Kingsland Drinks has unveiled a new carbonation line – an installation that the company has said makes it “the first and only UK bottler to sparkle wine”.
The new line can fill between 12,600 and 15,000 bottles per hour and will kick off by sparkling two of Kingsland’s own brands, Shorn New Zealand pinot grigio and Live white zinfandel. The line will also be used to bottle still wine, complementing the existing four lines that operate at Kingsland’s site in Manchester, the company said.
Kingsland Drinks managing director Andy Sagar said: “We’re delighted to see the carbonation line now up and running. It’s a new and exciting piece of kit that provides our customers with new profitable and sustainable options for capitalising on the success of the sparkling category. We now have the ability to ‘sparkle up’ their customers’ favourite wines and also develop new sparkling propositions that bring excitement to the wine category. Recent findings from our consumer insight programme, WinePRO, show that there’s an increasing thirst for sparkling products across all demographics. Given the widely reported challenges to prosecco supply and increasing costs, the new line is the perfect opportunity to look for credible alternatives. What’s more, Kingsland Drinks has the team and expertise to help customers identify opportunities for their specific needs and create, develop and implement these sparkling solutions for them.”
FoodBev yesterday reported that UK sales of prosecco has continued to outpace those of champagne and offset a decline in the still wines sector, growing to sales of £356 million.
Kingsland’s business accounts for 9% of the total UK wine market and its annual sales volume stands at 90 million litres.
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