Best English and Welsh wines to try

Light up your dinner table with zingy fizzes and sophisticated Chardonnay and Pinot made closer to home. Here is a shopping list curated from our favourite English and Welsh wines tasted recently.

Our highlights

From a Panel Tasting on vintage sparkling wines, a regional profile of Hampshire and an East Anglia vineyard guide, to a discovery feature on Welsh wines – last year we have taken you on a journey around the United Kingdom to unearth the best bottles the nation has to offer. And here’s a listing of the top scorers:

Vintage English sparkling wine panel tasting

• Chapel Down, Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée Extra Brut 2016 – 97pts
• Gusbourne Estate, 51 Degrees North Brut 2016 – 95pts
• Leonardslee Wine Estate, Reserve Brut 2021 – 95pts
• Wiston Estate, Blanc de Noirs Brut 2018 – 95pts
• Louis Pommery England, Blanc de Blancs Brut 2020 – 95pts
• Bee Tree by Sugrue, Pinot Meunier Rosé Brut 2019

Hampshire regional profile

• Hambledon Vineyard, Blanc de Blancs NV – 95pts
• Hattingley Valley, Kings Cuvée 2017 – 95pts

The surprise finds from Wales

• White Castle Vineyard, Sparkling White 2022 – 93pts
• Velfrey Vineyard, Vintage Sparkling Wine 2022 – 92pts
• Ancre Hill Estates, Chardonnay 2023 – 92pts

It’s also worth mentioning that wines from the UK had a fantastic yield at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards. ‘The Trouble With Dreams’ 2009 from Sugrue South Downs was among the ‘Best in Shows’ – the top accolade of the world’s largest wine competition, followed by Platinum winners, Bluestone‘s Blanc De Noirs Brut 2019 and Digby Fine English‘s Rosé Brut 2018.

Below we’ve added more recommendations fresh from recent trade tastings. For reliable gifting options, opt for Nyetimber‘s top cuvée, the 1086, as well as Langham Wine Estate‘s Blanc de Noir 2019. But for a more affordable, crowd-pleasing fizz, Flint Vineyard‘s Charmat Rosé is an absolute delight.

The beautiful still wines from Crouch Valley of Essex are also worth a special mention. Try ‘The Cut’ 2023 from The Heretics for a sophisticated and elegant Chardonnay. The layered Pinot Noirs from Danbury Ridge and Missing Gate Vineyard won’t dissappoint either.

The rise of English still wines

In 2025, WineGB reported a 3% increase in the sale of wines from the UK compared to 2023, despite a challenging market ( WineGB 2025 industry report). Still wines achieved 10% growth in volume year-on-year, outpacing sparkling wines.

By 2024, Britain had 4,841 ha under vine, with 3,763 ha in active production, alongside a total of 1,100 registered vineyards and 238 wineries. The two leading wine-producing regions were Kent, with 1,239 ha, and West Sussex, with 671 ha.

A total of 10.7 million bottles of wine were produced in Great Britain in 2024 – around half of the record 21.6 million bottles produced in 2023 – due to challenging climatic conditions during the vintage. Still wines accounted for 31% of production, up from 21% in 2023.

Chardonnay (1,498 ha), Pinot Noir (1,370 ha) and Pinot Meunier (411 ha) remained the most widely planted grape varieties. Meanwhile, cool-climate grapes such as Bacchus (334 ha), Seyval Blanc (123 ha) and Solaris (117 ha) are increasingly valued for their ability to produce high-quality still wines.

Best English wines to try this spring

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Vintage English sparkling wine: Panel tasting results

Growth of English and Welsh still wine sales outpaces sparkling

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