Can you tell us about the sampling campaign you have planned for the summer?
It is the summer of Drinking English! This summer, MDCV UK is delivering a high-impact on-trade sampling campaign across more than 30 high-footfall venues in London, designed to introduce consumers to our English wine portfolio including Silverhand Estate. Through in-venue tastings, giveaways and brand activations, we’re creating unforgettable moments that bring the wine to life and encourage trial in premium social settings.
Why did you want to put the focus on sampling this year?
Silverhand Estate hopes to reach up to 10,000 people with its summer sampling campaign
Sampling is one of the most effective ways to challenge perceptions around English wine and have consumers try our products in a real-world setting - we saw this in May when Silverhand supported Jeremy Clarkson’s Farm Fest and we were able to drive our Drink English campaign alongside his Back British campaign.
Once people taste it, their expectations quickly shift and we have the added benefit of leaving a lasting impression by buying the first round - as long as it is English. This campaign gives us a direct route to trial, allowing consumers to experience the quality of our products first-hand and help build advocacy for English wine.
You are also looking to push the local and sustainable story of English wine - how are you doing that?
We are bringing that story into every consumer touchpoint from conversations with our venue partners to conversations with consumers at the venues - we want to ensure our message of Drink English. Drink Local. Drink Sustainable is conveyed from start to finish. By championing English more broadly, including offering rounds of English pours, we are reinforcing the value of drinking local and supporting a growing domestic category.
Our entry level sparkling products provide an accessible price point for UK consumers to Drink English wine and not cannibalise other English wines but rather take share from alternatives from Italy, Spain and France.
What are the sustainability credentials of Silverhand?
Silverhand Estate is home to the UK's largest organic single vineyard, spanning over 900 acres
Sustainability sits at the core of Silverhand Estate. Our vineyards focus on organic farming ethos, biodiversity and long-term soil health. Silverhand Estate is the first UK vineyard to reach carbon-negative status in 2024 without carbon offsetting. This milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to true sustainability, innovative winemaking, and environmental stewardship. In addition, we are a member of the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation which means we can reduce our inputs to our vineyards processes, which not only helps the land but also the cost of our final products.
How have you chosen which bars and venues to do the sampling campaign in?
We have focused on premium, high-footfall venues that align with the brand and reflect key social drinking occasions, places where consumers are open to discovery and experimentation.
Can you share some of the venues you are working with?
We are working with a range of well-known London venues, including partnerships with Fuller’s sites in high-traffic locations such as London Bridge and Covent Garden, helping us reach a broad yet quality-driven audience.
Tell us about the brand ambassadors you have signed up to help with the campaign?
Brand ambassadors from Street PR
Our campaign is delivered by trained brand ambassadors from Street PR, who specialise in engaging consumers in on-trade environments. They play a key role in bringing the brand to life, sharing knowledge, and creating a memorable first experience with our brands and the end consumers.
You are also looking to do an educational element - what is that?
Education is integrated into the experience. Our ambassadors are equipped to talk about English wine, production methods and the story behind Silverhand Estate, helping consumers understand what makes the category and our wines distinctive to help increase brand awareness and footfall to the estate.
We believe consumers need to understand that English is as good, if not better, than other region alternatives and that supporting a local product only benefits the environment and the UK economy.
For those that don’t know Silverhand can you give some background to the brand?
The Silverhand Estate range
Silverhand Estate is one of the UK’s leading organic wine producers, based in Kent. Our approach combines large-scale organic viticulture with a focus on quality and accessibility, producing a range of sparkling and still wines in Traditional and Charmat methods that reflect the character of the English landscape.
We aim to be the one of the largest producers of English Wine in the future, focussing on getting UK consumers to support local and sustainable products by Drinking English, by providing products that supports all types of occasions, consumers and price points.
What is its distribution strategy for the on and off-trade in terms of the kind of venues it is looking to target?
With our breadth of portfolio we work across all sectors of the on-trade from fine dining through to accessible high street, working with on-trade partners where brand discovery plays a key role. Alongside this we are working with off-trade retailers to support in building the English category in-store and enabling consumers to take the Drink English experience home.
Our portfolio allows us to reach all types of consumers, occasions and price points and our aim is to make English wine more visible and more readily available.
How has its production and sales grown?
Over the past five years, we’ve delivered a compound annual growth rate of 500%, reflecting both scale and sustained demand. Alongside growing our own branded portfolio in the trade, we have developed strong partnerships with leading operators including Marks & Spencer, where we produce the Bramble Hill own-label sparkling, and The Ivy, with their Ivy Classic Cuvée.
In contrast to broader headwinds across the English wine category, our production and demand continue to accelerate. As category awareness builds, more consumers are actively seeking out English wines - this is why MDCV UK is so passionate about working with both on and off trade partners to build the English category increasing distribution, visibility and making English wine truly accessible to consumers.
What wines are in the range and what do they each offer potential trade customers?
Silverhand Estate's Silver Reign brands
Our range includes Traditional method sparkling wines, such as our multi award winning Blanc de Blancs, Charmat method styles such as Silver Reign, and still wines including our new ‘Strawberries and Cream’ rosé. Together, they offer versatility for the trade, from premium celebration moments to more accessible, by-the-glass and everyday drinking occasions.
Other promotional plans for the brand for this year?
This campaign is part of a broader programme of activity across social, PR and trade engagement, designed to build long-term awareness and advocacy for both Silverhand Estate and English wine more widely.
Silverhand is a key part of MDCV UK’s branding strategy - what other activity and news do you have for the other brands in the portfolio?
MDCV UK continues to invest across its portfolio to build recognition for English wine across the UK, with a focus on quality, sustainability and innovation across each brand. Our other brands London Clay, Harlot and Fitz also play a key part in this summer activation.
How do you see the overall English wine category in terms of its key areas of potential?
The category has significant untapped potential - we are only just beginning to showcase what England can produce. As the sector continues to evolve across all styles, we will be able to offer a truly comprehensive range of wines to suit every palate and occasion. Through ongoing collaboration across both industry and trade, there is a real opportunity to build awareness, improve accessibility, and broaden consumption occasions - shifting perception from something reserved for special moments to a natural choice for everyday drinking.
What do you think Silverhand’s key point of difference is?
Our focus is on making high-quality English wine for people to genuinely enjoy, at an accessible price point. By combining scale with organic, sustainable viticulture, we are able to open up the category to more people - helping more consumers discover and enjoy English wine without compromise.
Why do you think there is such potential for Charmat method wines?
Charmat wines offer a fresh, fruit-forward and approachable style that works for relaxed social occasions as well as those big celebrations. They provide an accessible entry point into English wine, particularly for consumers familiar with Prosecco, offering a locally produced alternative with the same easy-drinking appeal.
Anything else to say?
This campaign is about more than just one wine - it is about encouraging more people to explore English wine as a whole and support English producers. The more opportunities consumers have to try it, the more the category will continue to grow.
* MDCV UK is a commercial partner of The Buyer. You can read more about the business here.
