Taittinger expands into UK sparkling wine after Napa venture

London

CHAMPAGNE house Taittinger is expanding into UK sparkling wine, building on experience the family-owned company has accumulated in its French vineyards over more than 80 years and also at Domaine Carneros, a venture it set up in 1987 in California's Napa Valley winemaking region.

Taittinger is buying 69 hectares of land in Kent, south-east of London, in a venture with its UK agent Hatch Mansfield, and plans to plant about 40 hectares with sparkling wine grapes chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, with the aim of producing about 300,000 bottles annually.

The move comes nine years after Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, grandson of the company's founder, bought back control of the family champagne business from US investment firm Starwood Capital Group LLC. The business had previously operated as part of a holding company that included Baccarat crystal and Hotel Crillon in Paris. Since becoming more focused, Taittinge…