English Bubbly Set To Sparkle At London’s Heathrow Airport

In the run-up to Christmas, London Heathrow Airport has lined up a campaign in its World Duty Free (WDF) store at Terminal 5 which for, the first time, brings together three major English sparkling wine houses: Chapel Down, Gusbourne, and Nyetimber.

All three are part of efforts by WDF (a retail brand of Swiss travel retailer Avolta) and Europe’s busiest airport, to strengthen the premium drinks offer as passenger numbers at T5—the hub for British Airways—surge over the holiday season. It is also a timely way of raising the profile of UK sparkling wine to an international audience since the sector has been carving out a reputation as a worthy competitor to more renowned, and generally more expensive, French Champagnes.

This year, Nyetimber’s Blanc de Blancs 2016 Magnum became the first non-Champagne to win ‘Champion Sparkling Wine’ at the International Wine Challenge. English bubbly also had a very good run at the 2025 Decanter Awards, and on World Champagne Day last month, the result of a two-horse blind tasting at New York’s Elsie rooftop bar was that 67% of participants preferred the English sparkling wine over a Champagne competitor. Not great news for the French marque, but perfect timing for the Heathrow T5 staging.

Chapel Down held the NYC blind tasting and sales director, Tom Hepworth-Bond, commented: “Interest in English sparkling wine is accelerating around the world, and Heathrow provides an exceptional platform to showcase the quality and ambition of our category. At Chapel Down, we are committed to raising global awareness of what it can offer. Global travel retail plays an increasingly important role in that journey, and this is an exciting moment for the category.”

Platforming English sparkling wine

Eve Fifer, Avolta’s commercial director in the U.K., said: “Avolta and Heathrow share the same commitment of supporting local British businesses and brands, and this campaign is a great example of that shared ambition. Together with Chapel Down, Gusbourne, and Nyetimber, we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on the incredible quality of English sparkling wine.”

Gusbourne’s selection at T5 will be vintage-only lines. CEO Jonathan White, said: Fresh from a string of international award wins—including six gold medals and the coveted Chairman’s Trophy at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships—we’re proud to be flying the flag for English wine.”

Of the three brands, Nyetimber has the biggest footprint in travel retail—and probably the most recognizable name internationally. Karl Thögersen, sales head for the channel and Europe, commented: “Global travel retail is hugely important for us, so inclusion in this activation at a peak sales moment is exciting. We often find that when people try Nyetimber, they come back for more. By sampling directly to travelers, we hope to bring on board new fans.”

Tastings and artist giveaways

The Heathrow campaign will enable travelers to taste all three sparkling wines in a shop-in-shop location within WDF’s main departures store and runs from now until February 2026. On Fridays, an added incentive to buy a bottle will be the presence of an artist in the store to hand-paint wooden gift tags with seasonal images, ideal for Christmas gifting.

Heathrow’s retail director, Fraser Brown, has long championed the showcasing of ‘the best of Britain’ to global audiences at what is claimed to be the world’s most connected international airport. He said: “This initiative reflects the innovation and quality Britain is known for.”

Gaining an international platform for English sparkling wine might help boost overseas interest in the sector. While domestic sales of English sparkling wine rose by 187% between 2018 and 2023 to reach 6.2 million bottles, which was maintained in 2024. However exports have been modest at around 10% of that level, far below the original 2.5 million target.

Trade association WineGB noted: “Sales of sparkling wine have remained level which is a considerable achievement in a year that saw Champagne shipments to the U.K. fall by 13%, and overall sales of Cava drop by 13.4%.” In that context, English sparkling wine is showing remarkable resilience.