A vineyard in Dorset has reported an increase in demand from Europe for its award-winning sparkling wine.

The Langham Wine Estate near Dorchester has received orders from Swedish, Norwegian and now Italian importers.

The European market is one that Langham is 'looking to grow organically', the estate's owner says.

Justin Langham said: “We are now exporting to three markets. Sweden were the first to place an order, we now have a Norwegian importer and we have just received the first order from our Italian importer.

“Tommy our winemaker and I attended a successful wine fair in Norway last week; we are very impressed with the importer we have teamed up with and the Norwegians seem to love our wine."

The estate has also received enquiries from Belgium, Switzerland and Australia.

“It’s a market we are looking to grow organically, and there is the potential there to do it, we are just happy for them to come to us,” adds Mr Langham.

The winery currently produces between 50,000 and 60,000 bottles of English sparkling wine per year, however a further 45 acres of new vines were planted in May 2022 to keep up with the increasing demand.

Mr Langham says: “It’s good to have a toe hold in export markets now so that when we have a lot more wine to sell we can expand on that.”

The team at Langham take a 'low-intervention approach' to both grape growing and wine production and are constantly striving to minimise environmental impact and produce honest wines that reflect the terroir, Mr Langham said.

Planted in 2009, the Crawthorne vineyard spans 12 hectares planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and is located on a sheltered south facing slope 90 metres above sea level.

To keep up with the increasing demand for English sparkling wine, a further 45 acres of new vines were planted in May 2022.

The boutique winery currently produces between 50,000 and 60,000 bottles of sparkling wine per year priced from £30.95.

The Langham team were named as the International Wine & Spirits Competition’s (IWSC) Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year in November 2020 seeing off competition from more than 700 entrants including Champagne houses and Prosecco brands. Langham was also awarded Wine GB Supreme Champion in 2019.