Special relationship: Americans snub champagne in favour of English fizz Hospitality Americans are flocking to English wine and snubbing champagne, the boss of England’s biggest winemaker has said. Kent-based Chapel Down said consumers across the Atlantic are fuelling record demand for English sparkling wine, as the AIM-listed firm bets big on the US market. Chief executive James Pennefather told City PM: “Americans are really embracing Chapel [...]
Warm dry summer expected to produce top vintage for UK wines Retail English wine producers are expecting a top quality 2025 vintage after “optimal” weather conditions for many winemakers this summer. Comparisons have already been drawn to the record-breaking harvest of 2018, which provided outstanding grape ripeness and yields. Cherie Spriggs, head winemaker at Nyetimber said she was “quietly optimistic” about this year’s harvest. “2025 is definitely [...]
Nyetimber: English sparkling wine group aims to build a global brand Wine Rupert Hargreaves speaks to Eric Heerema, the boss of English sparkling wine group Nyetimber, about the group’s plans to build a global luxury group. English sparkling wine has managed to carve out a unique niche for itself in the drinks market. According to industry reports, the category has grown by 30 per cent since 2020, [...]
Chapel Down expands into America with distribution deal April 3, 2025 Chapel Down has announced a new agreement with Jackson Family Wines for the distribution of its sparkling wine in the USA. It is unclear how the deal will be affected by Trump’s 10 per cent tariff on all goods going into America. The distribution agreement for wine in the USA – Chapel Down’s “largest potential export [...]
Alcohol-shy Gen Z and erratic weather hits global vineyards March 5, 2025 Changing tastes and a hotter climate have made the future of global vineyards uncertain and unpredictable, according to a new report. With global wine consumption down 12 per cent from its 2007 peak and erratic weather making many sites untenable, few vineyards remain unscathed, according to Knight Frank’s annual wealth report. In France, “only about [...]
Billionaire ex-Tory treasurer ups Chapel Down stake after shares collapse February 24, 2025 The billionaire founder of city brokerage ICAP, Lord Michael Spencer, has upped his stake in English wine maker Chapel Down. The former treasurer of the Conservative party serves as a non-executive director of the Kent-headquartered company and now holds a 27.3 per cent stake. The increase comes after Lord Spencer bought 50,000 ordinary shares at [...]
Chapel Down: Off-trade issues pull England’s biggest winemaker down January 23, 2025 Sales at England’s biggest winemaker, Chapel Down, fell in 2024 due to “one-off” issues in the first half of the year, but the company has still reported net sales revenue in line with guidance. Chapel Down’s share price rose more than two per cent in early trades. Sales of sparkling wine, which accounts for more [...]
Chapel Down: Winemaker toasts new CEO as finance chief resigns December 13, 2024 Chapel Down has named James Pennefather as its new chief executive while its finance head has resigned after a challenging year for England’s biggest winemaker. The London-listed firm said on Friday that Pennefather will take up the CEO post on 1 February, replacing Andrew Carter – who resigned in September as the firm reported a [...]
Chapel Down: Half-year profit almost wiped out as wine maker blames ‘one-off factors’ September 4, 2024 English wine producer Chapel Down has blamed ‘one-off factors’ for its pre-tax profit almost being wiped out during the first half of its financial year. The Kent-headquartered company, which is listed on AIM, said the fall from £2.4m to £40,000 in the in the six months ended 30 June was due to a ‘difficult macroeconomic environment’, [...]
Blast of the summer wine: English producers benefit from warmer climate August 5, 2024 The renaissance of English wine shows no sign of stopping in 2024 as increasing temperatures create better growing conditions in the south of the country. Turnover at the biggest producers of English wine has risen by 15 per cent in the last year and nearly three-fold in the past five years, according to accountancy group [...]
