Graham Beck Launches First English Sparkling Wine From Hampshire and West Sussex Vineyards

The Graham Beck English Sparkling 2018 is the House’s first sparkling wine produced outside South Africa, bringing its winemaking expertise to the chalk-rich soils of southern England.

Produced in limited quantities from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sourced from Hampshire and West Sussex, the release is part of Graham Beck’s Artisan Collection and represents a new chapter for a brand long associated with South African Cap Classique.

For Graham Beck, the move is about more than adding another wine to its portfolio. It demonstrates how an established South African producer can take its intellectual property, production philosophy and brand credentials into an established international wine category while allowing the new product to reflect its place of origin.

From Cap Classique to English sparkling

The project began in 2016 after former Graham Beck cellarmaster and COO Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira encountered the emerging English sparkling wine category at ProWein.

Ferreira subsequently travelled through England's key wine regions with owner Antony Beck, exploring vineyards and the geology of southern England, from Kent through Sussex and Hampshire.

“When we began studying the vineyards and chalk soils of southern England, we recognised the potential immediately,” says Ferreira.

“The idea was simple: could we bring Graham Beck’s philosophy and experience in traditional-method sparkling wine to this remarkable terroir?”

The exploration developed into project #GBinGB – Graham Beck in Great Britain, with the House ultimately selecting vineyard sources in Hampshire and West Sussex.

Taking expertise into a new market

Rather than establishing its own vineyards in England, Graham Beck has worked with selected growers, sourcing individual parcels of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

The approach allows the winemaking team to focus on identifying fruit that fits the House's traditional-method style while retaining the characteristics of southern England.

The region's cool maritime climate and chalk soils provide conditions suited to sparkling wine production, producing base wines with high acidity, freshness and mineral character.

Each vineyard parcel is pressed and vinified separately before blending. A proportion of the base wine is fermented in neutral French oak to add texture and complexity, while the wine is bottled early to allow extended maturation on the lees.

The Graham Beck team has remained involved throughout the process, including vineyard selection, harvest, vinification, assemblage, tirage, ageing and disgorgement.

Building a cross-border brand proposition

The project also represents a transition in how Graham Beck can define its brand internationally.

Since its first vintage in 1991, the House has built its reputation around traditional-method sparkling wine produced in South Africa. The English project takes that accumulated expertise into another sparkling wine market without attempting to replicate South African conditions.

Instead, the wine is intended to demonstrate how the Graham Beck approach can translate across terroirs.

“The opportunity to bring Graham Beck’s philosophy of traditional-method sparkling winemaking to England is incredibly exciting,” says Cellarmaster Pierre de Klerk.

“This wine reflects both the character of its English terroir and the precision and patience that define the House style. It's a continuation of our pursuit of the perfect bubble.”

The project also represents a transition in leadership, bringing Ferreira's original vision together with de Klerk's ongoing stewardship in their final collaboration before Ferreira's retirement.

A limited release with international potential

The 2018 vintage is being produced in extremely limited quantities and launched in South Africa in September 2026 at a recommended retail price of R1,200 per bottle.

The wine is expected to become available in the UK in due course, with potential expansion into selected international markets.

For Graham Beck, that creates a new route for growth: not simply selling South African Cap Classique to international consumers, but demonstrating that a South African wine house can participate directly in another country's premium sparkling wine category.

The strategy also places the brand at the intersection of two established sparkling wine cultures, with the final product combining English terroir with a winemaking philosophy developed over more than three decades in South Africa.

In that sense, the English Sparkling 2018 is both a new product and an experiment in international brand building – taking what Graham Beck has learned at home and testing how far that expertise can travel.