The 2014 vintage of Queen Elizabeth II's English sparkling wine is already available for pre-order after the 2013 crop of wines sold out quickly before Christmas - but it won't be released until this autumn.
Next vintage for Queen’s English wine
The 2013 vintage was sold only as a three bottle set, costing £75, and released in time for Christmas. It quickly sold out, according to merchants.
The Windsor Vineyard 2014 vintage is due to be released this autumn, at £35 for an individual bottle, and can already be pre-ordered.
Fewer than 2,000 bottles were available for the first vintage, but volumes have not been confirmed for 2014.
The fast sales of the 2013 vintage echo strong momentum for English sparkling wine as a whole over the Christmas and New Year period.
The sparkling wine is made from the traditional Champagne varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier – which were grown on the Windsor Great Park estate.
The wine was then made at Ridgeview, in Sussex, and is managed by Laithwaite’s Wine.
Laithwaite’s was given permission in 2011, by The Crown Estate and Royal Farms, to plant a vineyard in Windsor Great Park, reviving an almost 1000 year tradition of grape growing there, Laithwaite’s told Decanter.com.
Prince Charles is the head of the Great Park estate and has been very involved with the project, according to Laithwaite’s.
David Thatcher, CEO of Laithwaite’s Wine said, ‘We are delighted to be working with the vineyard to revive their once great tradition, and are equally pleased that it has proved so popular amongst our customers. We look forward to releasing the second vintage later this year.’
The Queen and English wine
The Queen has previously served Ridgeview wines at state occasions, including at the banquet dinner for Xi Jinping at Bunckingham Palace, and to US President Barack Obama in 2011.
Ridgeview was also named as the official wine of Downing Street in 2016.
Last year, English sparkling Gusbourne, Blanc de Blancs 2007 was served at the royal banquet for the Colombian president.
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