Supermarket chain Waitrose is to produce its own English sparkling wine in an attempt to help satisfy the increasing demand for locally sourced wine .
The upmarket retailer said the move – the first of its kind for a UK retailer – will involve planting vines in its 4,000 acre farm in Hampshire as a source for the wine .
The wine produced from the Waitrose vineyards is expected to go on sale in Waitrose stores in 2014, labelled English Fizz.
“Our customers are really enthusiastic about English wines,” commented wine buyer Justin Howard-Sneyd.
“In addition to the sparkling wine, the vineyard also provides an opportunity to connect our wine specialists to the production cycle of the vineyard and enhance their education about how wine is made,” he added.
The move follows an announcement by the grocer of a 6.8 per cent rise in total sales to just under £4 billion, with like-for-like sales (excluding petrol) climbing 3.6 per cent.
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