FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4038463

LEAD IN:

UK wine industry experts are eyeing the upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union with mixed feelings.

With producers and suppliers heavily reliant on pan-European trade, many remain unsure how Brexit will impact upon business.

STORY-LINE:

Sparkling wine on a summer's day in the English capital.

Glistening flutes and bottles in abundance, and a crowd of happy lunchtime drinkers add to the atmosphere of excitement and discovery, along with an impromptu game of ping pong.

It must be London Wine Week.

This is the third year of the festival, and this year is the most popular to date.

Festival director Emma Murphy says "It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved" .

But although these flutes of fizz are English sparkling wine, much of the wine the festival goers here are tasting is from EU member states such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union is fast approaching. So is this something the industry should fear?

"I wouldn't have said so," says Murphy.

"Wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

At the festival hub on London's Devonshire Square, there are pop-up bars featuring wines from across Europe.

These two young graduate trainees are enjoying wines from Portugal, and with their festival wristband, it costs them just five British Pounds for a flight of three.

Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers both agree that things may well be different if Britain leaves the union.

"If it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be," says Anna, while Oscar is concerned about regulation and labelling:

"It would also be more difficult to know what you are drinking because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

The New Street wine shop has been taken over by the wine festival. They sell wines from all over the world but today they are holding a tasting featuring wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain.

Most wine drinkers know about the region of Rioja, but Bettina Lemm is informing these festival goers about the region she represents.

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero but I think that we're still establishing ourselves."

But if the UK is an important export market, is Brexit going to throw the proverbial spanner into the works? Lemm doesn't seem too worried "I think at the moment we're pretty confident as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment," she says.

Wine used to have a rather old fashioned reputation and a comparatively elderly demographic, but this has changed enormously in recent years.

The prevalence of wine clubs popping up in the UK is an indicator of wine's increasing popularity.

Tom Harrow of Honest Grapes explains why this is "I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people," he says.

With 125 venues across the metropolis taking part in this festival, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy it with friends.

But with such enthusiasm for wine spreading across the country, June 23 could bring disruption, according to Harrow "It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up" .

However, the future might be bright in other, unexpected ways.

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least," says Harrow, and with apologies to climate change icon Al Gore, he adds that "global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

Reports by the WSTA (Wine and Spirit Trade Association) suggest there is still some way to go as the UK comes in at number six on the list of sales of sparkling wine by origin - but it's rising year on year.

600 million bottles of wine are bottled in the UK.

This makes the UK wine market the sixth largest in the world, generating 173 billion British pounds of economic activity, according to the WSTA. 10 billion British pounds are made through sales.

Also being showcased here is one of the new kids on the alcohol block, Regal Rogue Vermouth.

According to brand founder Mark Ward, vermouth, by definition, is 75 percent wine. It must have wormwood and it must have an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 15 to 24 percent. These three things have to be in place for a producer to put vermouth on the bottle or it flouts recent EU regulations.

Ward, who was brought up in hospitality, began the project in Australia where he worked closely with top Australian chefs who introduced him to indigenous herbs and spices.

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort." he says.

Ward is attempting to educate the wine drinking market which, he believes, is mostly unaware of the fact that vermouth is fundamentally a wine.

This can only be helped by a new pop up for 2016, the Vermouth Bar.

The parent company of London Wine Week is the aptly named "Drink Up London", and they're already preparing for the 2017 event - Brexit or no Brexit.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4038463

LEAD IN:

UK wine industry experts are eyeing the upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union with mixed feelings.

With producers and suppliers heavily reliant on pan-European trade, many remain unsure how Brexit will impact upon business.

STORY-LINE:

Sparkling wine on a summer's day in the English capital.

Glistening flutes and bottles in abundance, and a crowd of happy lunchtime drinkers add to the atmosphere of excitement and discovery, along with an impromptu game of ping pong.

It must be London Wine Week.

This is the third year of the festival, and this year is the most popular to date.

Festival director Emma Murphy says "It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved" .

But although these flutes of fizz are English sparkling wine, much of the wine the festival goers here are tasting is from EU member states such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union is fast approaching. So is this something the industry should fear?

"I wouldn't have said so," says Murphy.

"Wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

At the festival hub on London's Devonshire Square, there are pop-up bars featuring wines from across Europe.

These two young graduate trainees are enjoying wines from Portugal, and with their festival wristband, it costs them just five British Pounds for a flight of three.

Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers both agree that things may well be different if Britain leaves the union.

"If it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be," says Anna, while Oscar is concerned about regulation and labelling:

"It would also be more difficult to know what you are drinking because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

The New Street wine shop has been taken over by the wine festival. They sell wines from all over the world but today they are holding a tasting featuring wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain.

Most wine drinkers know about the region of Rioja, but Bettina Lemm is informing these festival goers about the region she represents.

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero but I think that we're still establishing ourselves."

But if the UK is an important export market, is Brexit going to throw the proverbial spanner into the works? Lemm doesn't seem too worried "I think at the moment we're pretty confident as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment," she says.

Wine used to have a rather old fashioned reputation and a comparatively elderly demographic, but this has changed enormously in recent years.

The prevalence of wine clubs popping up in the UK is an indicator of wine's increasing popularity.

Tom Harrow of Honest Grapes explains why this is "I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people," he says.

With 125 venues across the metropolis taking part in this festival, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy it with friends.

But with such enthusiasm for wine spreading across the country, June 23 could bring disruption, according to Harrow "It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up" .

However, the future might be bright in other, unexpected ways.

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least," says Harrow, and with apologies to climate change icon Al Gore, he adds that "global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

Reports by the WSTA (Wine and Spirit Trade Association) suggest there is still some way to go as the UK comes in at number six on the list of sales of sparkling wine by origin - but it's rising year on year.

600 million bottles of wine are bottled in the UK.

This makes the UK wine market the sixth largest in the world, generating 173 billion British pounds of economic activity, according to the WSTA. 10 billion British pounds are made through sales.

Also being showcased here is one of the new kids on the alcohol block, Regal Rogue Vermouth.

According to brand founder Mark Ward, vermouth, by definition, is 75 percent wine. It must have wormwood and it must have an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 15 to 24 percent. These three things have to be in place for a producer to put vermouth on the bottle or it flouts recent EU regulations.

Ward, who was brought up in hospitality, began the project in Australia where he worked closely with top Australian chefs who introduced him to indigenous herbs and spices.

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort." he says.

Ward is attempting to educate the wine drinking market which, he believes, is mostly unaware of the fact that vermouth is fundamentally a wine.

This can only be helped by a new pop up for 2016, the Vermouth Bar.

The parent company of London Wine Week is the aptly named "Drink Up London", and they're already preparing for the 2017 event - Brexit or no Brexit.

AP Television

London - 27 May 2016

1. Close of wine glasses

2. Bartender pouring sparkling wine

3. Tilt down on central courtyard at Devonshire Square, the hub for London Wine Week

4. Group of friends enjoying English sparkling wine

5. Men playing table tennis

6. Sign reading (English) "London Wine Week"

7. Set up shot of Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

"What's unique about it? It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved whether that's with offers, special menus or ticketed events across the week."

9. Two women with wine flight selection

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

(Responding to the question Do you think a Brexit will affect the wine industry negatively?)

"I wouldn't have said so, because I mean, I think, you know, wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

11. Sign reading (English) "Pop into our pop up wine bars"

12. Various of Portuguese wine pop up

13. Mid of graduate trainees in insurance Oscar Stenpom and Anna Rogers

14. Flight of Portuguese wines

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers, Insurance Graduate Trainees:

(Responding to question Do you think a Brexit will mean it will be more difficult for people to access quality wine?)

Stenbom: "Yes,"

Rogers: "I guess so, I mean if it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be."

Stenbom: "It would also be more difficult to know what you're drinking, because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

16. Pull focus of Spanish wine labels

17. Vintage bottles of fortified wine

18. Side view of Spanish wine bottles

19. Set up shot of Bettina Lemm with wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lemm, Westbury Communications (which represents the Ribera del Duero region in the UK):

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero, but I think that we're still establishing ourselves. A lot of people know some big names from the region, and we're just trying to bring attention to some other grape producers who might not yet have the same recognition."

21. Close of wine labels

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lemm, Westbury Communications (who represent the Ribera del Duero region in the UK):

(Responding to the question are you worried about the possibility of a Brexit affecting your export market?)

"I think at the moment we're pretty confident, as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment."

23. Pan from mediaeval knight sculpture to pop up courtyard

24. Mid of Provence wines pop up

25. Establisher shot of Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes Wine Club

26. Close of Harrow eyeing the wine

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"There's been a real rise in wine clubs in London and the UK generally of late, and I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people."

28. Mid of woman laughing over a glass of wine

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and then bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up."

30. Woman at table with wine

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least - and even the whites, and to an extent the reds are really coming up. So I have to say it - sorry Al Gore - global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

32. Various of English rose and white sparkling wines

33. Vermouth being poured into a glass

34. Various of "Regal Rogue" Vermouth bottle

35. Tilt up of Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue vermouth, and his produce

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue vermouth:

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort."

37. Crowd of London Wine Week attendees at the Vermouth Bar

38. Mid of vermouth cocktails being made

39. Focus pull of sign reading (English) "Drink Up"

LENGTH: 6:02

LEAD IN:

UK wine industry experts are eyeing the upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union with mixed feelings.

With producers and suppliers heavily reliant on pan-European trade, many remain unsure how Brexit will impact upon business.

STORY-LINE:

Sparkling wine on a summer's day in the English capital.

Glistening flutes and bottles in abundance, and a crowd of happy lunchtime drinkers add to the atmosphere of excitement and discovery, along with an impromptu game of ping pong.

It must be London Wine Week.

This is the third year of the festival, and this year is the most popular to date.

Festival director Emma Murphy says "It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved" .

But although these flutes of fizz are English sparkling wine, much of the wine the festival goers here are tasting is from EU member states such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union is fast approaching. So is this something the industry should fear?

"I wouldn't have said so," says Murphy.

"Wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

At the festival hub on London's Devonshire Square, there are pop-up bars featuring wines from across Europe.

These two young graduate trainees are enjoying wines from Portugal, and with their festival wristband, it costs them just five British Pounds for a flight of three.

Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers both agree that things may well be different if Britain leaves the union.

"If it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be," says Anna, while Oscar is concerned about regulation and labelling:

"It would also be more difficult to know what you are drinking because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

The New Street wine shop has been taken over by the wine festival. They sell wines from all over the world but today they are holding a tasting featuring wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain.

Most wine drinkers know about the region of Rioja, but Bettina Lemm is informing these festival goers about the region she represents.

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero but I think that we're still establishing ourselves."

But if the UK is an important export market, is Brexit going to throw the proverbial spanner into the works? Lemm doesn't seem too worried "I think at the moment we're pretty confident as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment," she says.

Wine used to have a rather old fashioned reputation and a comparatively elderly demographic, but this has changed enormously in recent years.

The prevalence of wine clubs popping up in the UK is an indicator of wine's increasing popularity.

Tom Harrow of Honest Grapes explains why this is "I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people," he says.

With 125 venues across the metropolis taking part in this festival, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy it with friends.

But with such enthusiasm for wine spreading across the country, June 23 could bring disruption, according to Harrow "It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up" .

However, the future might be bright in other, unexpected ways.

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least," says Harrow, and with apologies to climate change icon Al Gore, he adds that "global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

Reports by the WSTA (Wine and Spirit Trade Association) suggest there is still some way to go as the UK comes in at number six on the list of sales of sparkling wine by origin - but it's rising year on year.

600 million bottles of wine are bottled in the UK.

This makes the UK wine market the sixth largest in the world, generating 173 billion British pounds of economic activity, according to the WSTA. 10 billion British pounds are made through sales.

Also being showcased here is one of the new kids on the alcohol block, Regal Rogue Vermouth.

According to brand founder Mark Ward, vermouth, by definition, is 75 percent wine. It must have wormwood and it must have an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 15 to 24 percent. These three things have to be in place for a producer to put vermouth on the bottle or it flouts recent EU regulations.

Ward, who was brought up in hospitality, began the project in Australia where he worked closely with top Australian chefs who introduced him to indigenous herbs and spices.

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort." he says.

Ward is attempting to educate the wine drinking market which, he believes, is mostly unaware of the fact that vermouth is fundamentally a wine.

This can only be helped by a new pop up for 2016, the Vermouth Bar.

The parent company of London Wine Week is the aptly named "Drink Up London", and they're already preparing for the 2017 event - Brexit or no Brexit.

LEAD IN:

UK wine industry experts are eyeing the upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union with mixed feelings.

With producers and suppliers heavily reliant on pan-European trade, many remain unsure how Brexit will impact upon business.

STORY-LINE:

Sparkling wine on a summer's day in the English capital.

Glistening flutes and bottles in abundance, and a crowd of happy lunchtime drinkers add to the atmosphere of excitement and discovery, along with an impromptu game of ping pong.

It must be London Wine Week.

This is the third year of the festival, and this year is the most popular to date.

Festival director Emma Murphy says "It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved" .

But although these flutes of fizz are English sparkling wine, much of the wine the festival goers here are tasting is from EU member states such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union is fast approaching. So is this something the industry should fear?

"I wouldn't have said so," says Murphy.

"Wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

At the festival hub on London's Devonshire Square, there are pop-up bars featuring wines from across Europe.

These two young graduate trainees are enjoying wines from Portugal, and with their festival wristband, it costs them just five British Pounds for a flight of three.

Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers both agree that things may well be different if Britain leaves the union.

"If it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be," says Anna, while Oscar is concerned about regulation and labelling:

"It would also be more difficult to know what you are drinking because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

The New Street wine shop has been taken over by the wine festival. They sell wines from all over the world but today they are holding a tasting featuring wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain.

Most wine drinkers know about the region of Rioja, but Bettina Lemm is informing these festival goers about the region she represents.

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero but I think that we're still establishing ourselves."

But if the UK is an important export market, is Brexit going to throw the proverbial spanner into the works? Lemm doesn't seem too worried "I think at the moment we're pretty confident as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment," she says.

Wine used to have a rather old fashioned reputation and a comparatively elderly demographic, but this has changed enormously in recent years.

The prevalence of wine clubs popping up in the UK is an indicator of wine's increasing popularity.

Tom Harrow of Honest Grapes explains why this is "I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people," he says.

With 125 venues across the metropolis taking part in this festival, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy it with friends.

But with such enthusiasm for wine spreading across the country, June 23 could bring disruption, according to Harrow "It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up" .

However, the future might be bright in other, unexpected ways.

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least," says Harrow, and with apologies to climate change icon Al Gore, he adds that "global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

Reports by the WSTA (Wine and Spirit Trade Association) suggest there is still some way to go as the UK comes in at number six on the list of sales of sparkling wine by origin - but it's rising year on year.

600 million bottles of wine are bottled in the UK.

This makes the UK wine market the sixth largest in the world, generating 173 billion British pounds of economic activity, according to the WSTA. 10 billion British pounds are made through sales.

Also being showcased here is one of the new kids on the alcohol block, Regal Rogue Vermouth.

According to brand founder Mark Ward, vermouth, by definition, is 75 percent wine. It must have wormwood and it must have an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 15 to 24 percent. These three things have to be in place for a producer to put vermouth on the bottle or it flouts recent EU regulations.

Ward, who was brought up in hospitality, began the project in Australia where he worked closely with top Australian chefs who introduced him to indigenous herbs and spices.

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort." he says.

Ward is attempting to educate the wine drinking market which, he believes, is mostly unaware of the fact that vermouth is fundamentally a wine.

This can only be helped by a new pop up for 2016, the Vermouth Bar.

The parent company of London Wine Week is the aptly named "Drink Up London", and they're already preparing for the 2017 event - Brexit or no Brexit.

AP Television

London - 27 May 2016

1. Close of wine glasses

2. Bartender pouring sparkling wine

3. Tilt down on central courtyard at Devonshire Square, the hub for London Wine Week

4. Group of friends enjoying English sparkling wine

5. Men playing table tennis

6. Sign reading (English) "London Wine Week"

7. Set up shot of Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

"What's unique about it? It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved whether that's with offers, special menus or ticketed events across the week."

9. Two women with wine flight selection

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

(Responding to the question Do you think a Brexit will affect the wine industry negatively?)

"I wouldn't have said so, because I mean, I think, you know, wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

11. Sign reading (English) "Pop into our pop up wine bars"

12. Various of Portuguese wine pop up

13. Mid of graduate trainees in insurance Oscar Stenpom and Anna Rogers

14. Flight of Portuguese wines

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers, Insurance Graduate Trainees:

(Responding to question Do you think a Brexit will mean it will be more difficult for people to access quality wine?)

Stenbom: "Yes,"

Rogers: "I guess so, I mean if it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be."

Stenbom: "It would also be more difficult to know what you're drinking, because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

16. Pull focus of Spanish wine labels

17. Vintage bottles of fortified wine

18. Side view of Spanish wine bottles

19. Set up shot of Bettina Lemm with wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lemm, Westbury Communications (which represents the Ribera del Duero region in the UK):

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero, but I think that we're still establishing ourselves. A lot of people know some big names from the region, and we're just trying to bring attention to some other grape producers who might not yet have the same recognition."

21. Close of wine labels

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lemm, Westbury Communications (who represent the Ribera del Duero region in the UK):

(Responding to the question are you worried about the possibility of a Brexit affecting your export market?)

"I think at the moment we're pretty confident, as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment."

23. Pan from mediaeval knight sculpture to pop up courtyard

24. Mid of Provence wines pop up

25. Establisher shot of Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes Wine Club

26. Close of Harrow eyeing the wine

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"There's been a real rise in wine clubs in London and the UK generally of late, and I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people."

28. Mid of woman laughing over a glass of wine

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and then bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up."

30. Woman at table with wine

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least - and even the whites, and to an extent the reds are really coming up. So I have to say it - sorry Al Gore - global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

32. Various of English rose and white sparkling wines

33. Vermouth being poured into a glass

34. Various of "Regal Rogue" Vermouth bottle

35. Tilt up of Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue vermouth, and his produce

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue vermouth:

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort."

37. Crowd of London Wine Week attendees at the Vermouth Bar

38. Mid of vermouth cocktails being made

39. Focus pull of sign reading (English) "Drink Up"

LENGTH: 6:02

In the sunny seaside resort city of Benidorm, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, British expats expressed their concerns about what a Brexit can mean for them, with work permits, health care and pensions among the top worries.

Their situation will be one of the things to be negotiated between the UK and the European Union in the coming months and years after Britain voted Thursday to leave the bloc.

The British expat community in Spain was split between those who could vote and those, like bar owner Chuck Daulson, who have lived away from Britain for longer than 15 years, disqualifying them from voting in the referendum.

He was concerned he would have to go back to Britain and lose all he's worked for in the 23 years he's lived and worked in Spain.

While being one of the largest communities of British people living abroad with around 300,000 officially registered as residents, Spain is a key holiday destination for British tourists.

The outcome of the vote was also a concern for Spaniards making a living off the tourism industry, which, in places like Benidorm, depends heavily on British travellers.

In the sunny seaside resort city of Benidorm, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, British expats expressed their concerns about what a Brexit can mean for them, with work permits, health care and pensions among the top worries.

Their situation will be one of the things to be negotiated between the UK and the European Union in the coming months and years after Britain voted Thursday to leave the bloc.

The British expat community in Spain was split between those who could vote and those, like bar owner Chuck Daulson, who have lived away from Britain for longer than 15 years, disqualifying them from voting in the referendum.

He was concerned he would have to go back to Britain and lose all he's worked for in the 23 years he's lived and worked in Spain.

While being one of the largest communities of British people living abroad with around 300,000 officially registered as residents, Spain is a key holiday destination for British tourists.

The outcome of the vote was also a concern for Spaniards making a living off the tourism industry, which, in places like Benidorm, depends heavily on British travellers.

Benidorm - June 24 2016

1. Various of beach in Benidorm

2. Various of tourists watching British Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation on TV in a bar

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Chuck Daulson, Englishman living in Spain for 23 years, 51-year-old bar owner:

"We're very scared because I've been here 23 years, I've got my house, my kids were born here, they've been to Spanish school, I've got a bar, I've got a lot to lose. If I go back to England, I've got nothing. No house. Nothing."

4. England flags hanging in the bar

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Chuck Daulson, Englishman living in Spain for 23 years, 51-year-old bar owner:

"We don't know how we're going to be now, we might have no pension, we might have no medical, we may have to sell our properties, we've lived here for a lot of years, we don't know how it's going to affect us anymore."

6. Various of Sarah, no last name given, serving customers in bar

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah, 28-year-old Londoner living in Benidorm for 3 years, waitress:

"I've got my mum to vote on my behalf for me, I voted 'in' obviously. If we leave the EU, then it's bad on us expats who live here, obviously we'll lose our medical care, we'll lose our right to work without a work permit. Me and my boyfriend, we've lived here for 3 years, we won't get a chance to get a mortgage or anything like that now."

8. Various of people watching the news on TV at a terrace bar

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julianne, (no last name given), 75-year-old English tourist in Benidorm, retired:

"We want to control our borders and make our own decisions, and for my grandchildren I think it would be better that we're on our own."

10. Various of newspaper stand

11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gemma, (no last name given), Benidorm native working in the tourism industry:

"We make a living out of foreign people, I think 80 percent of tourists coming here to Benidorm and all the coast around are English."

12. Shot of tourist post at the beach

13. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gemma, (no last name given), Benidorm native working in the tourism industry:

"We think it can affect us a lot in our business, in the work that we do, so we're concerned about what can happen, and yes we're a little bit scared."

14. Various of Sterling vs Euro currency exchange sign being changed in the street

British residents in Spain were among those watching the EU referendum result closely on Thursday as the UK voted on whether to remain within or leave the European Union.

Spain has one of the largest communities of British people living abroad, with around 300-thousand Brits officially registered as residents.

It is also a key holiday destination for British tourists.

In the seaside resort city of Benidorn, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, Brits expressed their concerns on Thursday about what a 'Leave' vote would mean for local British residents and tourists, with a possible weaker pound being a key worry for some.

Most people were going out as usual and most clubs didn't broadcast the TV specials on the referendum, although early after polls closed in Britain some people were seen watching the results in at least a couple of bars in the area of Levante Beach.

The British expat community in Spain is split between those who can vote and those who have lived away from Britain for longer than fifteen years, disqualifying them from a say on whether the UK remains in union with their adopted country.

Many of them are afraid of the consequences of a potential Brexit for their status in Spain, which would depend on negotiations between the EU and the UK should the 'Leave' side triumph.

British residents in Spain were among those watching the EU referendum result closely on Thursday as the UK voted on whether to remain within or leave the European Union.

Spain has one of the largest communities of British people living abroad, with around 300-thousand Brits officially registered as residents.

It is also a key holiday destination for British tourists.

In the seaside resort city of Benidorn, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, Brits expressed their concerns on Thursday about what a 'Leave' vote would mean for local British residents and tourists, with a possible weaker pound being a key worry for some.

Most people were going out as usual and most clubs didn't broadcast the TV specials on the referendum, although early after polls closed in Britain some people were seen watching the results in at least a couple of bars in the area of Levante Beach.

The British expat community in Spain is split between those who can vote and those who have lived away from Britain for longer than fifteen years, disqualifying them from a say on whether the UK remains in union with their adopted country.

Many of them are afraid of the consequences of a potential Brexit for their status in Spain, which would depend on negotiations between the EU and the UK should the 'Leave' side triumph.

Benidorm - 23 June 2016

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Various of coast promenade in Benidorm

2. Close of Union Jack bunting

3. Various of nightclubs

4. Television screen showing news programme on EU Referendum

5. Louise Bell, 42-years-old, UK-born but has been living in Spain for 19 years, watching television programme on EU referendum

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Bell, born in Nottingham but has been living in Spain for 19 years:

"I believe that it's not going to make much difference if we come out of the Euro (sic.). I think everything will stay more or less the same as it was 19 years ago; it's just that you would have to have a work permit to come over to Spain, which I think is more safer for the people travelling around, people with no papers will be more controlled. And my vote is out, because I'm English and I think I deserve, for my country, for my family, that they get the best from their own country."

7. Jim Lions and his wife, UK tourists, watching television coverage

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Lions, 58-years-old, UK tourist in Benidorm:

"I have not voted because I've been here in Benidorm on holiday."

9. Close of Jim Lions

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Lions, 58-years-old, UK tourist in Benidorm:

"I vote we stay in because it's good for a lot of British, could be a lot of problems if we go alone, it's good for companies, the company I work for we deal all over Europe, so it's very good for us."

11. Close of sign reading "Titanic Bar"

12. Bar customers having a drink and watching television coverage

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Denise Wood, 60-years-old, UK tourist:

"I voted by proxy before I came away, I voted to come out of the EU and I don't think that our country benefits from the EU, and I don't think that the politicians know what to do with the country."

14. Various of bars in Benidorm

British residents in Spain were among those watching the EU referendum result closely on Thursday as the UK voted whether to reamain a part of, or leave the European Union.

While one of the largest communities of British people living abroad with around 300,000 Brits officially registered as resident, Spain is also a key holiday destination for British tourists.

In the sunny seaside resort city of Benidorn, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, beachgoers expressed their concerns on Thursday about what a 'Leave' vote would mean for local British residents and tourists, with a possible weaker pound being a key worry for some.

The British expat community in Spain is split between those who can vote and those who have lived away from Britain for longer than fifteen years, disqualifying them from a say on whether the UK remains in union with their adopted country.

Many of them are afraid of the consequences of a potential Brexit for their status in Spain, which would depend on negotiations between the EU and the UK should the 'Leave' side triumph.

Some of the British people holidaying in Spain expressed their oppinion about the referendum.

British residents in Spain were among those watching the EU referendum result closely on Thursday as the UK voted whether to reamain a part of, or leave the European Union.

While one of the largest communities of British people living abroad with around 300,000 Brits officially registered as resident, Spain is also a key holiday destination for British tourists.

In the sunny seaside resort city of Benidorn, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, beachgoers expressed their concerns on Thursday about what a 'Leave' vote would mean for local British residents and tourists, with a possible weaker pound being a key worry for some.

The British expat community in Spain is split between those who can vote and those who have lived away from Britain for longer than fifteen years, disqualifying them from a say on whether the UK remains in union with their adopted country.

Many of them are afraid of the consequences of a potential Brexit for their status in Spain, which would depend on negotiations between the EU and the UK should the 'Leave' side triumph.

Some of the British people holidaying in Spain expressed their oppinion about the referendum.

Benidorm - 23 June 2016

1. Various of beach in Benidorm

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Maining, 50-years-old, UK-born but has been living in Benidorm for 23 years, translator and teacher, cannot vote in the referendum:

"I'm unable to vote because I've lived here over the 10 year period, which makes me a permanent resident of Spain, but I'm obviously British born"

3. Beach

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Maining, 50-years-old, UK-born but has been living in Benidorm for 23 years, translator and teacher, cannot vote in the referendum:

"I think a lot of people are very scared to leave; they'd like to leave but they're scared for the one reason that they live in Spain. I think the majority here that can vote would vote for in, because they're scared that they would have to leave. Again, that's a shame, because that's lack of information. You know, I don't think ... Spain does very well out of tourism, and I don't think in any instance would Spain want to lose the tourism that it has."

5. British tourists seated on a bar terrace

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald George, 71-years-old, Englishman traveling as tourist in Benidorm, voted 'Remain' via postal vote:

"If we leave the EU, I'm sure that the rate of Sterling against the Euro would … "Whooosh" (gesturing upwards with hands)…. It would explode, we couldn't afford to take our holidays in Europe anymore".

7. Various of Becky and her daughter playing on the beach

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Becky (no surname given), 25-years-old, from Leeds, housewife, voted 'Remain' via postal vote:

"I've postal-voted in for the sake of our country to be united and safe and welcoming to all".

9. Various of beach

10. Crowds drinking at bar

Rob Warnock is a proud British farmer and the son of a proud British farmer. One day, he hopes to be the father of a proud British farmer, too.

He's also a European Union farmer, but that is not a legacy Warnock wants to pass on to his 6-year-old son.

The 44-year-old plans to vote this week for Britain to leave the EU, even though he knows it will cost his struggling dairy business dear.

Many British farmers feel the same emotional tug. But while their hearts tell them to leave, their heads urge caution. The EU is helping farmers stay afloat at a time when many are struggling.

The benefits of membership in the 28-nation EU may seem intangible to many Britons, who view it as a distant body of Byzantine bureaucracy and obscure regulations.

But farmers know exactly how much they get from the bloc. In Warnock's case it's about 40-thousand pounds (60-thousand US dollars) a year - his share of the subsidy millions of farmers across the continent receive under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.

"Well I think the EU really holds us back as a nation. Our milk prices, which have been documented, are very low in the UK," he says.

"And I just feel that we can make our own trade deals outside the EU with other countries around the world which I think long term will benefit all the farmers in the country."

He desperately needs things to improve. The price of milk has been plunging for more than two years, hit by what Warnock calls a "perfect storm" of factors, including Russia's ban on EU imports, Chinese stockpiling of powdered milk and production increases in other EU countries.

That is disastrous for Warnock, who tends 450 dairy cows and grows barley and wheat on 650 acres (263 hectares) perched above the English Channel on Britain's south coast.

Warnock's father Jim is not so sure. He intends to vote "remain," worried the subsidies will disappear.

"I know they are saying at the moment if there is a change then we will still get it," he said. "But knowing politicians and knowing the pressure they are going to be under..."

"Leave" campaigners have vowed that the British government will step in to support farmers if the country leaves the EU. The "remain" camp says the pledge is unrealistic: the "leave" side has also promised to boost funding for the health service, maintain defence spending and much more, at a time when the government is committed to cutting public-sector spending.

Farmers have a long list of complaints about the EU, from its complex paperwork to its environmental regulations, which limit which fertilizers and pesticides they can use.

British governments in recent decades have taken a comparatively laissez-faire attitude to agriculture, reluctant to shield domestic producers from international competition.

It's a different story across the Channel in France, where agriculture accounts for a bigger slice of the economy and looms larger in the national consciousness. Militant French farmers regularly stage protests - blocking roads, dumping manure and even herding sheep in the Louvre museum to demand more support from the government.

The National Farmers Union has come out broadly pro-remain, but understands that the community is split.

"Our council met in April, discussed at great length the issues, very good debate, and they came up with the line that basically, on the balance of probabilities as we know it, at the moment farmers are best served to remain within the EU. However individual businesses may differ from that line," says Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs of the National Farmers Union.

Back on the farm Warnock believes the years of ups and downs have made British farmers resilient. He describes himself as a "passionate dairy farmer" - but worries that if something doesn't change soon, passion may not be enough.

Two decades ago there were more than 35-thousand dairy farmers in Britain.

Today there are only about 10-thousand, and the NFU has estimated that 10 to 20 per cent could go out of business by the end of 2016.

Rob Warnock is a proud British farmer and the son of a proud British farmer. One day, he hopes to be the father of a proud British farmer, too.

He's also a European Union farmer, but that is not a legacy Warnock wants to pass on to his 6-year-old son.

The 44-year-old plans to vote this week for Britain to leave the EU, even though he knows it will cost his struggling dairy business dear.

Many British farmers feel the same emotional tug. But while their hearts tell them to leave, their heads urge caution. The EU is helping farmers stay afloat at a time when many are struggling.

The benefits of membership in the 28-nation EU may seem intangible to many Britons, who view it as a distant body of Byzantine bureaucracy and obscure regulations.

But farmers know exactly how much they get from the bloc. In Warnock's case it's about 40-thousand pounds (60-thousand US dollars) a year - his share of the subsidy millions of farmers across the continent receive under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.

"Well I think the EU really holds us back as a nation. Our milk prices, which have been documented, are very low in the UK," he says.

"And I just feel that we can make our own trade deals outside the EU with other countries around the world which I think long term will benefit all the farmers in the country."

He desperately needs things to improve. The price of milk has been plunging for more than two years, hit by what Warnock calls a "perfect storm" of factors, including Russia's ban on EU imports, Chinese stockpiling of powdered milk and production increases in other EU countries.

That is disastrous for Warnock, who tends 450 dairy cows and grows barley and wheat on 650 acres (263 hectares) perched above the English Channel on Britain's south coast.

Warnock's father Jim is not so sure. He intends to vote "remain," worried the subsidies will disappear.

"I know they are saying at the moment if there is a change then we will still get it," he said. "But knowing politicians and knowing the pressure they are going to be under..."

"Leave" campaigners have vowed that the British government will step in to support farmers if the country leaves the EU. The "remain" camp says the pledge is unrealistic: the "leave" side has also promised to boost funding for the health service, maintain defence spending and much more, at a time when the government is committed to cutting public-sector spending.

Farmers have a long list of complaints about the EU, from its complex paperwork to its environmental regulations, which limit which fertilizers and pesticides they can use.

British governments in recent decades have taken a comparatively laissez-faire attitude to agriculture, reluctant to shield domestic producers from international competition.

It's a different story across the Channel in France, where agriculture accounts for a bigger slice of the economy and looms larger in the national consciousness. Militant French farmers regularly stage protests - blocking roads, dumping manure and even herding sheep in the Louvre museum to demand more support from the government.

The National Farmers Union has come out broadly pro-remain, but understands that the community is split.

"Our council met in April, discussed at great length the issues, very good debate, and they came up with the line that basically, on the balance of probabilities as we know it, at the moment farmers are best served to remain within the EU. However individual businesses may differ from that line," says Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs of the National Farmers Union.

Back on the farm Warnock believes the years of ups and downs have made British farmers resilient. He describes himself as a "passionate dairy farmer" - but worries that if something doesn't change soon, passion may not be enough.

Two decades ago there were more than 35-thousand dairy farmers in Britain.

Today there are only about 10-thousand, and the NFU has estimated that 10 to 20 per cent could go out of business by the end of 2016.

Folkestone, UK - 16 June, 2016

1. Various of cows being milked

2. Farmer Rob Warnock milking cow

3. Milk bottle being filled

4. Various of farmer Rob Warnock milking cow

5. Will Warnock, brother of Rob, by cows

6. Various of farmer Rob Warnock walking with cows in field

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Rob Warnock, farmer

"Well I think the EU really holds us back as a nation. Our milk prices, which have been documented, are very low in the UK. And I just feel that we can make our own trade deals outside the EU with other countries around the world which I think long term will benefit all the farmers in the country."

8. Cows

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Rob Warnock, farmer

"That subsidy currently to our own business is not going to mean the difference to whether we survive or go out of business. It's equivalent to a couple of pence a metre on our milk cheque."

10. Farmhouse and sheep

11. Farmer Rob Warnock and his father Jim Warnock, also a farmer

12. Sheep in field

13. SOUNDBITE (English): Jim Warnock, farmer, father of Rob

"From a farming point of view the pot of money that we get each year, you know, to keep the whole farming system going could very well go. I know they are saying at the moment if there is a change then we will still get it. But knowing politicians and knowing the pressure they are going to be under."

14. Various of tractor being driven in field

London, UK - 16 June, 2016

15. Set up of Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs, National Farmers Union (NFU)

16. SOUNDBITE (English): Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs, National Farmers Union

"The NFU represents farmers and growers from across the country and we represent a huge range of growers, and huge range of views and businesses so we reflect that in our view. Our council met in April, discussed at great length the issues, very good debate and they came up with the line that basically, on the balance of probabilities as we know it, at the moment farmers are best served to remain within the EU. However individual businesses may differ from that line."

17. Cutaway

18. SOUNDBITE (English): Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs, National Farmers Union

"The agriculture community reflects the wider community, people have there own personal views, but our job is to inform them on how it will impact on agricultural issues, and to be there to look after their best interests."

19. Cutaway

With marching bands and all groups of society out in strength, Norway celebrates Constitution Day, taking pride in its sovereignty.

The small Scandinavian country's independence was hard won, having been ruled by Denmark for more than 400 years, and then by Sweden for nearly another century.

For some people, the experience of having been ruled from afar can explain Norway's reluctance to embrace the European Union project.

"We are on the edge of Europe and we know what it means to be governed from abroad," says Hans Petter Bergseth who is marching with friends from his skiing club. "I think it's deep in our soul that we want to be independent."

But whilst Norway has twice rejected EU membership in referendums in 1972 and 1994, the nation relies on a close relationship with Brussels. Seventy to 80 percent of all Norwegian exports go to the EU markets and cooperation is viewed as essential in the areas of education, research and many more.

Access to the EU's single market comes at a price.

Norway has signed up the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement, and therefore had to implement more than three quarters of all EU laws with no formal influence on how they are drafted.

More importantly, Norway has had to agree to four EU-style freedoms: free movement of goods, services, people and capital.

Today, Norway has more EU migrants per person than Britain. More than 300,000 EU nationals live here, mostly people from Poland and Sweden attracted by the prospects of high-paid jobs and a generous welfare state.

For many companies, this influx of foreign workers has been beneficial. In the small fishing village of Skjervoy several hours north of Tromso, a salmon processing plant has become dependent on foreign workers.

"We don't have enough Norwegian workers who want to work in the fish industry," explains plant manager Tore Pedersen.

Many of these foreign workers are from Romania, like Christian, who arrived nearly four years ago after growing tired of poorly paid jobs in Italy.

"I'm travelling with a Romanian passport, I've had no problem," he explains.

This factory processes 365 tons of fish per day: salmon fillets and whole fish destined for restaurants and dining tables across Europe. It's the main employer in the village, and managers say the business would not be able to grow without foreign workers willing to work the assembly lines.

Here, most workers are unionised and Pedersen says foreign workers are paid the same as Norwegians. Something the unions dispute.

Across the fishing industry, construction industry, hotel and restaurants, they report cases of employers using foreign workers that are not unionized and therefore don't benefit from the collective bargaining agreements that guarantee a minimum wage and regulated working conditions.

"If they don't know the system, they work up to 12 hours," complains union leader Gunn Paulsen, who was picketing a hotel during a four-week long strike across the Norwegian hotel industry calling for better pay. "They ruin it for the next (person) who's coming in, the Norwegians coming in who know the regulations."

Whilst many large hotel groups are unionized, smaller or independent ones without a protection are free to pay their staff whatever they wish. "However low they get in Norway they get higher than in other countries," said Paulsen.

For Professor Bjorn Hersoug from the Arctic University of Tromso, companies that seek to get around ordinary labour conditions by outsourcing the hiring for foreign workers represent a threat to the Norwegian model that balances free markets with a strong social welfare state.

"There is a fear of labour dumping," says Hersoug. "In some instances, it looks like they have working conditions that are considerably worse than agreed through the ordinary agreements for minimum wages for example."

But despite the challenges brought by the EEA agreement, cooperation with the EU and access to the single market remains essential for Norway.

"The EEA agreement is something I would call a corner stone in the Norwegian economy," says Elisabeth Aspaker, the Norwegian Minister of the EEA and EU Affairs.

"We have to face the reality that the EU is our most important market," she says. "We do need cooperation when it comes to research, education, and in many other aspects."

With marching bands and all groups of society out in strength, Norway celebrates Constitution Day, taking pride in its sovereignty.

The small Scandinavian country's independence was hard won, having been ruled by Denmark for more than 400 years, and then by Sweden for nearly another century.

For some people, the experience of having been ruled from afar can explain Norway's reluctance to embrace the European Union project.

"We are on the edge of Europe and we know what it means to be governed from abroad," says Hans Petter Bergseth who is marching with friends from his skiing club. "I think it's deep in our soul that we want to be independent."

But whilst Norway has twice rejected EU membership in referendums in 1972 and 1994, the nation relies on a close relationship with Brussels. Seventy to 80 percent of all Norwegian exports go to the EU markets and cooperation is viewed as essential in the areas of education, research and many more.

Access to the EU's single market comes at a price.

Norway has signed up the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement, and therefore had to implement more than three quarters of all EU laws with no formal influence on how they are drafted.

More importantly, Norway has had to agree to four EU-style freedoms: free movement of goods, services, people and capital.

Today, Norway has more EU migrants per person than Britain. More than 300,000 EU nationals live here, mostly people from Poland and Sweden attracted by the prospects of high-paid jobs and a generous welfare state.

For many companies, this influx of foreign workers has been beneficial. In the small fishing village of Skjervoy several hours north of Tromso, a salmon processing plant has become dependent on foreign workers.

"We don't have enough Norwegian workers who want to work in the fish industry," explains plant manager Tore Pedersen.

Many of these foreign workers are from Romania, like Christian, who arrived nearly four years ago after growing tired of poorly paid jobs in Italy.

"I'm travelling with a Romanian passport, I've had no problem," he explains.

This factory processes 365 tons of fish per day: salmon fillets and whole fish destined for restaurants and dining tables across Europe. It's the main employer in the village, and managers say the business would not be able to grow without foreign workers willing to work the assembly lines.

Here, most workers are unionised and Pedersen says foreign workers are paid the same as Norwegians. Something the unions dispute.

Across the fishing industry, construction industry, hotel and restaurants, they report cases of employers using foreign workers that are not unionized and therefore don't benefit from the collective bargaining agreements that guarantee a minimum wage and regulated working conditions.

"If they don't know the system, they work up to 12 hours," complains union leader Gunn Paulsen, who was picketing a hotel during a four-week long strike across the Norwegian hotel industry calling for better pay. "They ruin it for the next (person) who's coming in, the Norwegians coming in who know the regulations."

Whilst many large hotel groups are unionized, smaller or independent ones without a protection are free to pay their staff whatever they wish. "However low they get in Norway they get higher than in other countries," said Paulsen.

For Professor Bjorn Hersoug from the Arctic University of Tromso, companies that seek to get around ordinary labour conditions by outsourcing the hiring for foreign workers represent a threat to the Norwegian model that balances free markets with a strong social welfare state.

"There is a fear of labour dumping," says Hersoug. "In some instances, it looks like they have working conditions that are considerably worse than agreed through the ordinary agreements for minimum wages for example."

But despite the challenges brought by the EEA agreement, cooperation with the EU and access to the single market remains essential for Norway.

"The EEA agreement is something I would call a corner stone in the Norwegian economy," says Elisabeth Aspaker, the Norwegian Minister of the EEA and EU Affairs.

"We have to face the reality that the EU is our most important market," she says. "We do need cooperation when it comes to research, education, and in many other aspects."

AP TELEVISION

Tromso - 17 May 2016

1. Various of Constitution Day parade

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Hans Petter Bergseth, 53-year-old medical adviser:

"Well, it's a young nation. Quite a proud nation. We are on the edge of Europe and we know what it means to be governed from abroad or we know what it means to be governed by larger countries. So I think it's deep in our soul that we want to be independent pretty much yes."

3. Various of Constitution Day parade

AP TELEVISION

Skjervoy - 18 May 2016

4. Various of Skjervoy harbour

5. Various exteriors of salmon processing plant

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Tore Pedersen, Fish processing plant manager:

"We have 180 people working here at Skjervoy and 60 percent of the workers are from other countries. It's a fact that we don't have enough Norwegian workers who want to work in the fish industry, so we need people from other countries to come and work at Skjervoy."

7. Christian in front of the processing plant

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Christian, No last Name given, factory worker from Romania:

"My name is Christian and I come from Romania. I've been here for four years - almost four years. I'm travelling with a Romanian passport, I've don't have any problems with travel. We don't need a visa or something like that - it's very easy to come here from Romania. It's a nice country to come to."

9. Various of filleting assembly line

10. Various of salmon packaging line

11. Various of salmon slaughter room

AP TELEVISION

Tromso - 17 May, 2016

12. Various of Tromso seen from onboard a boat in the fjord

AP TELEVISION

Tromso - 20 May, 2016

13. Various of local hotel staff on strike

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Gunn Paulsen, Union Leader:

"Before the oil strikes (meaning the fall in oil prices) it has been good for Norway because you had to have people working here, but then it started what we call in Norway the 'Monkey business' - that they started to pay lower to the people from other places, because they accept it, because however low they get in Norway they get higher than in other countries. So this is the bad thing."

15. Cutaway

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Gunn Paulsen, Union Leader:

"If they don't know the system, they work up to 12 hours. It's not nice because they ruin it for the next (person) who's coming in, the Norwegians coming in who know the regulations - but you can't say anything to the others working like this, because it's okay, they've always been doing this."

AP TELEVISION

Tromso - 19 May, 2016

17. Various of Tromso harbour

18. Professor Bjorn Hersoug walking along harbour seafront

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Prof. Bjorn Hersoug, Arctic University of Tromso:

"You know, seen from the Norwegian point of view, if you can get around the ordinary salary conditions, the labour conditions by hiring a company from, for example, from Poland, and you make a deal with this Polish company where they provide you with the labour which is unorganised (non-unionized) then you are getting around the rules. You can legally pay them less, but that kind of undermines the whole Norwegian model in the longer run."

20. Cutaway

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Prof. Bjorn Hersoug, Arctic University of Tromso

"We see that we have a number of people coming from the European Union countries and in some instances it looks like they have working conditions that are considerably worse than agreed through the ordinary Norwegian agreements for minimum wages for example. So there is kind of a fear of labour dumping."

AP TELEVISION

Tromso, Norway - 17 MAY 2016

22. Various of Tromso seen from onboard a boat in the fjord

AP TELEVISION

Brussels, Belgium - 25 MAY 2016

23. Various of EU flags

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Elisabeth Aspaker, Minister of the EEA and EU Affairs:

"I think Norway is in a very special situation. We have this huge fortune in our oil, we have developed a solid welfare state and people think 'we can do by ourselves' or 'we can go on alone.' But in another way, we have to face the reality that the EU is our most important market, up to 70 or 80 percent of all the exported goods from Norway go to the EU market, and we do need cooperation when it comes to research, education, and in many other aspects. These days it's about migration, it's about security policy. So the EEA agreement is something I would call a corner stone in the Norwegian economy and if you go to the Parliament today, they will be a solid majority for the agreement although we are not a member of the EU."

32. Various of Norway House in Brussels

Deal, a town located on the south coast of English, voted almost equally between leave and remain, but even for those who wanted to remain three years ago, are hoping for an end to this Brexit saga.

This seaside town has had intertwined history with France as it was located a mere 50 kilometres (31 miles) away.

Although enjoying a better relationship with Europeans in modern days, the Castle guarding this town once had its cannon facing continental Europe to fend off invaders.

Admiral Lord Nelson, who defeated French and Spanish ships back in the early 19th century during the Battle of Trafalgar was once stationed in Deal

In recent years, however, many people in the area rely on the jobs linked to Europe, especially in the nearby Dover Port, which would be badly affected once the UK leaves the EU.

Deal, being a coastal area, has seen the demise in the fishing industry and people often in low paid jobs, feel hard done by and abandoned by London and the Conservative government.

Ian Swain, who worked in the trucking  industry before retiring, voted leave and believed that lawmakers should accept the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's deal that is due to be voted on this weekend.

"He seems to have an answer and don't matter what he come up with, they (UK lawmakers) go against it. So where will it end? Will it just go on? I'll vote to leave. I thought we'd been gone by now," he said.

Michael Eddy is a Green Party town councillor.  He believed a lot of people used the referendum as a protest vote against the former UK Prime Minister David Cameron because they were fed up with austerity.  

He voted remain and believed the UK is best served staying in the EU.

"As far as I can see the deal is actually worse than the one that was got by (former UK Prime Minister) Theresa May.  It's certainly much worse from the point of view of the future of the United Kingdom," he said.

Some people have also changed their minds since the referendum.

Elizabeth Griffiths, who voted for remain, feels that it has gone on too long and lawmakers should accept the deal.

"It's gone on for so long I think go for it and in the year ahead try and make compromises I think we have had enough of being in this terrible mess," she said.

At Kings Cafe, owner Donata Testa, from Italy, is concerned about the UK leaving the European bloc.  

She has lived in the UK for 39 years and is in the process of applying for UK citizenship.

"I would rather hang on and have a second referendum if I could choose," she said, but added that the UK should accept that the country is leaving the EU.

Meanwhile, Kings Cafe customer Sarah Gleave was adamant that Johnson's deal was a bad one.

"It's not a deal that has been arrived at by listening to the whole of the country or trying to bring them together," she added.

With Deal as bitterly divided as the country, Saturday's vote is unlikely to please everyone.  

But whatever the decision will be, Deal's future will continue to rest on its relationship with France and Europe as it has done throughout history.

Deal - 18 october 2019

1. Various views of Deal

2. Deal Castle in the background, with sign reading (English) "Welcome to Deal, please drive carefully. A cinque port town twinned with Saint-Omer"

3. Deal Castle

4. Close of sign reading (English) "Welcome to Deal"

5. Various of the pier

6. Set up of Deal resident Ian Swain fishing on the pier

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ian Swain, Deal resident who voted leave:

"He seems to have an answer and don't matter what he come up with, they (UK lawmakers) go against it. So where will it end? Will it just go on? I'll vote to leave. I thought we'd been gone by now."

8. Set up of local town councillor Michael Eddy, Green Party, who voted remain, being served in cafe

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Eddy, local town councillor from the Green Party, who voted remain:

"As far as I can see, the deal is actually worse than the one which was got by (former UK Prime Minister)Theresa May. It's certainly much worse from the point of view of the future of the United Kingdom."

10. Various of Eddy pouring tea

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Eddy, local town councillor from the Green Party, who voted remain:

"I think that (UK Prime Minister) Boris (Johnson) is going to have a really tough job getting people to back it. And I think there are a lot of reasons for not backing it. My personal view is that we shouldn't have got into this mess in the first place and that basically we should take every opportunity to get out of this mess by saying, 'Sorry, we made a mistake. We were totally misled.'"

12. Elizabeth Griffiths, who voted remain but has now changed her mind and wants to get out, walking along the beach

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Elizabeth Griffiths, who voted Remain but has now changed her mind:

"I think that the deal that he's brokered - maybe it isn't the best deal that we could wish for. But it's gone on for so long, I think go for it. And in the year ahead, try and make compromises. And I just think we've had enough of just being in this terrible mess."

14. Carole and Kevin Pogson, both voted remain but now want to leave, walking along the beach front

15. Cutaway of buildings

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Pogson, both voted Remain but now want to leave:

"I think the country's got go for it, and I think MPs (members of parliament) ought to vote for it."

Carole Pogson: "I think they should listen to what the people want and we want out now whether we wanted out before, now we do."

Kevin Pogson: "We were both remainers but we accept that we're going to go. Just get out as quick as we can. Country needs to move on."

Carole Pogson: "We need to concentrate on the real things in life rather than just constant arguing."

17. Cafe owner Donata Testa, originally from Italy but has lived in the UK for 39 years, working

18. Menu in the cafe

19. Customers in the cafe

20. Various of Testa making a sandwich

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Donata Testa, cafe owner in Deal, originally from Italy but has lived in the UK for 39 years:

"I would rather hang on and have a second referendum if I could choose but if this deal is the best deal we're going to get then I think after three years they'll have to do something about it because, you know, you can't go on prolonging it and prolonging it, if it's out, it's out as long as we get a good deal. But you know, I'm not happy but we have to accept it."

22. Set up of Sarah Gleave (in green hoodie) and Peter Smith, who both voted for remain

23. Close of Gleave's hand

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Gleave, who voted for remain:

"It's as bad as it ever was. It's a hard deal. Its' not a deal that has been arrived at by listening to the whole of the country or trying to bring them together. It's a hard deal that suits the financial elite. It's not a deal that is there for environmental protections or climate change or workers rights, it's not a good deal."

25. Cutaway of tea cups

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Smith, retired, who voted Remain:

"No, I would urge any MP (member of parliament) to vote against it. There is no good Brexit and possibly this one is slightly better than no-deal but no, I would urge people to vote against it. I mean in practice young people who I am most concerned about, will have a bleaker outlook, they won't enjoy the freedom and rights that I have."

27. Various of Deal

Ahmed from Ahwaz in southwest Iran has lived in a makeshift migrant camp near the Calais dunes for about two months.

Together with his wife, eight-year-old daughter and two-year-old son he boarded an overloaded rubber boat for a night voyage to Britain sometime in November 2018.

The fragile vessel, however, quickly tipped and his children fell into the water, he said.

Eight people helped pull them back aboard and within an hour the boat was back on the beach.

Ahmed said a friend arranged the boat ride but he didn't know which beach the group left from or the exact date.

Ahmed and his family are part of the recent spike in bids by mostly Iranian migrants desperate to get to Britain mainly in rubber boats, as reported by French border officials.

In a bid to end the high-risk tactic, France is combing beaches, dunes and the frigid, murky coastal waters of northern France.

The goal is to save lives in one of the world's busiest, and most treacherous, waterways, known for its strong currents, and to catch smugglers who appear to have found a new money-making niche, adding to their specialty of hiding migrants in freight trucks that cross the Channel on ferries or trains.

The stepped-up security is beginning to pay off. A patrol discovered a motorized rubber boat and four people this week in the dunes south of Calais, a top French border control official told The Associated Press.

French authorities counted 71 small boat crossings or attempts in 2018 - 57 for the months of November and December alone, according to the Interior Ministry.

Forty of the crossings were successful, with the majority of the 504 migrants who tried managing to make it to British waters or the coast.

In 2017, there were only 12 such crossings.

Most migrants in northern France still opt to hide among vegetables or other cargo in trucks, trying to outwit heartbeat detectors, scans and other sophisticated equipment seeking to rout them out at ports in Calais and Dunkirk and at the Eurotunnel.

About 3,000 migrants were discovered hiding in trucks in the region in 2018, Franck Toulliou, the No. 2 Air and Border Police official said.

Toulliou said that fears voiced by some migrants about increased checks with the approach of Brexit are unfounded because nothing will change for those trying to enter Britain illegally.

"In terms of the level of controls (after Brexit), there won't be more or less. We'll check (all vehicles), 100 percent," he said.

The cliffs of Dover, visible in good weather, are irresistible for some of the desperate people huddled around camp fires in hideouts around Calais, in defiance of police who regularly clear them out and a harsh policy of the town that harbored a huge makeshift camp of thousands of migrants.

The camp went up in flames during a dismantling operation in the fall of 2016.

Toulliou said that no Iranian smuggling network has yet been discovered, even though the French dismantled 26 smuggling networks in 2018 along the northern coast.

Britain has pressured France to do more to end the boat crossings, with London injecting funds as it has in the past.

France announced in early January stepped-up security to stop departures of small boats.

Ports have taken measures to lock down vessels after a fishing boat that was stolen in November from Boulogne-Sur-Mer reached Britain, and boats were tampered with in the small pleasure port of Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk.

Reinforced security also means foot patrols on beaches, sometimes with helicopter support, and patrols on the Channel itself by France's Maritime Prefecture which coordinates rescues of the often off-course travelers.

Still to come are drones, part of a French-British action plan still being developed.

Planned long before the spike in small boat crossings, a new Joint Information and Coordination Center, opened in November and staffed by French and British Border Force police, provides real-time information with images of the ports of Calais and Dunkirk, the Eurotunnel and Eurostar information.

The high-tech detection is likely to only make Ahmed's life worse in his small camp, shot through with ethnic and religious divisions.

His wife and children are currently housed in a small apartment, on doctor's orders, but that is temporary.

He said he was beaten in the head by Muslims during a Bible-reading session, showing a photo of his bandaged head.

Calais - 15 January 2019

1. Ahmed (last name not given),37, Iranian refugee walking to the camp with food

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ahmed, Iranian refugee:

"All try in the boat. And going to UK. Little people in here in Iranian (Everyone have tried to take the boat to the UK. Few Iranian people left)."

3. Ahmed walking to the camp with food

4. Various of migrants setting up tent

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dariush (last name not given), Afghan refugee:

"We sleep in the street, or we sleep here in Calais. Because of that, we want to go to UK. It's not important, we die in here in the tent or we die in a river and sea."

6. Tents in the field

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dariush, Afghan refugee:

"It was difficult, and now it's maybe very difficult after this (Brexit). But we will try because you can see it as well, we can't live in here (for) about one year and six months or even more than that. But we will try. Maybe we can go to UK and make our life (there)."

8. Kettle being heated on fire

9. Ahmed and refugees seated by fire

10. Various of the camp

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Ahmed, Iranian refugee:

"Two children go down in the water. After two friends, after eight friend helped me (to) for move my children up (on the) boat. After one hour, we come back on the beach."

12. Various of Ahmed visiting his wife and children in hospital dormitory, where they recovered after incident with the boat

13. Ahmed covers his face with hands, UPSOUND (English): "Very dangerous the boat."

14. View of Calais from dormitory

Calais - 16 January 2019

15. Exterior of the Joint Information and Coordination Centre (JICC)

16. Policeman looking at screens

17. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Toulliou, deputy chief of the local Air and Frontier police department:

"In terms of the level of controls (after Brexit), there won't be more or less. We'll check (all vehicles), 100 percent: all the heavy vehicles, all tourism vehicles will be checked at the same level."

18. Various of people working inside coordination centre

19. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Toulliou, deputy chief of the local Air and Frontier police department:

"The first reason is the proximity of Brexit. The fear of migrants has reinforced the border controls. Although it has already proven itself effective."

20. Various of migrants take away their belongings as police arrive to dismantle the campsite, some burning their belongings in small fires

21. Police pulling journalist away, who was working covering story at campsite

22. Police pulling away Associated Press cameraman

23. Various of workers cleaning the rubbish remaining at camp, police monitoring

24. Police leading away a migrant

25. Train coming out of the Eurotunnel

26. Barbed wire

Boulogne-sur-Mer - 16 January 2019

27. Various of the Port in Boulogne-sur-Mer

28. Empty seashore