Now you can paint the town ‘English sparkling’

UK wine merchant Laithwaites has teamed up with colour institute Pantone to create a bespoke shade called ‘English sparkling’ to mark the growing success of the category.

From today, ‘English Sparkling’ will be available as a Valspar® paint shade, sold at B&Q stores nationwide, with the shade developed by the Pantone Color Institute in partnership with Laithwaite’s Wine – challenging both the Burgundy and Champagne palettes.

“Just as Burgundy and Champagne are very well known terms for colours it’s now time for quality English sparkling wine to take centre stage,” said David Thatcher, CEO of Laithwaite’s Wine.

“Creating an official colour is a great way of acknowledging the ever-growing popularity of the English wine industry around the world. Barbara Laithwaite’s Wyfold Vineyard Brut has long been a front-runner in the category, so it was the perfect fizz to inspire the definitive colour – and feels far more Spring-like than painting the town red.”

The natural off-white shade is described as “subtle and stylishly elegant” and takes its cues from the “soft and natural creamy hues” of English sparkling wine, specifically Wyfold Vineyard Brut by Barbara Laithwaite, with the intention of conveying “freshness and modernity”, a release announcing its launch stated.

“As a universal language, colour is a great way to communicate worldwide,” added Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, which co-ordinates a globally consistent database of colours.

“We are honoured to be involved in the creation of this new unique off white shade, Laithwaite’s Wine English Sparkling. A colour of its time, the tastefully elegant Laithwaite’s English sparkling recognizes and symbolizes the growing prominence of the English wine industry.”

To celebrate the launch of the new colour and the bottle which inspired it, Laithwaite’s is running a 10% discount on all cases of its Wyfold Vineyard 2013.