English winery invests £2m to meet demand

Two English wine estates have secured bank loans to expand this year as they attempt to meet growing demand.

Gusbourne Plc has secured a £2m loan to expand operations

According to ukvine this morning, Barclays bank is supporting two major wine investments in England, one for Halfpenny Green Vineyards, based near Kinver in Staffordshire, and the other for Gusbourne Estate at Appledore in Kent.

Gusbourne Plc has secured a £2m Barclays loan through the Funding for Lending Scheme to help further expand both the vineyard area and winery capacity at Gusbourne Estate.

Meanwhile, Halfpenny Green Vineyards has borrowed from Barclays to enlarge its winery, build a private dining area, and double the size of its farm shop.

In 2013, Halfpenny produced 80,000 bottles of its own wine and an additional 120,000 bottles for other growers, according to ukvine.

The website also revealed the results of a reader poll on the most admired individual in the English and Welsh wine industry, with Peter Hall of Breaky Bottom receiving the most nominations.

Dermot Sugrue, winemaker at Wiston Estate Winery said of Peter: “He is a true pioneer of English wine, an indefatigable champion of Seyval Blanc and in my mind the undisputed master of making elegant, expressive and utterly delicious sparkling wines on chalk in the UK.”

Concluding he wrote, “He is the Johnny Cash of English Wine.”

Peter Hall is the Johnny Cash of English Wine.
Photo source: sparklingenglishwine.com