Against All Odds, the English Are Finally Drinking Their Own Wine

• By WineBottleMag
• November 23, 2025
• Drinking English Finally Odds Wine
• With 0 comments

When I left London in December 2012, after residing there for more than a decade, English wine barely registered on the radars of wine lovers. In fact, it was widely considered something of a joke. My English friends and colleagues—ever self-deprecating in nature—freely derided their homegrown wine for its soaring acidity, owing to the nation’s damp, overcast climate which struggled to fully ripen grapes. Some joked it could strip the enamel off one’s teeth. This, in spite of the fact that the quality of English wine—particularly sparkling—was quietly yet steeply rising.

“The Nyetimber Effect,” as it was dubbed (referring to the now-renowned winery started by a pair of Chicago ex-pats in 1988 that kickstarted the sparkling revolution), was already well under way, winning awards and global recognition.

Other names, like Ridgeview, Carr Taylor, Denbies, and Camel Valley, were well established, too. Quality was improving. Reputation hadn’t caught up.

Fast-forward to 2022, my first visit to English wine country since leaving Britain a decade earlier. I was met by an entirely different and thoroughly more grown-up wine scene. Not only had the industry exploded—vines furiously planted, the paint barely dry on myriad tasting rooms and wineries—wine quality was exceptional. Just as remarkably, the English were, at last, proudly drinking their own wines. With most wineries less than 60 miles from London, a great deal were also visiting the people who made them.

Three years and several visits later, I continue to be in awe of what is happening across the pond. The United Kingdom’s vineyard plantings have nearly tripled in size since I left—with 3,500 acres under vine in 2012 to 11,861 acres in 2024—and the number of wineries has nearly doubled, from 128 to 240. If those stats weren’t impressive enough, consider the fact that Britain’s plantings have increased a whopping 510% since 2005, faster growth than anywhere else on the planet.

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A fortunate combo of resources, talent, terroirs, and increasingly favorable climate makes England’s vinous landscape a thrilling place to explore, with wines laced with complex and distinctive aromas, flavors and textures, and acidity that is vibrant but decidedly not enamel-stripping.

*Spoiler alert: it’s not all about bubbles (but it mostly is).

This improving quality has attracted investment from across the world. Historic Port House Symington, Spanish Cava giant Freixenet, and California’s Jackson Family Wines have all invested heavily in English wine recently.

Most newsworthy, however, are the Champagne houses.

While the Champenoise formerly derided English fizz, they’re now investing millions of euros into making wine there. Taittinger’s Domaine Evremond planted vines in in Kent in 2017 and released its first English wines in 2025; and Louis Pommery England‘s first release of Hampshire bubbles was in 2018.

Table of Contents

Weather Report

It’s no wonder the Champenoise are looking northwards.

As viticulture climatologist Alistair Nesbitt, Ph.D.—one of the United Kingdom’s leading experts on the subject—told me, “The ten warmest years in the U.K. have occurred since 2002, which have fundamentally changed the suitability of British land for wine grape-growing.”

As I write this (in October 2025), Britain’s wine producers are harvesting fruit from an early but reportedly excellent vintage.

The last several vintages in England have been predictably unpredictable, a yo-yo of excellent and not-so-excellent seasons.

In the warm 2022 vintage, winemakers were able to make still Pinot Noir at 14.5% abv, a figure higher than typical red Burgundy, and one that would have seemed unimaginable a decade ago.

While warm vintages like ‘22 are becoming increasingly common, Britain is still an island buffeted by a variety of weather systems on all sides.

Some summers, such as 2018, 2020, and 2023, are bathed in sunshine and grapes ripen effortlessly. Other summers, like 2021 and 2024, a watery sun makes an odd, nervous appearance, slinking off into the gloom and damp that hangs over everything well into autumn. Wellies squelch through muddy vineyards, and the hurricanes that batter America’s Atlantic coast whip their tails towards the English wine country. Unsurprisingly, wind is a major problem here, as is frost.

Nevertheless, England’s marginal climate is mostly in a sweet spot—warm enough to ripen grapes but cool enough not to fry away those evocative hedgerow aromas and lively acidity; with a long growing season and moderate winter temperatures that should make the Champenoise, whose weather grows increasingly erratic, green with envy.

As Josh Donaghay-Spire, winemaker at England’s largest producer, Chapel Down, recently told me: “I think England’s best vintage is yet to come.”

Trend Report

The future is something British winemakers talk a lot about, and who can blame them? There’s a lot to look forward to. In the meantime, there is a quiet democratization and diversification of wine happening on the British Isles.

There was a time I wondered whether English wine was in danger of becoming too exclusive, too much of a luxury commodity, too upper crust. This is England, after all, with a wine industry that boasts names like Major General Sir Guy Salisbury Jones (founder of Hambledon Vineyards) and, more recently, families with generations of wealth, titles, and political influence. There’s the Gorings of Wiston Estate; controversial businessman Lord Ashcroft, who now owns a majority share in Gusbourne Estate; equally controversial Monaco-based billionaire Mark Dixon of The MDCV Group, who recently planted the largest single vineyard in the U.K.; Dutch-born millionaire Eric Heereema, who bought Nyetimber in 2006; and the list goes on. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu served as the president of the U.K. Vineyards Association and was succeeded in 2011 by The Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen Camilla.

Not that there’s anything wrong with wealth in wine—it is, of course, a major part of the industry’s success—but amidst the titles and “red trousered hedge fund managers,” as English Master of Wine Tim Wildman calls them, I’ve wondered, where were the rest? The artisans, rabble rousers, and upstarts adding color, creativity, and inclusivity?

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The late 20th century had the unwavering, quixotic vigneron, the late Peter Hall of Breaky Bottom, a crucial character in English wine’s story particularly in its nascent years, who did what no one thought possible with the unloved Seyval Blanc grape. Where were the 21st century Peters?

I’m thrilled to report that they have arrived. And they’re championing two styles on the rise in Britain: Pét-nat (of which there are now around 50 versions made by approximately 30 producers), and still wine.

There’s the aforementioned MW, Wildman, who is reviving and re-branding long-neglected heritage German cross varieties, such as Madeleine Angevine and Huxelrebe via his Barbie-pink, rainbow-labeled Lost in a Field pét-nat. He’s joined by other natty-leaning pét-nat-loving artisans, like Westwell, Davenport, Tillingham, Woodfine, and Charlie Herring Wines. On a similar side of the style spectrum, Walgate Wines is crafting oxidative fizz and head-turning still Pinot Meunier and Noir.

Urban wineries have also cropped up around Britain, like Blackbook, with its array of modern and colorful yet complex still wines made beneath the railway arches in London’s Battersea neighborhood.

Finally, the lively and wildly talented Irishman, Dermot Sugrue deserves mention here, for while he may scribble more within the lines than those mentioned above, he is one of England’s buzziest and experienced winemakers. After years working for other big name labels, he’s now taking English sparklers to soaring heights with his Sugrue South Downs label.

This motley crew may be somewhat at wine’s fringes, but they represent something significant, not just as indicators of their industry’s maturity, but of its steady march towards a more diverse, inclusive wine landscape.

Futurecast

So what’s next for Britain?

U.K. wine continues to experience growth on both the production and sales side. While concerns surrounding supply and demand will likely intensify as wines from the huge 2023 vintage come onto the market (i.e. who will buy all those extra bottles?), English wine seems in a better spot than most in these difficult times.

With land still comparatively affordable (and a fraction of the cost of Champagne’s) and relatively unplanted, vineyard growth will likely continue, particularly from the big players, although hopefully not at the same fast and furious pace.

As sparkling estates and their vineyards mature—and producers gain deeper understanding of their terroirs—“house” styles, like in Champagne, will emerge more distinctly, building stronger brand loyalty. Comparisons to Champagne will fade into the background.

On the flip side, more everyday-priced charmat—or tank-fermented English sparkling, like that of Prosecco—will rise as a category, to the dismay of premium traditional method players, led by the aforementioned MDCV Group and its band of brands.

Still Pinot and Chardonnay will continue to improve in quality and increase in quantity, and subregions like the Crouch Valley in Essex will gain international recognition for these styles.

While tasting room/direct-to-consumer and supermarket sales continue to be the biggest business for most U.K. wineries, export will become increasingly important. I believe we’ll start to see more British wines in the U.S., raising the number of producers here from single digits to double. Who knows, maybe a Welsh wine may one day make its way across the pond? (Yes, those exist and are impressive.)

Finally, those passionate artisans at the fringe will continue to craft colorful, characterful wines from maligned heritage varieties, ensuring English wine’s industry remains on terra firma.

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What to Drink Right Now

For a top taste of England from three of its most important counties, crack open a bottle of any of the recently reviewed bottles below. All are available in the U.S. right now.

Sussex

While often lumped together, Sussex is technically two counties, East and West. Combined, they lay claim to the highest concentration of vineyard plantings in the country. Directly south of London, Sussex’s vineyards enjoy a level of protection thanks to the South Downs, a range of hills that run through both counties in the form of coastal cliffs and uplands. Vineyards are planted in their folds on chalk-rich soils but also on sandy clays and greensand.

West Sussex is home to the famed Nyetimber, as well as acclaimed estates like Wiston and Bolney. East Sussex boasts historic producers like Breaky Bottom and Ridgeview, as well as organic leaders like Davenport, Oxney, and Tillingham; large estates like Rathfinny; and quirky ones like Oastbrook.

Wine Enthusiast recommends:

Kent

Northeast of Sussex, Kent is equally central to English wine. Here you’ll find the North Downs, a range of hills that run from Surrey through Kent to the chalky white cliffs of Dover. They act as a sun trap and provide similar protection from the whipping winds that batter England’s coast. The area is home to one of Britain’s most well-known wine brands, Chapel Down, as well as the longstanding Biddenden. Premium estates like Gusbourne, Simpsons, Balfour, Taittinger’s Domaine Evremond, and the MCDV Group’s multiple estates and expansive new vineyard plantings are located here.

Wine Enthusiast recommends:

Hampshire

West of Sussex and southwest of London, the chalk-and-limestone rich county of Hampshire lays claim to the oldest commercial winery in England, Hambledon, which was planted in 1952. There’s a mix of excellent boutique operations like Exton Park, Black Chalk Wines, Cottonworth, and Coates & Seely, as well as larger ones like Hattingley Valley. All are worth seeking out.

Wine Enthusiast recommends:

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More England Coverage

• London isn’t just a pub town; it has a thrilling wine-bar scene.
• British wine is booming. But is there a risk of oversupply? Christina Pickard investigates.
• Meet the winemakers who are reinventing England’s wine scene.
• Get to know Great Britain’s cool-climate varietals.
• Hold the Champagne and try one of these 8 spectacular sparking wines from England.

The post Against All Odds, the English Are Finally Drinking Their Own Wine appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

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