English sparkling producer Langham reveals large-scale expansion plans

The Dorset sparkling wine estate has announced bold plans to expand its vineyard area by 184% to keep up with the growing demand for English sparkling wine.

Langham Wine Estate has revealed detailed expansion plans, thought to be costing in the region of £500,000. The winery’s growth will involve new vines – predominantly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – being planted in its Crawthorne vineyard, which will see its area under vine swell from around 12 hectares to 34 hectares.

The additional plantings, due to take place in May, will boost the winery’s production by 200% from 50,000 to 150,000 bottles per year.

According to owner Justin Langham, the expansion is necessary because the winery is continually “selling out of wine”.

“Demand is steadily increasing and at times we have had to ration how much wine people can buy,” he said. “It is highly likely we will be doing this again in the near future”.

Langham, who started the business from scratch with its first planting 13 years ago, admits that the expansion is also something of a “personal challenge”, revealing that the winery has “exceeded my highest expectations in almost every respect. It’s this success that has allowed us to plant another 22 hectares of vines.”

The first harvest from the new plantings is expected to be vintage 2024 or 2025, and the wine is anticipated to hit shelves by 2026/27.

According to Langham, there is no danger of the wine estate resting on its laurels after this point, teasing that still “further expansion is planned for the winery in the future.”

In line with the major expansion, Langham Wine Estate is also looking to grow its vineyard team.