Daniel Blatchford: The South of England’s long love affair with Grower Champagne

The French and English have a long-disputed history when it comes to Champagne. Dom Pierre Pérignon, a French monk is believed to be the ‘inventor’ of the process which gives the wine its sparkle, but England also has a counterclaim with Christopher Merrett, a scientist born in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, who was the first to document the deliberate addition of sugar to produce fizz around 30 years earlier.

Over the centuries we have had a long tradition of importing French Champagne, but now major French houses, such as Tattinger and Pommery, have bought and planted vineyards this side of the Channel, whilst English producers such as Chapel Down, Nyetimber, Gusbourne and Simpsons Wine Estate are creating their own exciting sparkling wines. The UK’s long-standing love affair with sparkling wine endures!

However, recently there has been a global consumer reaction against the dominance of the big wine houses, with consumers moving towards buying from independent Champagne growers to support small-scale artisan champagne production.

Large companies like Mumm, Moët et Chandon, and Veuve Clicquot dominate the market (you’ll see little else lining the shelves at your local supermarket) and, as they typically blend their non-vintage champagne from some 80-plus vineyards to create a consistent house style, the result is a very homogenous profile. This leads many consumers to believe champagne is all very similar.

That was part of the reason my business partner, Peter Crawford, and I founded Sip Champagnes almost three years ago. One establishment we work with is The Victoria, a 3 AA Rosette British pub in the heart of Oxshott, Surrey, which has recently added grower Champagne from Sip to their wine list. Co-owner Simon King, says, “For us, wine is an integral part of the gastronomic experience here and Champagne will always be an important element. What many people don’t realise is just how well Champagne can pair with food. We work with a number of producers from Sip and each brings something unique. It’s great to offer our customers so many new names alongside established Maisons.”

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We wanted to show just how diverse and varied Champagne can be. Our approach is to deal directly with small French producers who previously had no supply chain and, consequently, no access to high-end restaurants, bars, hotels and UK consumers in general. We started selling direct to customers online, offering individual bottles alongside curated cases and a monthly subscription service but, in the past 18 months, we have focussed on establishing B2B business.  

Consumer perception of quality remains stronger for Champagne than for any other sparkling wine category and, despite a wider industry decline, champagne lovers in the UK are still willing to pay a premium for artisan, small-batch and handcrafted Champagnes that you can’t buy anywhere else in the country.

It’s a trend that is also mirrored beyond the UK borders, with the USA and East Asia both showing huge demand for artisan Champagne. With this in mind and Brexit proving ever-challenging, we have taken steps to broaden their horizons beyond the UK.

The instability and shifting sands of Brexit have beleaguered us since inception and, whilst we always had plans to build our business beyond the United Kingdom, we accelerated this expansion, recently setting up a French subsidiary to allow us to ship directly to other territories.

Peter and I wholeheartedly believe in each and every Champagne and producer we work with, but encouraging consumers to buy a brand they’ve never heard of is not always easy. Getting our Champagne recognised by the UK’s best sommeliers and, ultimately, sat alongside the likes of Dom Perignon and Roederer Cristal on a wine list helps build confidence in these new names. Our initial focus was London and Edinburgh, but we’re continuing to push into other affluent regions, notably the South East commuter belt.

Daniel Blatchford, co-founder of online specialist retailer, Sip Champagnes