Hattingley Valley is entering a pivotal new chapter as it scales back its contract winemaking operations and doubles down on a simpler portfolio for its Hampshire-based brand.

Founded in 2008 by Simon Robinson, the winery was originally set up with a dual model: producing wines under the Hattingley label while also offering contract winemaking services to others such as Champagne Pommery and Taittinger. This approach offered crucial early cash flow, allowing the business to invest in infrastructure while building the reputation for its own brand. Now, that balance is shifting.

“Back in the early days, we were probably doing more contract than our own,” Chris Unger, head of sales and marketing, told Drinks Retailing at a press event hosted yesterday (24 June) – the first since Covid as part of a renewed marketing and communications push into raising visibility for the brand.

“Now, we’re around two-thirds Hattingley, and it’s moving more and more in that direction. By the end of the decade, we want to be almost entirely focused on the Hattingley brand – maybe just 5% contract, supporting small, interesting producers.”

This shift marks a strategic realignment that reflects broader changes in the English wine landscape. With a solid domestic and export customer base and a reputation for innovation and quality, Hattingley is increasingly confident in letting its own name carry the business forward.

Robinson, who was motivated to enter the industry after seeing English sparkling wine begin to gain traction in the early 2000s, sees this focus as a critical part of Hattingley’s long-term sustainability.

“Our mantra has always been ‘source good grapes, make good wine and sell it’,” he said. “We’re not chasing distractions like restaurants or even a full-blown cellar door. We want to stick to what we’re good at, which is making high quality sparkling wine.”

The current portfolio simplification follows a particularly volatile period for English producers. As estates navigate uncertain harvests and an increasingly competitive home market, Hattingley is choosing to slim down its offering and streamline production.

It is scaling down the range down to four sparklers: the Classic Reserve (NV), a Vintage Rosé, Vintage Blanc de Blancs and the Kings Cuvée, alongside a handful of special releases such as a Blanc de Noirs, which was requested by (and is currently only available via) British Airways. The brand also plans to focus its energy on library wine releases in the coming years.

The simplification is a pivot away from the early model, which focused on maximising commercial opportunities and selling to as many channels as possible, to now tightening things up ways which benefit cashflow.

Still wine, while part of the mix, is another area being reassessed.

“We’ve always said we’ll only make still wines in the best possible years,” Robinson noted. “It’s a tough value proposition compared to say, good quality Chablis. Sparkling is where we can really hold our own.”

This measured approach is paying off. Hattingley expects to reach profitability this financial year – for the first time since launching over 15 years ago.

“It’s taken a long time, but we’re nearly there. Financial sustainability is critical. It’s something the English wine industry as a whole needs to work on,” Robinson said.

Export is also playing a growing role in the company’s success. This now accounts for around 35-40% of sales and is believed to be the highest proportion of any major English wine producer. Norway is a particularly strong market, while the US is a key area of future growth, despite political challenges.

Domestically, Hattingley has been selective in its retail partnerships, favouring premium retailers such as M&S and Waitrose. This includes a co-branded wine with Marks & Spencer under its Collection range, which is topped with a Hattingley neck label.

While profitability and brand clarity are high on the agenda, innovation remains a defining part of the Hattingley ethos.

“We’re the New World in the Old World,” said Robinson. “We don’t have centuries of tradition telling us what we can and can’t do. That gives us freedom.”

So is approachability. While the barrel-fermented Kings Cuvée sits at the top of the range, the flagship is the Classic Reserve, which is the standard bearer for the brand.

“I’ve upset somms by saying ‘we don’t care what you think’,” Robinson said. “We care what consumers think.”

This spirit of experimentation is also in the winery’s sustainability practices. Hattingley currently uses nine growers across Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, while owning holdings for 7.2ha of its own vineyards. At its site near Basingstoke, Hattingley became the first UK winery to install solar-power (though it is not fully solar due to energy needs at harvest). It has also reduced herbicide use by around 90% and is working towards financial as well as environmental sustainability.

The balance between creative freedom and commercial focus will be crucial to Hattingley’s next phase of success.

“We want to build a business that lasts,” Robinson concluded.

Main image shows Rob MacCulloch MW, Hattingley head winemaker, at yesterday’s event