Lesson 3: WineGB the industry body
The national body for grape growers and winemakers was first established in 1967 by a handful of early vineyard pioneers.
This body was known as the English Vineyards Association (EVA) which subsequently evolved to become the United Kingdom Vineyards Association. However, following dramatic growth of the UK wine production industry, in the past 5 – 10 years, Wines of Great Britain Ltd (WineGB) was formed on 1st September 2017 from the merger of the two previous bodies; United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA) and English Wine Producers (EWP).
This merger combined the resources, skills and expertise of both organisations to form a single and effective industry body to represent the grape growers and wine producers of Great Britain.
Wine GB provides
- Expert leadership
- An extensive range of services and support for all members
- A single, strong voice to represent the industry
- Marketing and communication
- Protection of provenance
- An environmental sustainability certification scheme
- The guardian of the quality standards
- Education, training, research and development
- Wine tourism initiatives
- The availability and safe approval of plant protection products
The industry body now has hundreds of members and provides advice and support to the entire industry. Membership of WineGB provides a community of members and this network can prove invaluable for new entrants into the sector.