NEWS
Glass bottles excluded from Deposit Return Scheme DEFRA has announced that it will not be including glass bottles in the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for England and Northern Ireland. As part of DEFRA’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging consultation summary, the department said some responses raised concerns over glass. Wine and Spirit Trade Association chief executive Miles Beale said: “We are pleased that DEFRA has listened to industry concerns about the inclusion of glass and has announced that glass containers will not be part of any future DRS scheme in England or Northern Ireland. From the outset, the WSTA has argued – often as a lone voice - that the best way to increase glass recycling rates is to improve kerbside collection, rather than introduce a completely new regime. “There are fundamental challenges to including glass within DRS, such as the collection process, increased emissions, handling costs, equipment complexity, loss of storage space for retailers, reduced quality of clear glass, as well as health and safety concerns. DEFRA has listened and should be congratulated for recognising and taking on board those concerns.
“It is disappointing that not all nations of the UK share this same approach of evidence-based policy making. The consequence of Scotland and Wales taking different approaches will make it harder for businesses to trade across the UK. Currently it looks very likely that the UK
will see the introduction of three different DRS systems, each requiring different labels, stock separation and far greater administration. This will inevitably mean increased costs for producers and consumers and potentially reduced consumer choice,” said Miles Beale.
Norwegians love English fizz
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Norway now buys about half of all English wine exports, and sales in the country have tripled since 2018. Sweden is the second largest international market for English wine, Finland is fifth and Denmark is seventh, according to a story in The Times back in March. WinesGB said exports increased by 20% in 2021, compared with 2020, partly due to the huge demand from Norway. Fredrik Medhus, a partner at the Oslo Wine Agency, Norway’s fourth biggest importer, said: “Sales of English wines have grown every month for years and are still increasing. “Norwegians are very open to trying new things. The main thing is that the quality is there. We’ve always been a top market for Chablis and German Rieslings. We love and understand cool-climate wines with high acidity.” Except for alcohol bought in bars and restaurants, wine in Norway is sold exclusively by Vinmonopolet, the government-owned chain of off-licences, with supermarkets banned from doing so. The off-licences are not open on Sundays or after 6pm on weekdays and 4pm on Saturdays to limit the availability of alcohol. Wine can be bought online but only through Vinmonopolet, and it is delivered to a local off-licence or post office for collection. The tasting panel at Vinmonopolet approves of English grapes. The stores sell 164 English wines. The bestselling sparkling varieties Hattingley Valley and Nyetimber, from southern England, replaced two French champagnes on its core wine list recently.
From April, there will be a dedicated English wine section of high-end bottles in selected stores around Norway, with prices ranging from £30 to £110. Halvor Bing Lorentzen, the director of social responsibility at Vinmonopolet, said: “Norwegians have become aware of the quality of English sparkling wines. It helps that prices aren’t frighteningly high. They have been compared favourably to Champagne by wine writers here.” Nora Paynter Gundersen, the head of product at Flott Gjort, which works with restaurants in Oslo, and a former wine importer, said: “English sparkling wines sell for about the same price as the non-vintage champagnes. Drinkers are quite picky at that high price point, but are ready to buy UK wines because they fit the palate of the Norwegian food style.” As well as Nordic countries, Japan, America, Hong Kong, China, Germany and Switzerland were among the biggest importers of English wine last year. Scotland and Wales produce wine but none is yet exported, according to WineGB. WineGB chairman, Simon Thorpe, said: “We are the new kids on the block and we tend to be most popular in countries that are interested in trying new things but which will pay for quality as well.” Understandably, it has been harder to sell English wine to the French, Spanish and Italians – although not impossible. Nyetimber, England’s largest producer of sparkling wine, now sells to restaurants in Cannes and even Paris, less than 100 miles from the Champagne region.
