England’s leading winemaker Chapel Down announced plans to ship 10,000 bottles of premium sparkling wine to the United States in the coming months. The first bottles of its IWSC Gold medal winning Three Graces 2010 were tasted by VIP guests in the presence of Chapel Down CEO Frazer Thompson at the residence of New York British Consul General Antonia Romeo on October 11th. Guests included representatives of landmark New York retailers, hotels and restaurants such as Morrell’s, Astor Wine, The St. Regis Hotel, The Pierre Hotel, The Fat Radish and Le Coucou among others.

Frazer comments, “America loves quality, authenticity, passion and integrity in its wines. These are values that we cherish at Chapel Down. We are here to surprise and delight our American friends with extraordinary wine that is distinctive and deliciously different. We are sure you’ll love it as much as we do and we look forward to the start of a long and exciting journey”.

The Southeast coast of England, where Chapel Down is located, is famous for the white cliffs of Dover. It is home of the same iconic chalk soil as in Champagne, France, which is located just 90 miles to the south. With rising average temperatures, the English region is now enabled to create truly exceptional sparkling wines from classic grape varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Chapel Down’s first vineyards were planted in the 1970’s; the company now owns approximately 200 acres of vineyards across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Essex.

Thanks to a traditional bottle fermentation process followed by a long aging of the wine on its lees (4.5 to 5.5 years minimum for Three Graces), Chapel Down’s sparkling wines develop complex aromas and a creamy mouthfeel, rivaling with the best champagnes. Chapel Down is the most awarded English winery. Praised by iconic chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, its wines are served at Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street and other leading British institutions, including The Royal Opera House, The London Symphony Orchestra and The Donmar Warehouse Theater. Over 50,000 visitors from all over the world, including a growing number of American wine lovers, visit Chapel Down’s winery in Tenterden, Kent each year.

“The English Sparkling Wine industry is going from strength to strength, enjoying increasing popularity and winning international acclaim,” says Antonia Romeo, British Consul General in New York. “Chapel Down demonstrate the extraordinary quality of British sparkling wine and we are delighted to be working with them as they grow their overseas footprint and enter the U.S. market. As a category, sales of English Sparkling Wine have doubled in the past five years and are expected to double again by the year 2020. We look forward to helping Chapel Down increase their presence in the U.S. market”.