Praise be to English Wines Group and several multiple retailers in the UK for having the common sense not to discount sparkling English wines during the recession.
By maintaining price points when all around were losing theirs, English Wines Group has protected the reputation and value of its wines through one of the worst economic periods the UK has known for a generation.
Discounting on wine during 2009 was fierce in the UK as retailers and producers competed for cash-strapped consumers. Gallo’s EMEA head, George Marsden, recently christened 2009 as “the year of three bottles for GBP10”.
In Champagne, almost half of the price growth of the last decade in the UK was eroded during a few tough months in 2009 – leaving the industry frustrated at having potentially lost years of hard work on value.