Waitrose exports English sparkling wines to China

Upmarket UK supermarket Waitrose has started exporting English sparkling wines to China.

The retailer is selling four wines – two white and two rosés – through an online marketplace, the Royal Mail store on Tmall, which is operated by the Chinese e-commerce retailer, Alibaba Group.

The four wines, from Ridgeview in Sussex, Wiston Estate in West Sussex, Camel Valley in Cornwall and Waitrose’s own vineyard on the Leckford Estate Brut, will be available from Wednesday 12 April.

Waitrose is one of the largest stockers of English and Welsh wine, with a range of around 45 wines, including those in local and regional distribution or online. It has seen sales of English sparkling rise 52.6% year-on-year, with one in every ten bottles of fizz sold over Christmas hailing from England or Wales.

Waitrose English and Welsh wine buyer Becky Hull MW said it was well-known that Western wines were increasing in popularity in China. “This range of English wines represents an important and innovative part of the British food and drink industry,” she said.

Julia Trustram Eve from marketing body English Wine Producers described it as “a fantastic step forward in showing international consumers what high quality wines are produced over here”.

“Waitrose has chosen a great line up of wines that will be true ambassadors for British food and drink,” she said. “I’m sure this great Waitrose initiative will encourage more visitors from China to explore our wines and vineyards further.”

According to Defra minister Andrea Leadsom, the number of countries enjoying English wine has increased by around third last year, and the UK was on track to deliver a 10-fold increase in exports.

“Britain is a great, global, trading nation and it’s fantastic Waitrose are now supplying some of our finest home-grown ranges to China,” she said. “We could soon see wine produced on the Sussex Downs on supermarket shelves around the world.”