Ridgeview appoints Banville as US distributor

English sparkling wine producer Ridgeview has signed a distribution deal with New York-based Banville Wine Merchants as it seeks to grow its US sales.

Ridgeview will be distributed in the US through New York-based Banville Wine Merchant

Lia Tolaini-Banville, owner of Banville Wine Merchants, noted that demand for English sparkling wine – or British fizz, as it is tentatively coming to be referred to in the US – is on the increase and that the time was right to make these wines more widely available in the country.

“Ridgeview makes for the perfect addition to our growing portfolio,” she said.

“Nestled at the foot of South Downs, this second-generation, family-owned winery is the embodiment of Banville’s philosophy: great wine from great terroir.

“US demand for English sparklers is growing, and we are proud to be part of making these great wines more widely available here.”

Ridgeview CEO Tamara Roberts added: “We couldn’t be more pleased about our partnership with Banville Wine Merchants.”

“Banville’s portfolio selection is a testament to their insistence on high-quality imports and we are happy to be among these. Their headquarters in New York allows us to build our presence in US markets where demand for English sparkling wine is greatest, while giving us the support we need to be successful in continuing to spread our efforts throughout the US.”

Ridgeview Wine Estate was founded in 1995 by the Roberts family. Its wine is served regularly at Buckingham Palace and is the official sparkling wine of No 10 Downing Street. Leading the way in export of English sparkling wine, Ridgeview can now be found in 14 countries around the world.

Banville Wine Merchants was founded in 2004 by Pier Luigi Tolaini and his daughter, Lia Tolaini. Banville is a national fine wine importer with a focus in on European imports, specifically family-owned, terroir-driven producers.

In January, the drinks business reported how one New York venue had taken to calling English sparkling wine ‘British fizz’ on its wine menu.

Bob Lindo, owner of Camel Valley, has applied for the PGI to register the terms: ‘British Fizz’, ‘British Sparkling’ and ‘Wine from Great Britain’ in collaboration with the UKVA.

However, following db‘s story, Lindo clarified that the PGI bid was “less to do with a generic name for English sparkling wine and more to do with protection, although some might start to use the term in the US where it is gaining traction”.

At a UK Vineyards Association reception and dinner in London, Bob Lindo’s son, Sam Lindo, the UKVA chairman, said he believed consumers should decide what to call English sparkling wine, rather than the trade.

Exports of English fizz reached their highest level yet in 2016, with the number of countries receiving imports increasing by a third compared with 2015.

Andrea Leadsom, the UK environment secretary she said English wine industry was on track to deliver a 10-fold increase in exports by 2020. 

Red Johnson, founder and CEO of The British Bottle Company, which was responsible for shipping the first ever full 20ft container (5,000 bottles) of English sparkling wine to the US last year, added: “2016 will be seen as the year that English Fizz earned its export wings; from a standing start in 2015 we now ship wine to almost every sophisticated global wine market.

“The wine’s premium character fits exactly with the prestige brands that people expect from Britain and the quality is now internationally proven.”