A vineyard will send its sparkling wine to Canada after landing a deal with one of the world’s largest alcohol buyers as the Prime Minister visits the country for trade talks.

Hush Heath Estate has won the contract with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario as Theresa May meets businesses and investors in Ottawa today in a bid to strengthen economic ties.

The Staplehurst winery’s Balfour 1503 Classic Cuvée will become the first English sparkling wine selected for the distributor’s Vintages Classics Programme, which picks out fine wines and premium spirits from around the world.

Described as a “significant deal”, it has been announced as the Prime Minister talks with her Canadian opposite number Justin Trudeau to solidify a free trading relationship as the UK leaves the EU.

She hosted a business roundtable event with major Canadian investors into the UK.

She said: “It’s great to see that English sparkling wine has been making a name for itself, not just here in the UK but further afield too.

“The news today that Hush Heath Estate will be supplying to Canadian consumers is hugely welcome and they will be flying the flag for the high-quality of wine being produced in Britain.

“I want to see more firms building trade links in lucrative markets such as Canada and the United States and have been using my trip to further strengthen partnerships between our countries.”

The UK’s Department for International Trade worked closely with Hush Heath Estate to help negotiate the export deal.

The listing will help to raise the profile of English sparkling wine in Canada as the sector increases exports in light of the weaker value of the pound since the Brexit vote.

The UK’s wine industry aims to increase exports ten-fold by 2020.

Richard Balfour-Lynn, owner of Hush Heath Estate, said: “Hush Heath is a family-owned winery which is at the forefront of English wine’s growing reputation for producing first class sparkling wines, and we are very excited to see our wines available in the Canadian market.”

Foreign direct investments across a range of projects in the South East have been created 5,432 new jobs in the last year.

The UK is already the second biggest destination for Canadian investment abroad, after the US.