Q&A: Eric Heerema, CEO and owner of the Nyetimber Group

What first drew you to invest in a relatively high-risk and undeveloped category like English sparkling wine, and did you ever doubt the long-term viability of the venture?

When I took over in 2006, there was a lot of scepticism around wine made in England, both at home and abroad. Many people just associated England with rain - they had perhaps visited Wimbledon and seen matches delayed due to rain - and they could not see how this country could produce top quality wines. This also resulted in confusion around the price point. Nyetimber wines commanded a higher price - similar to good-quality Champagne brands – and people struggled to see how this could be possible.

However, I could see the potential in Nyetimber and knew that it could produce world-class sparkling wines that could rival some of the very best in the world. Of course, I knew that this would come with challenges - the industry was very nascent, and the English climate is so unpredictable - but with enough resilience and a laser-focus on quality, we could create fantastic wines.

Over the past decade at the helm, what has been the single greatest challenge you've faced?

I would say that the greatest challenge has been overcoming scepticism and proving that we offer just as great quality, if not better, than Champagne.

We have overcome this in various ways. One of these is trial; once people try Nyetimber, they tend to be convinced of its quality. We have also entered our wines into top awards and blind tastings and have won a huge number of accolades over the years, with outstanding reviews from renowned critics. When we are awarded higher scores than the top Champagne houses, it really encourages people to take us seriously.

We have already overcome scepticism with a lot of international audiences, but there is still a big job to be done in this area to grow awareness and drive sales.

Nyetimber's recent success at the International Wine Challenge is another accolade for the UK's premier winery - what does this recognition mean to you personally, and what does it signify for the brand?

We're hugely proud to have won six medals and three trophies at this year's International Wine Challenge. Our 1086 by Nyetimber prestige cuvée wines have performed particularly well, with both 1086 by Nyetimber 2013 and 1086 by Nyetimber 2013 Rosé being awarded 96 points and a Gold medal, and the former also winning the English Classic Blend Trophy.

In your view, what is the greatest opportunity - and the greatest threat - facing the UK wine industry right now?

I believe the greatest opportunity is to continue building recognition on a global scale. Domestically, many people understand and appreciate the quality of top English sparkling wines, but in certain international markets with lower penetration, there is still some disbelief around England's potential as a winemaking country.

A potential threat is dilution of quality. It is great to see the growth of the industry, but we must be careful that this does not impact too heavily on the standards of English winemaking. Given we are still a fairly nascent winemaking country, there is still a lot at risk in terms of our reputation; and a few poor-quality wines could be damaging to the wider industry.

What would you say is the most important ingredient in building a premium, enduring brand like Nyetimber?

Perseverance. During my time at Nyetimber I have had to overcome many challenges, and it has been so important to remain resilient.

An example of this is the challenges posed by the climate. Whilst the English climate is well suited to producing sparkling wine, we still have to combat frost damage and unpredictable weather. One particularly difficult year was 2012 when we experienced one of the wettest and coldest summers on record. This resulted in a very poor harvest, which led us to choose not to harvest any grapes and therefore not make any wine.

Some of our colleagues in the industry went ahead with making wine in that year, but the quality was poor, and many had to close as a result.

Finally - Do you foresee a major expansion of Nyetimber in the near future?

In terms of production, no. In 2022 we realised that we were reaching the maximum production capacity for Nyetimber– we had enough wine ageing on lees to produce two million bottles moving forward, and we want to cap our volume there. Of course, it is always possible to make more wine, but for us everything is about prioritising quality over quantity.

However, we are expanding our exports and have had strong growth in recent years. Our tactic internationally has always been to grow strategically and with purpose. We are not chasing a quick win but are thinking long-term.

We are also growing our experiences offering. Nyetimber has a strong association with British culture and sporting events such as the Henley Royal Regatta and Queen's Tennis.