South East wine sector set for welcome boost under UK government plans to scrap EU red tape

Government plans to scrap EU red tape concerning the UK wine industry are poised to cause welcome cheer to the rapidly growing sector in the South East.

The planned reforms, which are set to go under consultation shortly, concern the production and marketing of wine and will boost the UK wine industry by £180 million, according to Whitehall.

Changes include allowing makers to pick from a wider range of vines, including more disease resistant varieties, removing expensive packaging requirements, and allowing bottlers to turn imported wine into sparkling wine.

"These reforms will put a rocket under our wine makers’ businesses – growing the economy, creating jobs and supporting a vital part of our food and drink sector," said Thérèse Coffey, the Food and Drink Secretary.

"The UK has over 800 thriving vineyards at home and hundreds of millions of pounds worth of wine trade going through UK ports every year. But for too long our producers have been held back by cumbersome inherited EU regulations."

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch added: "Needless red tape stifles innovation and growth. Now we have taken back control of our laws, we can ensure they work in the best interests of our businesses."

Miles Beale, CEO of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: "We welcome the range of measures proposed today, many of which we have proposed publicly. By introducing greater flexibility, wine producers and importers won’t be forced to do anything differently but will be able to innovate."

Notably, the government said that allowing businesses bringing bulk wine into Great Britain to be able to blend, will benefit importers, bottlers - and ultimately consumers.

It added that labeling changes will allow a common back label to be used in both EU and UK markets, maintaining the UK as an attractive market for all producers - large and small.

The South East wine industry has seen exponential growth in recent years with vineyards being developed across the region - attracting millions of pounds of investment. Meanwhile, smaller boutique developments are also springing up, bringing fresh ideas and innovation to the sector and the local economy.

Chapel Down in Kent, for example, was established in 2000 and is now the largest producer of English wine, selling 1.5 million bottles in 2021. It is planning to relocate operations to near Canterbury in a project expected to cost between £20 million and £30 million.

Elsewhere, Hambledon Vineyard in Hampshire, established in 1952, is England's oldest commercial vineyard and is poised to open a new visitor centre in 2023.

The vineyard now comprises more than 80 hectares of vineyards, 75 per cent of which were planted just five years ago.

Last January, Freixenet Copestick acquired the Sussex-based Bolney wine estate for an undisclosed sum. The estate produces between 250,000 and 300,000 bottles of traditional method English sparkling and still wines a year.

The government reforms also include a wine certification scheme, which will allow any wine to show a variety and vintage without having to apply for the right to do so, reducing bureaucracy and cost for producers and enable new products to reach shelves more quickly.

They will also permit the production and marketing of low and no alcohol wines, which the government says, means more flexibility for domestic producers and greater choice for consumers.