Coming up rosé

A global pandemic might seem an inauspicious moment to launch a business, especially one that celebrates conviviality and relies on word of mouth, but lockdowns proved no obstacle for the entrepreneurs behind Britain’s newest rosé wine. 

Wife and husband team Elisha and Tom Cannon were just 28 years old and growing frustrated by their jobs in the City when they decided to launch Folc – which takes its name from the Old English word for tribe – despite not owning land, nor indeed a single vine. 

Just one year later, Folc was awarded a gold medal at the Independent English Wine Awards and also took home one of only two medals for still English rosé at the prestigious International Wine & Spirits Competition. Since then, production has broadly tripled with each new vintage and their brand is the envy of its rivals. 

“We saw a real opportunity in the English wine market,” says Elisha. “There were these brilliant players all focusing on sparkling, but at the same time no-one was focused on rosé, so we looked at the broader trends and it was the only category that was growing.” 

English wine has been the surprise success story of this millennium, with the area under vine more than quadrupling since 2000 and annual sales nearing the £10m mark. Sparkling has been the primary driver of that boom, with the ‘Champagne grapes’ – Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay – representing the overwhelming majority of new plantings, but still wine is starting to catch up, and soaring sales of rosé in the UK presented an opportunity. 

“We looked to Provence as the originators of this pale, deliciously drinkable style of rosé, so we researched what they did and then changed it to fit England and what could work here, using different grape varieties,” Elisha tells me. 

Just as Provence rosés are blended to balance the best qualities of different Mediterranean grapes, so Folc is also a blend, using a mix of English grapes led by Pinot Noir and Meunier, combined with Chardonnay, Bacchus and most recently, Pinot Gris.  

Wine production is notoriously capital-intensive. However the Cannons cannily adopted another French innovation: the ‘negoçiant’. Buying grapes from growers and using a contract winery, Defined Wine, to produce their rosé gave Elisha and Tom the freedom to bring their baby to market, while minimising the financial risk. 

“Using a negoçiant model and producing small batches allowed us to start in a way that wasn’t too capital-intensive,” says Elisha, reflecting on the brand’s early successes. “Because we don’t own our own vineyards we’re able to source the best grapes, so, if it’s a great harvest, we might use more Bacchus from Essex, for example, and it’s the same for Pinot Noir or Meunier. We added Pinot Gris to the blend last year, which we shall do again this year.” 

Back in 2020, the couple had planned to market Folc through tastings at food fairs and events, but lockdown restrictions forced them to rethink their business plan, focusing on direct-to-market sales while harnessing the power of social media. 

“Initially, we were forced to use social channels as it was our only way to raise awareness, but now it’s a key part of our marketing strategy for Folc, which we see as a lifestyle brand. We were categorised as ‘Instagram wine’ at first, so it wasn’t until we started winning awards that we were taken seriously,” says Elisha proudly.  

“We are heavily involved because we have the closest possible relationship to our customers; we know what they like about Folc and what they want to see replicated in each vintage, so we sit down with Nick and Poppy [their winemakers at Defined Wine] and talk about what’s worked well, what we want to carry forward, or improve on. We have worked together on three vintages now and we try to remain consistent but also elevate it,” says Elisha, who hopes to inspire those like her to join England’s wine revolution. “I am, from what I know, the only female person of colour running a wine brand in England, so I put myself forward to encourage others.” 

With their wine selling out in each vintage, late last year the couple launched an external fundraiser where their target of £500,000 was substantially overfunded. 

So could other wines be in the pipeline? “I think we have always been conscious that we want to do one thing and do it well. We want to be the benchmark English rosé,” Elisha says, “but that’s not to say that we will only have one wine. Perhaps in the future we might have different styles of rosé.” 

For more on Folc, visit drinkfolc.com or follow @drinkfolc. David Kermode is a journalist, writer, broadcaster and international wine judge.

Three English bottles to uncork now 

Knight Frank’s Viticulture team consult for winemakers across the UK and Europe, advising on everything from planting vines to placemaking around wineries. Here, Head of Viticulture, Ed Mansel Lewis, chooses three bottles from English wineries he’s enjoying right now.

BACCHUS FUMÉ, 2021, FROM HIDDEN SPRING

I sold this vineyard in 2021 and during the process, my wife and I came to love this wine. David McNally, the winemaker, ages half of it in tanks and the other half in oak barrels, then blends them back together. The result is a wine that has ripe nectarine, citrus and elderflower aromas characteristic of Bacchus, paired with vanilla spice from the oak. £18, hiddenspring.co.uk 

 BLANC DE BLANC, 2018, FROM GUSBOURNE 

Charlie Holland is one of the greatest winemakers of his generation and I think this is his best wine. The wine is a bright golden colour with a delicate mousse. It has classic aromas from extended lees aging of green apple, citrus, and mineral notes, which combines with buttered toast and tarte tatin. £65, gusbourne.com

TYTHERTON RED, 2021, FROM MAUD HEATH 

Knight Frank are currently overseeing the sale of Maud Heath, a boutique vineyard in Wiltshire, and home of Tytherton Red. This wine in particular was described by critic Matthew Jukes as “without doubt the most successful red blend I have ever tasted from within our shores”. It’s a view I share. £18.99, maudheathvineyard.co.uk