Ex-City workers in search of 'the good life' are driving the English wine boom

City workers giving up the daily grind in pursuit of "the good life" have long accepted that doing so could seriously damage their wealth.

In years gone by burned out executives have turned to technology and health food start-ups as lucrative but less stressful alternatives. 

But now they are finding a new escape route this time to the countryside which could make them a fortune: setting up an English wine vineyard. 

The English wine market is booming and is gearing up to give Prosecco and Champagne a run for their money in the global market.

Partly fueled by business experts looking for a change of scenery, a record 64 new wine producers and vineyards launched their businesses last year, a 73pc increase compared to 2015.

Wine producers in England are expected to plant more than 1 million vines over the next 12 months, which will result in some 2 million more bottles of English wine being made each year, according to data from industry body English Wine Producers.

James Simmonds, a partner at UHY Hacker Young said: "There is definitely an element of wanting 'The Good Life' among people who decide to become wine growers. It's an increasingly popular route for fatigued workers looking for change. Often they are well versed with business - and of course they have to have a love for wine. 

And unlike many rural occupations there's potential for a lucrative career with wine growing. Growers can expect higher than average salaries and the most successful growers can make a fortune.

There are big risks too though, for example much of this year's crop has been hit by front, meaning growers may make little this year. So people need to have money behind them to fall back on if they are going to make it work." 

One such high-powered worker turned wine grower is award-winning Sussex wine producer Alison Nightingale of the Albourne Estate, Sussex. 

Nightingale was once a high-flying marketing guru at Heinz and Nestle, but gave it up to bring up her family and study viticulture and oenology, the science and study of wine and wine making.

She built her reputation with a collection of white table wines and is about to launch her first sparkling wine.

She told the Daily Telegraph: "This is not a young person's game. We're all ex-something else. You have to be to have the capital required to set up a vineyard - it costs tens of thousands of pounds to buy the vines and wait three years before they're producing grapes.

"I think English wine's success is partly down to many of the growers having experience in business. They're not just thinking about how to grow the grapes - they know about sales and branding and how to make it work. You can make a small fortune in wine, but you do have to have a big one to start with!"

As Monday marks the start of English Wine Waitrose is reporting sales of English Rosé are up by 67pc while English fizz is up by 42pc.

To meet customer demand and to support the growing popularity of the English Wine industry, the supermarket has  also planted 50pc more vines at its own vineyard on the Leckford Estate in Hampshire earlier.