Biggest Wine Importer of 2007 United Kingdom
New Vinexpo Figures Report on Wine and Spirits Drinking in Britain
Jan 14, 2009
British drinkers are buying imported wine from Australia more than French and American wines in the 1.6bn bottles of wine imports sold in the UK according to latest figures from Vinexpo. On average, a British drinker consumed 28.3 litres of wine in 2007 which may be reduced in 2008 and 2009 by the concerns about the economic downturn.
Australian Wine Popular in the UK
Wine drinkers in the UK are increasingly buying their bottles of wine from Australia. Four Australian states, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria produce the wines commonly found in supermarket wine aisles, Australian/New Zealand wine box selections available from independent wine merchants, wine warehouses, bottle shops and in wine sales in British pubs and restaurants:
- Hunter Valley, Mudgee and Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area & Riverina in New South Wales
- Barossa Valley, Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills, Clare & Watervale, Coonawarra, Padthaway & Keppoch, McLaren Vale and Riverland in South Australia
- Margaret River, Mount Barker & Frankland River and Swan Valley in Western Australia
- Rutherglen, Glenrowan& Milawa, Goulburn Valley, Yarra Valley, Pyrenees, Great Western and Mildura in Victoria
Imported Australian wines consumed by British drinkers are produced from grapes grown in these different states and different regions within the states of Australia blended or as single. Leith’s Guide to Wine, published by Bloomsbury, reports that the premium grape varieties in Australian wine are “Shiraz and Cabernet-Sauvignon for red wine and Rhine Riesling, Semillon, Chardonnay and Muscat for white wine. There are also smaller plantings of Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec, Grenache and Cinsault among the red varieties and Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Verdelho and Marsanne for white wine”.
Buying French Wine in the UK
Wine drinkers in France reportedly consumed 58.8 litres of wine, on average, in 2007 according to Vinexpo. British drinkers drink less wine than their French counterparts and choose imported French wine more often than American wine. Champagne, Alsace, The Loire Valley and Burgundy produce wine imported to the UK, squaffable to British drinker. Promotions around seasonal celebrations such as Valentine’s Day, Graduations, Christmas and New Year boost sales of Champagne, Chablis, Sancerre, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Bordeaux.
British Drinkers and Imported US Wine
British wine drinkers continue to buy the premium red wines from US, produced from Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir and white from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. Californian wine has been showcased for the past two decades in the UK. Most British wine drinkers will be familiar with Zinfandel, which Leith’s Guide to Wine says is “regarded as California’s own grape”.
Latest figures from Vinexpo, who organise a large-scale wine and spirits convention, suggest that in 2007 British drinkers consumed imported wine from Australia and France over and above US red wine and US white wine.
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