Shaun Parry-Jones speaks with James Hawkins about Hawkins Bros’ contribution to the success of English wine.
WineGB has recently released some very promising figures relating to the 2023 vintage. It seems that it has been a stellar year, with an estimate of 21½ million bottles anticipated. 76% of the wine made will be sparkling and 23% still wines red, rose or white. The estimate is a huge increase on what had been regarded as an extraordinary vintage. The year was 2018 and about 13.1 million bottles had been made. The bare figures are that, for the first time in history, there are in excess of 1000 vineyards (1003) and 221 wineries in the UK. The increase in sales of English wine since 2018 is staggering. The sale of sparkling wine up by 187%, from 2.2 million bottles in 2018 to 6.2 million bottles in 2023. The figures for still wine are no less impressive from 1.2 million bottles in 2018 up to 2.6 million bottles in 2023, an increase of 117%.
In August 2015 a company was formed and Hawkins Bros was born.
With such positive news on the day after the 2024 General Election and a mere week after English Wine Week I went to speak to James Hawkins of Hawkins Bros. Hawkins Bros sell English Wine and English Wine only. We started at the beginning, the history of Hawkins Bros. James was living in Tillington, Sussex where a neighbour was considering planting a vineyard. Soil samples were taken and it was deemed that the soil was good enough to grow Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. James helped with the process and about five years later he tried the first vintage of Upperton Vineyard Blanc de Blanc which won a gold award at Decanter Magazine. James was bowled over by the quality of the wine and could see that English Wine had a very healthy future. For a period, he worked for the Exceptional English Wine Company at Cowdrey Park but decided that he wanted to plough his own furrow. In August 2015 a company was formed and Hawkins Bros was born. James clearly had foresight and confidence in a very fledgling industry. The 2012 vintage had only gleaned one million bottles but James was clearly onto something as the 2018 vintage excelled, yields were up and 13 million bottles were produced.
James explained that he went to numerous WineGB tastings and soon knew that there was considerable quality amongst English Wine producers. In 2018 James was stocking the wines of about 33 producers, today it is in excess of 80 producers from all over England and Wales. The role of a company like Hawkins Bros has changed somewhat. Quite a number of the producers that used to come to the shop to encourage people to try their wines now have their own cellar door outlet and so for those that are well established there is less need for such an active role with Hawkins Bros. The recent WineGB report suggests that about 17% of sales are conducted at the cellar door of vineyards. Whilst a core selection of popular wines are stocked, this allows James to find and showcase new producers and to keep the stock rotating in order to keep customers interest. James often receives samples from new vineyards who haven’t yet developed their own marketing strategy.
It is always exciting to find new producers and try new wines.
Hawkins Bros benefited from the recent English Wines week. James explained that WineGB had done a very good job of promoting the week and a number of producers were available to provide customers with the story of their particular wine. Sales were up and producers, old and new, reaped the benefit of having their wines displayed at Hawkins Bros. James explained that one particular vineyard that comes to mind, at which he recently had a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable tasting, is Candover Brook in Hampshire. The vineyard was planted in 2012 and the wine is made by Felix Gabillet at Hambledon vineyard. James said that it is always exciting to find new producers and try new wines.
English wine is regarded highly by those in the industry, journalists and commentators and it has also had considerable interest from overseas investors. Tattinger has developed Domain Evremond in Kent, Frexinet have taken over Bolney Vineyard in Sussex and Pommery, based in Hampshire, don’t hide behind an English name, they simply call their wine Louis Pommery, England. Closer to home, Hambledon vineyard has recently been bought by Berry Bros & Rudd in conjunction with the Symington Family. The Jackson Family from the USA are developing vineyards in Essex. It seems that the confidence that James showed back in 2015 is mirrored by other investors from other winegrowing regions around the world.
All of the ingredients are there to produce a quality product.
The reasons for this interest are that the Champagne region has a climate 1°C warmer than 30 or 40 years ago and in order to retain acidity in the grapes, later ripening clones are being planted. The flipside to that is that the UK currently has, broadly, the climate that Champagne benefited from 30 or 40 years ago. The geology, soil and climate are conducive to growing excellent quality wine grapes and there is now a constant inflow of expertise. All of the ingredients are there to produce a quality product.
When asked what advice James would give to the incoming government, after all it is the first day of a new government, he smiled and said it was unlikely that there would be any support for the industry but that there should be tax breaks for an industry that is developing so quickly. The growth of the industry should not be cut off in its prime and it should be encouraged. James felt that the Welsh government had been far more supportive of the industry in Wales than was currently the situation in England. We wait to see what the new Labour government offer by way of support of the industry.
Oz Clarke said it just isn’t possible to make cheap wine in the UK and that sentiment was mirrored by James.
One of the big issues that the industry is confronted with is buying equipment from the continent. A lot of the machinery, paper, foil, chemicals, bottles and vines come from Europe. Brexit has done very little to help wine producers and James estimates that it has probably increased a bottle of English wine in the UK by between 25% and 30%. However, James feels that sparkling wine made in England is now really quite affordable. Price is a constant problem. As Oz Clarke said it just isn’t possible to make cheap wine in the UK and that sentiment was mirrored by James.
James explained that many vineyards have a very loyal following. Local people are proud of what their local vineyards are doing and it is James’s job to broaden that interest and showcase new and interesting wines. It is a form of competition but anything promoting English Wine and bringing it to the attention of the public has to be a good thing.
So, 2023 was a remarkable year, what about 2024? The weather this growing season hasn’t been particularly good so far. It has been damp, it has been warm and whilst there is a lot of growth on the vines, that can be seen as you travel around the vineyards locally, there is a danger of slugs and disease pressure. It doesn’t take many days of sunshine and warm weather to create a more optimistic atmosphere. There is a long way to go and no one is counting any chickens yet but it is hoped that the good news continues.
‘What should we call English Sparkling Wine?’
One discussion that crops up on a very regular basis is ‘what should we call English Sparkling Wine?’. The producers of the Champagne region have done an extraordinary job in promoting their product over the years. Italy have done the same with Prosecco and the discussion regarding an overall name for English Sparkling Wine has always been a lively one. “I like the name ‘Merret’ after Sir Christopher Merret” James explained “who produced a paper on creating sparkling drinks, starting with apples and moving on to grapes, by adding more sugar when bottling. The paper was delivered to the Royal Society and so he was the originator of sparkling wine and we should give him the credit”.
Finally, what are your views on the PDO of Sussex? “I don’t like rules, particularly for such a young industry. A lot of young winemakers are keen to come here because there are no particularly restrictive rules. Perhaps, one day, when the industry is well established and has grown, some rules could be introduced but to put restrictions on producers at such an early stage is, I think, unhelpful”.
When James and Simon started Hawkins Bros, it was at a time when the success of English Wine was in the balance. The recent report from WineGB has shown that the industry is moving in the right direction and it is, indeed, proving to be a great success. Over the past 50 years, numerous people have devoted time, energy and financial resources to an industry that may or may not have proved to be successful. Those people should be thanked and their contribution acknowledged as we all celebrate English Wine.
James and Simon had the foresight and insight to confidently back English Wine success and we should all be very grateful to them for their contribution in promoting the newest of New World Wines.
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