um but now uh sussex um Sussex pdo has been uh through uh the Approval process uh i think some started Some five years ago is that right Around that sort of time when it was First um first raised uh and it’s uh you Know it’s a it’s a it’s a pda pdo based Around For for wines that are uh grapes that Are grown and wines that are made in in Sussex and it’s uh it follows the the County boundaries um so east and west Sussex combined and it applies for any Any any wines in in that area and it’s Just literally coming through now there Are certain technical um Stipulations within the pdo which is Slightly different from the english English um Uh pdos and pgis Around you know Around product specific production uh Levels of sugar and such like so so There’s um we could we can if there’s a Way of being able to to um to send out
Or or um Or guide uh Um uh People on the on the call to to the Detail to that it’s probably best to say If you can actually google it it’s Sussex pdo uh wine pdo uh on it’ll take You to the details of what’s involved Um So then uh does uh the wetter climate in England make organic and biodynamic more Of a challenge Yes Very simple answer there’s a high Disease pressure um uh and um and you Know the the The somewhat restricted um the uh Treatments that you can use uh make um Make it uh make vineyards more Susceptible so lower yields in general Um and in 2021 was a particular high Pressure um on for things like downey Mildred and and and that was Particularly challenging for organic and Biodynamic but there are you know we i Was actually at a An organic vineyard people and i were There uh today um and you know there’s a Uh you know With organic um vineyards goes this Wonderful attention to detail um and When the and when the vintage allows the Wines are wonderful so so it’s um it’s Challenging but but uh but possible
Slightly conscious of time um We’ve got about 20 minutes left Okay Should we push forward and then come Back to more questions at the end Okay let’s move on Again So this was yeah this is me uh talk and This will actually answer some of those Questions that i think were coming up so Hopefully they can we can then skip over Those questions wine styles and Production so as we’re talking classic Method traditional method sparkling Wines bottle fermented is by far the Biggest uh method of production here in The uk it’s our sort of icon wine for The uk it’s what we do very well it’s Where we it’s unequivocal we can Stand up in the international market Uh with our sparkling wines made in this Method and hold our heads high There are more and more different Methods coming in sparkling styles such As pet nuts and charmat as well as Carbonation These are generally at the moment fairly Small scale some of the sharmat method Wines There is a danger that in my view that People will confuse they won’t know That the sharmat method is uh tank Fermented and not bottle fermented and Therefore a whole lot more expensive to
Make and so they’ll start to Combine the two in their heads and and Not Not differentiate between the two um and There’s a chance that we then therefore Might Endanger the the quality level of or the Perceived quality level of the classic Method that’s my opinion it’s not Necessarily everybody’s um We do make still wines as well obviously Uh white rose and lighter reds there are Very few very big heavy reds maybe some From dawn felder and rondo a bit more of Substantial but i’d say but the best Quality reds that are coming out of England are made from pinot noir There are a couple of gamete producers Which is interesting i think but again Tiny tiny volumes um most of the Producers of red wines are doing so in Fairly small Volumes And they’re either Very very light and about 20 25 pounds Of bottle or they’re Pretty beefy pinot noir in the burgundy Style you know for anything between 35 And 50 60 pounds of bottles so they’ve Got to they’ve got to compete in the International market or on the shelf in The in the wine shop alongside um some Very good burgundy’s at similar prices And i think that’s a bit more of a
Challenge Um White chardonnay white bacchus Solaris those kinds of things can Produce some very very good Wines but again they’re still relatively Expensive by comparison to their International counterparts Rose i think is where england is going To really make the um make a make a mark It’s much easier to make um rose from Less ripe pinot noir for example than it Is to make a red um and the resulting Wine is is well suited to our climate And i and that’s i think that’s a style Which is going to grow and grow in here In the uk And there’s a whole new branch of um Producers who are making All these win wonderful formats like Glas cans aluminium cans Uh keg wines that can be served in pubs Um And there there are some Production challenges to putting wine in Cans for example you particularly Reduction um but once those sort of Teething problems are ironed out i think It’s a fantastic way for people to get Hold of english wine take it on a picnic Um you know and and it makes the wines Much more accessible For the average member of the public to To a find and be buy it’s not such an
Investment to spend a few pounds on it On a can of wine than it is to spend 30 40 pounds on a on a bottle of Traditional method sparkling um as long As it’s good uh we’ve got to make sure It’s good because we don’t want to put People off trying the more expensive English wines because they’ve had a poor Example of a wine in a can But yeah the the balfour wine that you Can see there and that that’s a Fantastic um example of i think it’s a Yeah it’s a fizzy pink wine um The bacchus on the top right hand corner Is a carbonated wine from chapel down And then uh there are some pictures of Some Of An aromatic white down on the left Of course the traditional method Sparkling and um and the red there so um Lots of different things we can do here In england but in uh by far the majority Of production is is um Traditional method sparkling and it’s It’s what we do really well and what we Can do really well consistently year to Year Right um Wendy excellent so um as you know any of You who’ve visited uh the united kingdom Or um If you haven’t if you’ve seen lord of The rings and had a look at the
Hobbiton where the hobbits are you’ll See these rolling green hills and that’s Really what we’re Famous for and this is where quite a lot Of the vineyards are and in a way Although simon’s taking you through the History of viticulture in great britain We have a bit of a an advantage here Because we haven’t had Centuries of monoculture Which means that we do have a green and Pleasant land and our task is to keep it That way and not to muck it up And sustainable wines of great britain Was created in 2019 to try and muster Everyone together and to make sure that They followed some Really important objective most of them Environmental To make sure that we have the lightest Possible footprint so some of the Priorities are encouraging Biodiversity looking after the soil Minimizing pesticide and chemical use And also reducing Our energy use and water now you may Think I’ve seen the pictures it rains the Whole time in the uk well it doesn’t but You’re right we don’t have to irrigate Our vines we have more than enough water But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t Be looking after the planet as a whole So quite a lot of these environmental uh
Aims that we follow Are both to benefit the vineyards but Also to benefit the wider planet and Interestingly just recently Quite a lot of our biodiversity push is Aimed at insects but we found that 15 of The most uh you know red listed birds Those birds that are the rarest Are in their habitats in vineyards so it Just shows you can make a difference uh If you want to and We do so um It’s something that you’ll see around All the vineyards in the uk 40 Of the vineyards and all of the bigger Ones have already ready signed up to This particular Scheme where there’s an annual Accreditation So it is something which we’re proud to Be pushing forward and even people who Don’t join the scheme they still have Access to things like a free carbon Calculator so they can see how they’re Doing and we’re proud to have a register So that we can have a look at any Chemical you could ever imagine and see What its potential Uh Impact is on both the environment and to Human and animal health so we’re on it And um i think it’s been an incredibly Good development So many of us don’t
Like fires so i don’t use any frost Protection at all Of the people that do like i do like Fires i believe that there are some uh Bushies that are based on soy so they’re Much less polluting and quite a lot of People use crossbusters that are Fans with heaters or in fact use drip Irrigation to protect themselves from Frost but quite a lot of people don’t Use frost protection so depending on What you are exactly what emma was Saying before you have to choose your Vineyard site in the uk quite quietly Quite carefully but in general we have This fantastic you know goldilocks Climate particularly for sparkling not Too hot not too cold and so it as long As you don’t get frosted and you’re Going to know whether your site gets Frosted or not Then actually you have this really long Growing season and because we haven’t Had as i say a monoculture for a while We don’t have the build up of pests and Diseases that Other people have to fight elsewhere so We’re starting more or less from a blank Page so we’re very lucky from that point Of view and as the decades go on we’ll See whether we uh manage to Navigate that successfully or not but I’d just like to talk to you a little Bit about wine tourism which is the uh
Next slide So this is something that’s had a bit of A boom and i noticed one of the Questions we’re asking about the impact Of covert um obviously covers a terrible Thing to happen and i’m sorry that Everyone got locked down But for the uk wine industry it was Something of a mixed blessing in that Not only did people drink more wine and Discover the wines that were on their Doorstep which was lovely but they went And visited them as well so now about 50 Of the direct to consumer sales Or direct consumer sales rather than uh Trade sales or export and quite a lot of Those are sales at seller door So If you had visited Great britain 10 years ago i would have To say that the tourist offering might Have been a bit light Whereas now everywhere you go There are people with either tourist Centers or restaurants or people have Organized events and activities so there Are film festivals and opera and Sculpture parks and uh wild vineyard Walks where you can go and have a look At all the bugs that are there all sorts Of things that are going on in um in the Vineyards and the wineries themselves And you will see that quite in In
Most areas in the country and certainly All of those in the south uh people have Got together on wine trails or little Vineyard clusters so if you look at kent Garden of england is now the wine garden Of england at hampshire obviously Fantastic chalk over there The surrey hills sussex my own county I’m in west sussex And then wiltshire over in wales which Is over to the west and then going north Into yorkshire wherever you are in the Country You’ll be able to do a little vineyard Trail or have something that’s special For tourists and what’s great is most of The vineyards are in the south 75 or Something like that i can’t remember the Stat Um and all of those are within very easy Distance of london so our vineyard for Instance is 45 miles out of london i Think most of the vineyards are And so you can get there and you can go And see some of those iconic images of The You know the chalk cliffs seven sisters And it’s very much part of the gastro Boom that has happened over the last Decade in great britain so Food and wine going together i won’t Give the cheese producers a huge uh Promotion but actually they’ve done Rather well out of this as well so uh
And someone asked a question about do we Drink lots of beer of course we drink Lots of beer brits tend to drink lots of Alcohol of any sort uh and beer is Something uh that we do drink along in Fact i think protanomyces is named after The Little yeast that goes into beer it’s Brit um but uh we also drink a lot of Wine too and i hope that you’ll come and Share it with us and if you do come Please let us know that you’re here Because we’d love to know where you Visited what you drank and what you Thought of it Excellent um thanks wendy that’s that’s Brilliant um uh We’re gonna do the third uh final poll Uh now actually which is uh just popped Up on the screen so this is where where Have you bought for those of you who Have bought Bored english and well shrine where have You bought uh The the wine so there’s a list there for You to fill out quickly and we’ll do That please now Sorry whilst we’re doing that So i so i’m actually registered to start This whilst we wait for the poll to come Through because it’s quite um It’s quite opposite for the for what We’re going to say next so there we go There’s the pole the answer so so direct
From a vineyard or winery 25 percent Online 19 supermarket 27 special sponsor 38 and restaurant bar pub And um travel travel retail that would Be eight percent that’s really Interesting spread actually very Interesting um so we so we um as an Industry are very different uh for sales Uh of english and welsh wine uh as i Said um at the beginning uh Earlier on in the talk uh there’s a Sales boom basically here in the last Two years as the combined sales have Increased by 69 Percent and overall sales are up now at 9.3 million bottles that’s from 2021 And and one thing for us here uh that’s Very important to look at quite Frequently is the is the uh comparison Between supply and demand it’s very much Um front of mind for us as an industry As we grow we grow in production but Also we grow in sales and one of the Unusual things or possibly uh Unprecedented uh things at the moment is That in in 2021 we actually sold more Wine than we produced not that the we’re Selling the wines that was were produced In in 2021 but but that’s uh that’s an Interesting and new dynamic for us uh And one actually where we are enjoying a Particularly lovely uh week of weather Here at the moment we hope it continues So that actually we will get a good uh
Sizable and good quality vintage here Because i think we need them we need That in order to be able to fulfill all The demand that’s happening so um where To buy the wine uh so so our channel Split Is is uh i.e route to market where the Wines are bought uh uh reflect um the The the nature of the of the beast here Because uh seller selador sales direct Sales uh either through sellador or Online through the wineries the Producers own websites are now uh well Over fifty percent combined uh Independent retail supermarkets and on Trade Are around well i must do my maths now If export is is around four percent We’ll come back to that in a second But the other channels tend to be much Much smaller than they are especially The supermarket and multiple retailer That’s much smaller than for the normal Imported wine distribution here in the Country where where sales that’s where Most people buy their wine that’s uh That’s generally thought to be up around 80 percent of total sales normally go Through the multiples and we’re down at Around 15 Uh and there’s an interesting um dynamic Within the industry here and and makes Us think of other other marketplaces or Other production regions where there’s a
Large local and domestic um Marketplace Think of napa i’ll think of northern California a very high percentage of Sales go direct to consumer or into the Local uh market um and and fewer get Exported uh or go through uh especially If the premium wines go through the Through the multiple retailers so so It’s a it’s an interesting dynamic for Us um and a very very important channel For for producers who are establishing Really establishing relationships with Their with their customers uh looking After their brand building their Building their awareness with with those Customers um so uh we’re gonna talk About export a little bit um Export is uh A fascinating area for us here if you Look at them as a comparison in in Champaign 55 percent of champagne sales Are outside france and here we at the Moment we are at four percent and four Percent is uh you know is a very small Percentage it will grow uh And it’s heavily heavily um uh uh Predicated on scandinavia and norway in Particular so norway’s sales uh were um Uh in 2021 there was an increase of 85 Percent of english and it’s primarily Sparkling wine there are some still Wines that go there as well but uh but Norway is very fond of
English wine And then there are some sales into Northern uh north america Into um into the asian markets in Particular japan uh and but but you can See that it’s uh it’s really um you know Four percent only um it’s long term a Strategic area for us to focus on um But at the moment we’re concentrating i Think um mostly on the domestic market Now that will change and we do have uh Quite a large program of activity i Think um exploiting the international Markets um and uh it’s fantastic to be Able to see so many international people On here also Who have um who have tasted the wines Um is that so we got um That’s no more slides so Anything to add wendy uh emma on that on Those last things uh before we tuck into That some more questions Um Don’t think so no i’d just like to say Hatting leaves uh Currently exporting 20 of our production So we’re quite a long way but that we’re One of the bigger producers so you know Makes we were at 30 at one point but as Well production’s grown with back down To 20 percent yeah it’s interesting how Some Certainly some producers are focusing on Export more um and and uh you know the
Wines are generally incredibly well Received wherever they’re wherever They’re shown and tasted so it’s one Thing um we have our commercial director Is an australian and he is used to be Selling um australian premium australian Wines into europe And he’s Come over to the dark side if you like Come to work for us And he said he’s never Experienced such Warmth and welcome you know normally When he was trying to sell australian Wine people would you know never answer The phone and they’d slam the door in His face whereas he’s people are Approaching us he can’t keep up with the Number of people approaching us For um for sales opportunities and we’re Struggling to keep up with the sales at The moment for both the uk and and for The export markets which is a good Problem to have but it is still a Problem It’s the same with us even a smaller Producer like us um we Export a third now of our wines um and i Think that’s quite a good mix actually Yeah um right we’ve we’ve got a couple Of minutes to go through some Uh some questions there’s a there’s a There are a couple here i’m trying to Look at some consistent themes but
There’s a couple here around what what The future of what might be planted in In the uk uh okay how long is a piece of String where is your crystal ball um uh I don’t know emma do you want to have a Do you want to have a stab at what that Might what the future might bring in Terms of plantings I think more and more people will plant Um the the burgundy burgundy clones of Pinot noir and chardonnay i think that People will start to and they already Have started planting the pee wee Varieties which are disease resistant Because um there are you know the Spraying programs are getting more and More restrictive every year and Obviously you don’t want to be spraying Horrible chemicals in your vineyard if You don’t have to so the pee wee Varieties which are naturally disease Resistant um i think that we’ll see more And more of those um But other than that i don’t think we’re Quite ready to be planting sural Cabernet sauvignon just yet Yeah that’s great Yeah we do have we do have some very Optimistic people um at the moment so so There’s uh some questions just see if i Can do this in an orderly manner um Interested to hear more about charmats And pet nats production we’ve we’ve Talked about it a little bit um i think
We might pass on that one and and um Uh and we can um you know provide if you Get in touch with ymgb office at Ygb.co.uk uh happy to to pass on more Information to you that’s office at Ymgb.com uk um There’s a question about um About uh Foreign wine professionals looking to Work in the uk critical schools Agriculture well really we um in this Country and i think not only in this Country but we’re suffering quite Considerably from a labor shortage um And that’s labor uh labor it sounds a Bit rude but um but that’s actually Working uh workers in in all sectors of The wine industry so that’s all the way From from from viticultural work uh Through management in bitter cultures And in wineries as well so so um So again if you want more details as to How to how to go about exploring that we We’d more than happy to um to field Those questions at ymgb and that would Definitely be uh you know something you Know would love more people more more People with experience uh uh expertise To come and work in the industry here For sure Excellent it’s pretty complicated to Find uh wines in germany i just Answered that one on text Uh is there any study on the nature of
Clientele consuming english wines and Versus and versus which products so so We’ve got some work to do in that area What the um the general consensus is That if you if you’re looking at Sparkling wine in particular there’s Actually a slightly younger demographic Um uh buying and consuming english Sparkling wine and worse sparkling wine Than champagne now how much of that is To do with uh tradition um uh you know Who knows but but certainly the uh the Tourism side of things seems to be Encouraging a younger uh client base to Come and to to taste and explore and to Engage with them With uh with with the english wines i Think that’s probably and they tend to i Mean these are these are Relatively um premium price points as Well in uh in the marketplace here so so There’s an affluence there but but um But Probably over um overrepresented in that In the in the younger in the millennial Uh gen z uh area i think Um what anything else Natural fermentation Yeah Um We don’t here at hattingly uh with Sparkling making 99 of our wine is Sparkling um traditional method you Can’t take a risk on a non-uh stuck
Fermentation um you don’t want reduction Um and then when it comes to the second Fermentation in the bottle it’s such a Hostile environment for the yeast to Work at you need to you need something You know is gonna work and you know is Going to ferment the uh sugar through so We don’t take any risks i know some People do use natural yeasts um to be Honest if your winery has ever had a Champagne yeast in it The natural yeast is probably that one Because they are they take over and they Dominate um so it’s very unlikely that Um in a winery that’s ever used a bought In yeast Has got any real true native yeasts in It to be honest Yeah Um thank you emma so there’s a one Question which i think it says on my Screen that wendy is typing an answer Are you looking are you doing the one About the Um the the Uh Organic sorry the sustainability scheme And and adding in social and other Elements Oh you’re on mute monies right Yes um in fact the swgb scheme is Expanding to cover all of that there are As you know other schemes that are Available and b corp is being uh
Particularly popular so um it’s not that Those aspects are being ignored it’s Just that it’s a relatively new scheme You have to start with You know somewhere with the first thing So we’ve done the first phase but yes Those things are definitely being Included and are very important Except we’re going well let’s uh there’s A there’s a note here from a from a Friend of us uh yeah how jana Norwegians are great um Um there’s one about uh do do you know The best organic vineyard in article Do you know that um uh that’s Getting getting um maybe aubry would be The nearest Aubry imagine it must be aubrey yeah Yeah everybody knows everybody in the English industry And then and then there’s a brilliant Last question on here What might this mean for english and Welsh wines 30 years from now so so so Um Wouldn’t it be wonderful to uh to think That we’re gonna any restaurant that you Go into in the whole of the uk will have Some english and welsh wines to start With um we’re gonna have uh world-class Uh uh wines red white rose still and Sparkling um and we’re gonna have a Wonderful uh sustainable um modern and Uh and uh high class high quality
Industry um what production will look Like uh in terms of size in 30 years who Knows um it’s on quite a fast growth Trajectory at the moment so so we uh if We’re at the moment we’re about a ninth Nine uh ninth of the the size of Champagne in terms of our vineyards who Knows where that might be in that time But it’ll be uh a fascinating journey Once we get there i think And i see natalie’s arrived up so that Means we’re over time I’m gonna have to wrap it up guys but It’s been absolutely fantastic and i Want to thank you all For your time and i hope all the viewers Enjoyed it um just a reminder that we’re Actually going to be publishing this on Our youtube channel and anybody that has Signed up will also be emailed a copy of The event To find out more about publicity Qualifications um please do have a look At our where to study page so that’s wst Global dot com forward slash where to Study and you can zoom in uh wherever You are around the world to find your le Your closest uh approved program Provider Um there was a little chat that came up Actually saying that norwegians are very Well trained to sell wines and that Might be one of the reasons why We’re very happy to train the rest of
The world up to sell wines as well Um so thank you very much everyone for Attending and uh have a good evening