Wine Trade Associations in Europe

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On this page you will find some of the leading Wine Trade Associations in Europe.

 

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association

Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) is the voice of the wine and spirit industry, representing over 340 companies producing, importing and selling wines and spirits. WSTA members range from major retailers, brand owners and wholesalers to fine wine and spirit specialists, logistics and bottling companies.

WSTA members are part of a powerful, unified industry voice, helping us secure the UK as a good place for the wine and spirit sector to do business.

Membership of the WSTA offers you:

Access to cost-effective expert advice on legal, regulatory and tax matters;
Discounted rates on a range of products and services, to save you money;
Regular updates and briefings on key policy and legislative issues that could affect your business;
Access to the latest market research; and
Valuable networking opportunities through our conferences and events.

WSTA Website

 

The Association of Small Direct Wine-Merchants (ASDW)

The Association of Small Direct Wine-Merchants (ASDW)

The Association of Small Direct Wine-Merchants (ASDW) was formed, as the name implies, by a group of British independent small wine merchants selling niche ranges of wines to the general public online.


There are currently around twenty members each of which with passionate people knowledgeable about wine.

We offer customers a specifically selected, interesting and often exclusive range of wines at very reasonable prices.

The British public are well served by supermarkets at the lower end (sub £5) of the price range with their cyclically artificially increased prices followed fake special offers. But it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find quality wines. The big brand names dominate supermarkets, steadily lowering quality on the back of duty and vat increases so that the average supermarket wine now costs £0.02 before transport, duty, vat and supermarket margins.

Website: http://www.asdw.org.uk/

 

East Anglian Winegrowers Association

East Anglian Winegrowers AssociationThe East Anglian Vineyards Association is one of the six regional associations which cover the wine growing areas of England and Wales. It was founded in 1978 at Chilford Hall by Sam Alper, to bring together all those interested in growing vines and making fine English wines in East Anglia. Today we have more than 30 vineyards as Full Members, ranging from less than a hectare to over 30 hectares in the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Members also include people or organisations who have an interest in viticulture and the English Wine Industry.
Members and Full Members are automatically affiliated to the UKVA, the national body lobbying Westminster and Brussels on behalf of the English Wine Industry.


Website: http://www.eastanglianwines.co.uk/

 

Mercian Vineyards Association


Mercian Vineyards AssociationThe Mercian Vineyards Association takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Mercia, which, together with Northumbria, covered much of the north of Saxon Britain. The present MVA covers much of this region, but also includes North Wales, where there are 4 commercial vineyards, including Pant Du vineyard in Snowdonia (right)
The earliest evidence of grapes in the region is the presence of seeds at a Romano-British site near Wellingborough, Northants. There, evidence of parallel trenches and plant roots suggest that there may have been viticulture in the area.
The Venerable Bede in his History of the English Church wrote that Vines are cultivated in various locations How accurate this statement is is not known, but it is likely, according to Skelton (2000) that any monastries ultivating vines in the north would have been burned by Viking invaders. Certainly, the Norman Domesday Book gives no examples north of the Wash.There is evidence, however, that the great Mediaeval monastries of the north grew vines for communion wine. However, these disappeared when Henry VIII closed them in 1536


Great houses grew vines in glasshouses for table use, but there is virtually no mention of wine making until the Twentieth century.

In the 1970s, northern vineyards were rare.Major Rook planted at Stragglethorpe in Lincolnshire in 1964. Sir Reresby Sitwell first planted at Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire in 1972 and included a few Pinot Noir. The following year, 500 Pinot Meunier were added. These are traditionally grown in frost pockets along the Marne valley of France, and Sir Reresby believed that they should thrive in Derbyshire. In 1975, 6 bottles of red wine were produced. The early drought and the late rains of 1976 were not favourable for the production of good grapes, and the cool summers of the following two years even less so. By the time that Stephen Skelton published his first book in 1989, only white varieties are recorded at Renishaw.

Website: http://www.ukvines.co.uk/mercia/merciaintro.htm

 

North West Wine & Spirit Association

North West Wine & Spirit AssociationIn the year of 1904 the first sound recording is made, the entente cordial is signed by Britain and France and the first car registration number plates are introduced in the UK. It also becomes the year that the North West Wine & Spirit association appoints Chas J Bushell as its first Chairman. The association has survived over 100 years of history to remain at the heart of today’s wine & spirit trade. Promoting education and communication between members and planning for growth of our trade sector.
If you work in the wines and spirits trade, are learning the trade, are teaching the trade or simply have an interest in wines and spirits this association will be of benefit to you.


Website: htttp://www.nwwsa.co.uk

 

South East Vineyards Association

South East Vineyards AssociationWe are a membership organisation and support the wine producers of Kent, Surrey, Sussex and London South. The aims of the SEVA are:
• To provide members with an opportunity to develop and exchange their knowledge and experience of viticulture and the making and promotion of English Wine
• To represent the members at national level within the United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA) Council
• To promote the commercial activity of the members
• To encourage social interaction between members
• To generate opportunities, facilitate, and provide funding for research, development and marketing initiatives
Anyone who has an interest in wine produced in the South East of England is invited to join, but the Association is specifically designed to meet the needs of commercial producers of English Wine and amateur vinegrowers and winemakers in the region. Membership is available to individuals, partnerships and limited companies. Please see our joining section for more information on how to join.


Website: http://www.seva.uk.com

 

South West Vineyards Association


South West Vineyards AssociationMembers of the SWVA are drawn from all ranks of those interested in growing vines for wine making. Most of the big and the smaller commercial vineyards in our region are members and there are many who grow vines simply for their own satisfaction and have no interest to do so commercially. Some members are not growers, but have a commercial interest in vine growing or wine making products or can provide a consultancy service to those who do.

Members of the SWVA are automatically members of the UK Vineyards Association (the UKVA).

Subscriptions are decided at the AGM and payable from 1st June. Charges are made for meetings and by this means the subs are kept to a minimum. The Association publishes two lists of members updated annually. One lists everyone, but is private to members. The other list is of those who ‘trade’ and want publicity and is in the public domain.
The aim of the Association is to provide a congenial forum for members to share their experiences and air their views. Meetings are held from time to time; usually a Spring Meeting in March includes an AGM, sometimes a Summer Meeting in June, which is an opportunity for members to visit a member’s vineyard in another part of the Region, and an Annual Competition, which is judged to the highest national standards, is held in September. Other meetings are held throughout the year to discuss topics of interest and well as sample members’ wines.


Website: http://www.swva.info/

 

Thames & Chilterns Vineyards Association

Thames & Chilterns Vineyards Association

The Thames and Chilterns Vineyards Association (T&CVA) was formed in 1988 to further the interests of the vineyards, viticulturalists and winemakers in the area. Today the Thames and Chilterns Vineyards Association has members spread between commercial vineyard owners, viticulturalists, winemakers and others with a general interest in viticulture and oenology.

The Association has members residing in the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Greater London. The Association aims to hold meetings and workshops throughout the year on topics associated with viticulture and oenology. We also hold an annual competition to find the best local wines. You can view details of these on our Events page.

Member vineyards regularly compete in national and international wine competitions and we regularly have winners from our region in the EVA/UKVA English and Welsh Wine of the Year Competition.


Website: http://www.thameschilternsvineyards.org.uk/

 

United Kingdom Vineyards Association

United Kingdom Vineyards AssociationThe United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA) is the organisation to which grape growers and winemakers belong in order to:
• share information
• have a voice in Westminster and Brussels
• develop and promote their industry
The UKVA is the only organisation recognised by the government and the wider community as representing the English and Welsh wine industry.
What is English and Welsh wine and why is it different to British wine?

Website: http://www.ukva.org.uk/

 

West of England Wine & Spirit

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association, based in London, represents the wine industry on a national basis. It is supported by a number of regional associations, of which the West of England is one of the largest and very active.

The West of England Wine and Spirit Association was formed in 1966. Our role is to provide high quality wine education in our local area and fun learning opportunities for all members in the form of tastings and tours to winegrowing regions. We represent our local trade members’ views to our parent association and keep our members up to date with important wine industry news.

We currently have over 150 active members and if you are not a member we would love you to join us. Membership is open to interested members of the public as well as to those employed in the wine and spirit industry in the south-west and is a fantastic way to make friends and network in the trade as well as giving you the opportunity to travel, learn and above all expand your knowledge whilst having fun.

Website: http://www.westofengland-wsa.com/
 

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