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English wine

Sparkling wine, regions and houses

In a few decades England has become a serious wine country, above all for sparkling wine. More than two thirds of production is sparkling, and nearly all of it is made by the traditional method from chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. Here you will find the figures, the rules, the key regions and houses, and the comparison with Champagne.

Vitis vinifera & creta · Verriq

England in numbers

4.841 ha
under vine in the UK (2024), +510% since 2005
1.158
registered vineyards (2025 harvest)
16,6 mln
bottles in 2025; record 21.6m in 2023
69%
sparkling (2024), 91% of it traditional method
72%
of plantings are chardonnay, pinot noir or pinot meunier
1.239 ha
in Kent, the largest county

Sparkling: the traditional method

More than 90 per cent of English sparkling wine is made by the traditional method: the second fermentation takes place in the bottle, after which the wine ages on its lees. The tank method (charmat) is growing and accounts for almost 10 per cent, and pét-nat is on the rise.

English Quality Sparkling Wine under the English Wine PDO has strict rules: traditional method, at least 9 months on the lees, and only chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot noir précoce, pinot meunier, pinot blanc and pinot gris. Sussex, since 2022 the first regional PDO in the UK, goes further: hand-picked grapes from East and West Sussex, at least 15 months in bottle, of which 12 on the lees and 3 after disgorgement, and approval by a tasting panel. Blanc de blancs there must contain at least 90 per cent chardonnay.

Champagne houses have seen the opportunity. In December 2015 Taittinger and partners bought land near Chilham in Kent, the first investment by a Champagne house in English vineyard land; the estate is called Domaine Evremond. Pommery released Louis Pommery England in 2018, made at Hattingley Valley, and bought the Pinglestone Estate in Hampshire in 2016.

Chalk and climate: the comparison with Champagne

According to the official Sussex specification, the South Downs belong to the same band of chalk as northern France: an extension of the Paris Basin. The chalk holds 300 to 400 litres of water per cubic metre, so the vines have water even in dry spells.

All English vineyards lie above 49.9 degrees north. The climate is temperate, with few days above 30 °C and a large difference between day and night. That gives grapes with high acidity, exactly what sparkling wine needs. According to Cherie Spriggs, winemaker at Nyetimber, the risk in England is too much acidity rather than too little.

The climate does make harvests variable: 21.6 million bottles in 2023, 10.7 million in 2024 after a wet year with a lot of mildew, and 16.6 million in 2025.

English wine or British wine?

Check the label. English wine is made from grapes grown in England. British wine is something else entirely: made from imported grape concentrate that is diluted with water and fermented in the UK. It is usually cheap and sweetish, and says nothing about English vineyards.

Grapes in England

The key varieties, with their area in the UK.

White

Chardonnay

White
Styles
Sparkling (classic cuvée, blanc de blancs), also still

The most planted variety: 1,498 ha, about a third of plantings. Permitted in English Quality Sparkling Wine and in Sussex.

Bacchus

White
Styles
Mainly still, sometimes sparkling by the tank method

The key grape for still English wine: 334 ha, about 7 per cent of plantings.

Seyval Blanc

White
Styles
Still and sparkling

Hybrid variety, 123 ha. Permitted in the English Regional Wine PGI, not in the English Wine PDO.

Solaris

White
Styles
Mainly still

117 ha; also well known in the Netherlands. Permitted in both the PDO and the PGI.

Red

Pinot Noir

Red
Styles
Sparkling (classic cuvée, blanc de noirs, rosé), also still red

The second variety in the country: 1,370 ha, about 30 per cent of plantings. According to WineGB, pinot noir stands out in Essex.

Pinot Meunier

Red
Styles
Mainly in sparkling blends

411 ha, about 9 per cent of plantings. With chardonnay and pinot noir one of the classic three of the traditional method.

Protected origins

English wine with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).

English Wine

PDO
Since
2011
Grapes
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir Précoce

Protected designation of origin for the whole of England. For English Quality Sparkling Wine: traditional method, at least 9 months on the lees, at most 80 hl/ha. The grape list above applies to sparkling wine.

English Regional Wine

PGI
Since
2011
Grapes
Wider list of varieties, hybrids permitted (e.g. Seyval Blanc)

Protected geographical indication with wider rules: at most 100 hl/ha and hybrid varieties allowed. Revised in 2019.

Sussex

PDO
Since
2022
Grapes
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir Précoce

The first regional PDO in the UK, registered on 5 July 2022. Sparkling: traditional method, hand-picked, at least 15 months in bottle (12 on the lees, 3 after disgorgement), at least 11% alcohol, blanc de blancs at least 90% chardonnay, tasting panel.

Regions and houses

A selection per region. Not a ranking, but houses worth knowing as a student or wine lover.

Kent

The largest county (1,239 ha), close to the Channel. Warmer and drier, which especially suits chardonnay. Known for traditional sparkling wine and a new wave of still wines.

Chapel Down

Place
Tenterden

One of the largest English producers, at its Tenterden site since 1995. Also makes bacchus by the tank method.

Website ↗

Gusbourne

Since 2004
Place
Appledore

Founded in 2004; the first wines reached the market in 2010.

Website ↗

Domaine Evremond

Since 2015
Place
Chilham

Owned by Taittinger (55%) with partners. Land bought in December 2015, planted from 2017: the first investment by a Champagne house in English vineyard land.

Sussex

Crossed by the chalk hills of the South Downs (1,132 ha). WineGB calls it the cradle of English traditional-method sparkling wine. Its own PDO since 2022.

Nyetimber

Since 1988
Place
West Sussex

First vines in 1988; the Blanc de Blancs 1992 won the English Sparkling Wine Trophy at the IWSC in 1997. In 2025 the Blanc de Blancs 2016 became the first wine from outside Champagne to be named Champion Sparkling Wine at the International Wine Challenge.

Website ↗

Ridgeview

Since 1995
Place
Ditchling

Founded in 1995 by Mike and Christine Roberts. Won the International Trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2010.

Website ↗

Wiston

Since 2006
Place
West Sussex

Estate of the Goring family since 1743; the first vineyard was planted on chalk in 2006.

Website ↗

Rathfinny

Since 2010
Place
Alfriston

Started in 2010, first vines in 2012, first disgorgement in 2018.

Website ↗

Hampshire

The coolest of the major regions, with a long growing season (426 ha). Vineyards on chalk in the Test, Itchen and Meon valleys, around Winchester.

Hambledon

Since 1952
Place
Hambledon

Planted in 1952 by Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones; the house calls itself England’s original commercial vineyard.

Website ↗

Hattingley Valley

Since 2008
Place
Wield

Founded in 2008, winery completed in 2010, first wine in 2013. Also made Louis Pommery England (2018).

Website ↗

Pinglestone Estate

Since 2016
Place
Alresford

Bought by Vranken-Pommery in 2016, planted from 2017, first own harvest in 2020.

Essex

Called “England’s Côte d’Or” by WineGB: London clay, low altitude, plenty of sun and light reflected by the river Crouch (469 ha). Pinot noir and chardonnay stand out.

Surrey, Dorset and Cornwall

Surrey has chalk and greensand in the Surrey Hills (130 ha). In Dorset and Cornwall the climate is maritime and yields vary strongly from year to year.

Camel Valley

Since 1989
Place
Bodmin, Cornwall

Planted in 1989 by Bob and Annie Lindo. In 2018 the first English wine to receive a Royal Warrant.

Website ↗

Langham

Place
Dorset

On loam with flint over chalk; the wines age about 18 months on the lees.

A short history

  1. 1952Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones plants the Hambledon vineyard in Hampshire.
  2. 1988First vines at Nyetimber in West Sussex.
  3. 1997Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 1992 wins the English Sparkling Wine Trophy at the IWSC.
  4. 2010Ridgeview wins the International Trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards.
  5. 2011Specifications for the English Wine PDO and the English Regional Wine PGI.
  6. 2015Taittinger buys land in Kent, the first investment by a Champagne house in English vineyard land.
  7. 2018Louis Pommery England is released; Camel Valley becomes the first English wine with a Royal Warrant.
  8. 2022Sussex becomes the first regional PDO in the UK.
  9. 2023Record harvest: 21.6 million bottles.
  10. 2025Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2016 is the first wine from outside Champagne to be named Champion Sparkling Wine at the International Wine Challenge.

For your WSET or SDEN studies

Also interesting: Dutch wine

A similarly cool climate across the North Sea: PIWI grapes, protected origins and winemakers by province.

Go to Dutch wine →

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Sources

Verriq · Last updated: 2026-10-17