Alex James’ Britpop brand has rolled out two new serves, including a lower abv spritz made with British elderflower.
Britpop Rosé (rsp: £28/75cl) and the 6% abv Britpop Elderflower Wine Spritz (rsp: £12.99/75cl) have launched via online wine merchant Laithwaites.
The pair join Britpop Brut, an 11.5% sparkling non-vintage launched by the Blur bassist in 2023.
Both wines are made from grapes grown on chalk soil vineyards across the south of England, with the blends overseen by winemaker Henry Laithwaite.
They will be sold exclusively online via Laithwaites’ DTC store.
The Elderflower Wine Spritz, meanwhile, is made from blossoms from British hedgerows, spring water and champagne yeasts.
With the rosé and brut, Britpop would be targeting price-savvy champagne drinkers, James said.
“The French have invested massive fortunes in marketing,” he said. “Every bottle of champagne you buy, you’re paying for all those centuries of investment. It [English sparkling wine] is an easy thing for me to market given the festival and associations to British food.”
The elderflower spritz, meanwhile, was designed to be mixed “with fresh herb, berries and ice” or served long with sparkling water.
The serve could also be improved “with a bit of vodka in it”, James joked.
The musician confirmed Britpop’s oak-conditioned sparkling cider, first launched in 2019, would return later this year, and hinted at further NPD in other categories including cider brandy and fruit juice.
“Champagne is just cider with marketing,” he said. “There are a lot of undervalued drinks, particularly calvados or cider brandy. That’s probably my ultimate favourite tipple.”
James is just one of a slew of stars to have launched their own drink brands in recent years. Asked what made for a successful celebrity booze tie-up, he said: “Good product, good distribution, good brand, good marketing.
“I can understand why Kylie’s rosé has done so well, but I’m not sure if that would be what I wanted to drink,” he added.
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