Nyetimber has reported a major spike in demand for rosé in 2020 from their south east England vineyards, despite the loss of social drinking occasions often associated with pink wines.
Consumer demand for Nyetimber’s sparkling rosé wines exceeded all expectations, the estate said.
In line with increased sales at UK supermarkets and specialist wine merchants in 2020, combined on and off-trade sales of Nyetimber Rosé Multi-Vintage (MV) increased 34% year on year, with sales up 50% in the multiples and 20% in independent retailers.
Online sales of Nyetimber Rosé MV between June and December also rose, with sales ten times what they were during the same period in 2019.
As a result, when bottling of the 2020 harvest begins in April this year, Nyetimber plans to almost double the number of Rosé MV bottles compared to the 2019 harvest.
“Despite significant challenges presented by the pandemic, Nyetimber achieved many positive milestones in the continued growth and evolution of the brand and the business [in 2020],” Eric Heerema, CEO and owner, said.
“We are particularly pleased that our sparkling rosé is fast becoming a standout iconic drink within the UK. Consumers clearly recognise the world class quality of our sparkling wines, and sales (both at home and abroad) continue to grow at a reassuring rate, which gives us confidence in the future.”
Nyetimber also saw rapid expansion last year, alongside further spikes in production and international sales
In May, Nyetimber planted 195,000 vines covering 42 hectares at a new site in Kent. Along with the replanting of 10,000 vines covering 2.5 hectares at the estate’s main vineyard in West Sussex, this will enable Nyetimber to produce on average an additional 220,000 bottles per annum when the new vines reach maturity in 2023-24.
Harvest last year also showed a marked volume increase on previous years.
In 2020, it took 13 days to harvest a record 260 hectares of Nyetimber estate-owned vineyards in West Sussex, Hampshire and Kent, which represents the largest area of harvested vines of any English Sparkling Wine producer. The crush is expected to yield one million bottles when bottling begins in April 2021.
Nyetimber produced just over one million bottles of sparkling wine in 2020 and expects production to reach two million bottles by approximately 2025.
Total exports grew more than 90% in 2020. International sales for Nyetimber nearly doubled in 2020 with acceleration in the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan in particular.
It also expects to sell two million bottles a year by 2030 which would mark a significant uplift on current levels. Nyetimber predicts the entire English Sparkling Wine industry will produce at least 20 million bottles by 2030.