Britain’s biggest winemaker is having a record-breaking year as chief executive James Pennefather sticks to his bold target of capturing 1 per cent of the global Champagne market by 2035.
Chapel Down, Britain’s largest winemaker, has sold more than a million bottles of English sparkling wine in a single year for the first time, a turning point in its bid to capture 1 percent of the global Champagne market by 2035.
The Kent-based producer, listed on London’s Junior Aim Stock Exchange and backed by Alresford billionaire Lord Spencer, said the supply of one million bottles represents about 0.4 per cent of the global champagne market share. James Pennefather, who took the helm as chief executive last year, expects that figure to rise to 0.7 percent by the end of the decade.
Pennefather said the company’s long-term ambitions were anchored in the available space in its native Kent. “We certainly have opportunities to get there quicker, but it also depends a little bit on what happens with the broader Champagne market,” he said.
While champagne was historically reserved for formal celebrations, Pennefather argued that English sparkling wine was redefining the boundaries of the category. “One of the real strengths of Chapel Down and English sparkling wine is that we have increased the number of occasions when people drink high quality sparkling wines,” he said. “This makes us confident that we will also expand the category as a whole.”
The company farms more than 1,000 hectares of vineyards in the south east of England and produces both still and sparkling wines. The growing brand profile has been strengthened through partnerships with Ascot, The Boat Race and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Results for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025 illustrate the appetite for homemade fizz. Group sales rose 19 per cent to £19.4 million, driven largely by a 38 per cent increase in off-trade sales through supermarkets to £9.4 million, driven by a 5 per cent increase in offers.
Bricks-and-mortar sales, which flow through pubs, bars and restaurants, rose slightly by 5 percent to £2.6 million, helped by new customer wins. International sales rose 49 percent to £1 million, driven by the company’s collaboration with Jackson Family Wines in the United States and increased exposure at UK airports and St Pancras International train station.
The performance brought Chapel Down back into profit, with a pre-tax profit of £469,000, compared to a loss of £1.4 million the previous year. Buoyed by a strong start to 2026, the board reiterated guidance for net sales of £22.1m, in line with City consensus.
Pennefather acknowledged that the Iran conflict is a point of observation for the company, although the Middle East only accounts for a “small” portion of revenue. “We have not seen an immediate impact,” he said, “but continued increases in fuel costs could impact profitability.”
Elsewhere, investors raised a glass to Carlsberg after the Danish brewer posted its first quarterly volume increase in a year, helped by its push into soft drinks. The world’s third-largest brewery, which counts Kronenbourg, Skol and Somersby ciders among its inventory, reported a 2.8 percent increase in total organic volumes in the first quarter, with growth seen in all regions. Soft drinks sales rose 10 per cent, thanks in part to the £3.3bn acquisition of Britvic, while beer sales rose 0.4 per cent.
