“The English sparkling wine world needs to keep its usual English freedom, with a great entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to take initiative,” he told the drinks business. Pierlot, who is also director of Pommery’s English venture at Pinglestone Estate, added: “There is a place for English sparkling but there is also a need to organise the English sparkling world.”įor Julien Lonneux, CEO, Vranken-Pommery UK, the answer to this ‘organisation’ does not lie in regulating English fizz. Louis Pommery England retails at around £26-£33, compared with Vranken-Pommery’s flagship non-vintage Champagne, Pommery Brut Royal, which commands up to £40 per bottle. The house’s position is reflected in its pricing strategy. “It’s not justifiable for an English sparkling wine to cost as much as, or more than, a bottle of Champagne, with its 300 years’ history and its reserves.” “For us, English sparkling must sit below Champagne,” Clément Pierlot, chef de cave, Champagne Pommery, told the drinks business. However, the two categories – Champagne and English sparkling – remain distinctly different propositions for the Pommery team. The acquiring of English land has proved to be a smart move for the Champagne house so much so that on 13 July 2022, Vranken-Pommery applied for permission to build its own winemaking facility, a move which would enable its operations to become fully self-sufficient, rather than having to craft its English sparkling from the neighbouring cuverie at Hattingley Valley Wines as is presently the case.
Pommery’s long and storied history with Champagne dates back to 1836, but it was more recently, in 2016, that it entered one of its newest chapters when parent group Vranken-Pommery planted 40 hectares of vineyard in Hampshire, facilitating the French producer’s entrance onto the English sparkling scene.įor the last few years, Vranken-Pommery has been getting to grips with England’s terroir and perfecting its Louis Pommery England sparkler, which sells via Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Majestic, Slurp and others. However, the fine fizz maker says Champagne is still “top dog”.
Vranken-Pommery has lodged an official application to build its own winemaking facility in Hampshire.
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