WHOLESALER Matthew Clark has raised a glass to Prosecco following a festive period which saw the firm’s sales of the sparkling wine more than double.
Figures released by Matthew Clark show Prosecco sales between October and December 2013 increased 53% when compared to the same period in 2012.
The sales boost saw Prosecco account for 73% of Matthew Clark’s total sparkling wine sales, excluding Champagne, over the Christmas period.
The festive spike in Prosecco sales came at the end of a year in which Matthew Clark’s sparkling sales increased by 30%.
English sparkling wine was said to have experienced significant growth in sales, with volumes up by a claimed 310%. A distribution agreement reached last April between Matthew Clark and Kent producer Chapel Down was credited with fuelling the growth.
Simon Jerrome, purchasing director at Matthew Clark, said the success of the sparkling wine category – and particularly Prosecco – shows a “continued thirst” for sparkling wines which “deliver on value and quality”.
“We take great pride in being able to provide our customers with a wine offering that can be tailored to their outlet, and it’s great to see sparkling wines from our smaller regions get a chance to shine too,” he said.
“With English and even Portuguese sparkling posting impressive growth figures, we are looking forward to helping our customers grow their sparkling sales even more throughout 2014.”
