Australian family winemaker Brown Brothers has announced it is leaving the UK market after 25 years of trading.

The company said the decision was made in conjunction with its UK distributor John E Fells and Sons.

The announcement is only applicable to Brown Brothers’ brand of the same name; its other Innocent Bystander and Tasmanian brands will continue to be sold in the UK. All of the company’s wine brands will continue to be available elsewhere in Europe.

Brown Brothers CEO Dean Carroll said: “The significant shift in exchange rates, changes in customer direction, increased costs of operating, Brexit uncertainty and the huge number of wine competitors selling in the country have all contributed to making the market unsustainable for our company.

“Our belief is that the UK is now the most unforgiving market in the world and the opportunities for us elsewhere are exciting and far more appealing and therefore must be pursued enthusiastically.

“We sincerely thank Fells managing director Steve Moody and the team for their hard work over the last three and a half years and also thank Duncan Brown, our UK and European market manager, for his outstanding contribution to our business.”

Moody said: “We are very sorry to see Brown Brothers leave the UK, but we entirely respect their decision which reflects the fast-changing and very challenging conditions that this market faces. We wish our good friends at Brown Brothers the very best for the future with their unique and wonderful wines. We will work with all our customers individually to ensure that there is a calm and controlled exit from their involvement with Brown Brothers wines.”

Brown Brothers has been producing wine in Milawa, Victoria for more than 125 years. It also has vineyards on the Australian island of Tasmania.

The brand is known in Australia and abroad for its experimental approach to wine. Its ambition is to develop wines that suit a wide range of palettes and tastes.

Its most recent product launch was Prosecco Spritz, made from mixing the brand’s prosecco with orange and aromatic bitters, in March.

John E Fells and Sons is a fine wine UK importer. The company distributes international wine brands such as Miguel Torres, Warwick Estate, W & J Graham’s Port and Chakana.

The import value of Australian wine into the UK in 2016 totalled £2.37bn according to Statistica.