"It's been 22 years and the quality of English sparkling wine is nothing short of astounding," said acclaimed winemaker Dermot Sugrue when I spoke to him in May. "In this short time, we are able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Champagne." His words proved prophetic. A month later, the Decanter World Wine Awards were announced and Sugrue South Downs' 'The Trouble with Dreams' 2009, won a historic Best in Show award, beating a slew of Champagne brands. In all, the U.K. won 188 medals.
Not too long ago, few consumers knew that English wine existed. There had been attempts to make wine in England, but with limited success -- owing to its focus on still wines using cold-hardy German hybrid grapes such as Madeleine Angevine, Huxelrebe and Reichensteiner. The wines were thin, highly acidic and lacked balance. The country's famously unpredictable, marginal climate meant that it was too cool, too wet to successfully grow ripe vitis vinifera grapes.
Dermot Sugrue
So, what changed? The climate did. It began to warm up, and with it came the prospect of better ripening of grapes and less vine disease. And this year, as the holidays draw close, we will be seeing English wines on many celebratory tables.
A check for global warming?
The new era began in the 1980s when the focus turned to sparkling wines, made using traditional Champagne grapes such as Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay, grown on chalky limestone soils. In 1988, Nyetimber, a now-renowned English producer -- whose Blanc de Blancs 2016 Magnum was named top sparkling wine this year at the International Wine Challenge, the first ever non-Champagne wine to win the title -- decided to plant vines in West Sussex. Soon, it stunned the wine world when its Classic Cuvée 1993 was judged the best in the world at an international competition.
Nyetimber's Blanc de Blancs 2016 Magnum, the first ever non-Champagne wine to win the world's best title at the International Wine Challenge
That began what many today call 'the Nyetimber effect': the planting of Champagne grapes to make sparkling wine on soils much like France's Champagne region, using the Champagne method. Emboldened by the opportunity to try their hands at growing wine grapes, a new breed of farmers emerged. Many of them gave up lucrative urban jobs to turn to winemaking.
Most English vineyards today are in the south east of England, clustered around the counties of Kent and Sussex, where the soil is chalk, along with mineral-rich greensand -- ideal for growing vines. Vineyards may also be found in Surrey, Essex, Devon, and Hampshire, even further north as the climate continues to warm. So, it is not surprising to read that the U.K. now boasts 1,104 vineyards, according to WineGB, the trade association for English and Welsh wine. This represents a growth rate of 123% since 2013 -- significant especially in 2024 when top world wine regions saw negative growth. English wine saw a 3% growth, with reports placing it as one of the world's fastest growing wine regions.
Artelium's vineyards | Photo Credit: Will Hearle
As Kirsty Goring, brand director of Wiston Estate in West Sussex, points out, unlike Champagne, which is located inland, England is surrounded by water. "Fresh breezes help ward off disease, and being only 5 miles from the sea there are less frost issues." The brand -- established in 2006 by her parents Pip and Harry Goring -- plants grapes on 30 acres of chalk soil, nestled in their 6,000-acre estate. Adds Tamara Roberts, CEO of Ridgeview Wine Estate, one of the earliest producers along with Nyetimber: "Climate change is impacting all wine regions. This will result in certain regions becoming too hot for viticulture or having to change their winemaking traditions to survive. New regions such as England will become more viable."
Climate change may have had a positive effect in England and Wales, but a closer look at historic winemaking regions reveal that the advantages of warming can as quickly turn to devastation. Burgundy suffers spring frosts, unseasonal rain, and hail, and vines were reportedly afflicted by hydric stress, even sunburn. California has repeatedly been hit by wildfires that impacted up to 80% crop rejection due to smoke taint.
Wine casks at Sugrue South Downs | Photo Credit: Sarah Weal
Today, sparkling wine production continues its domination, with Champagne grapes representing over 70% of all vines grown in the U.K. Initially priced on par with Champagne, it struggled to sell. But as the industry expands, it is now possible to find wines starting from £30 upwards.Future-ready with PIWIs
The U.K.'s ability to produce excellent wine is also due to advancing technology in both vineyard and winery. Despite advanced clonal (genetically identical copies) and site selection and new tech, the country's climate remains unpredictable. So, new-age hybrid grape varieties called PIWIs (short for Pilzwiderstandsfähige Reben, German for 'fungus-resistant vines') are being grown and assessed for future use.
Artelium Wine Estate, Ridgeview's neighbour, established in 2018, farms 65 acres in East Sussex. I walked through the sun-dappled vineyards with owner Mark Collins and Poppy the vineyard dog. Under Collins, formerly a tech professional, and his telecom executive wife Julie Bretland, Artelium won awards soon after their 2021 launch, including the title of Supreme Champion at the WineGB Awards 2022.
Julie Bretland and Mark Collins of Artelium
"It sets the bar high," confesses Collins. Artelium grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Pinot Gris, besides 20,000 disease-resistant PIWI vines planted in 2020. Collins says, "As we get warmer, there's a risk of it getting wetter too." Unseasonal rainfall means vine diseases could spike, devastating crops -- something PIWIs are resistant to.
Pinot Noir being harvested | Photo Credit: Jo Hunt
However, some producers have mixed feelings about PIWI grapes. Some, like Wiston Estate and Sugrue South Downs believe that they still lack sufficient finesse, requiring further research. But many admit that the necessity of adopting climate-resistant grapes like PIWIs looms large. There might be little choice, Sugrue admits. "As the climate continues to change, we will have to keep adjusting our rootstocks and clones," he says. "Seasonal vineyard management in general will also have to adapt. Years like 2025 have been unpredictable and required viticulturalists to stay on their toes. We don't think that the popularity of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier will disappear any time soon. However, PIWIs are getting better with each vintage [we tried a remarkable Cabaret Noir recently] and research is improving. In the future, it is likely that there will be new PIWI X Vinifera crossings developed suitable for good viticulture and winemaking."
Top 3 from SussexSugrue South Downs' The Trouble with Dreams 2020Wiston Estate's Blanc de Blancs 2018Ridgeview's Fitzrovia Rosé NVEnglish sparkling wines are not available for sale in India yet, but a recent U.K.-India FTA (Free Trade Agreement) has wine lovers hoping to see it in the country soon.
Ridgeview's Fitzrovia Rosé | Photo Credit: Adrian Lander
Big and small success stories
Ridgeview remains focused solely on sparkling wine production. Founded in 1995 by Mike and Chris Roberts, the business is now run by the family's second generation: with Tamara as CEO and Simon Roberts as the winemaker. Recognition came in 2005 when their Bloomsbury NV sparkling 2002 won at the IWSC competition. A year later, their Blanc de Blanc 2002 was picked as Queen Elizabeth II's celebration wine at her 80th birthday banquet. Sales soared, standing at 500,000 in 2023 from 25,000 bottles in their first year.
Wiston Estate, on the other hand, has chosen to limit production to under 100,000 bottles. As does Sugrue. Despite his success and cult-like following, his annual production is deliberately small -- limited to 20,000 to 50,000 bottles of wine.
Dermot and Ana Sugrue
The vineyards are also taking sustainability seriously. The Gorings believe looking after nature is the key to ensuring productivity of the land. "Regenerative farming teaches us that everything is better when we work with, rather than against nature," Kirsty says. This sentiment has led to the early success of the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain Scheme, established in 2020 to encourage sustainable farming practices and regenerative farming in the wine industry.
While England is justifiably proud of its industry's accelerated growth, Sugrue underlines the need for a collective strategy and vision for the future. England's wines are unique and tell their own story, he says. That is reason enough to differentiate itself from regions such as Champagne with their legendary quality and scale built over centuries. "Our message should be about making brilliant, quality wines in our own unique style."
Food, wine, and tourismThe proximity of English wine regions to London makes access easy for wine lovers and curious tourists. So, on-premise tours, tastings, cellar door sales and restaurants have quickly found success. The Sussex Winelands, a body representing wineries and vineyards, has been created to drive this advantage further: the first Sussex Wineland trail in East Sussex, called the Rother Wine Triangle was launched this year, linking seven wineries. The objective is to simplify things for tourists with maps, information and signage linking vineyards and wineries. "The plan is to replicate this with more wine trails across the county," explains Wiston's Kirsty.Wiston Estate: Chalk, the fine-dining restaurant, attracts close to 18,000 visitors annually, where chef Jordan Powell pairs multiple courses with the estate wines. Kirsty, who has created sculptures from Wiston chalk to decorate the all-white themed restaurant says, "Chalk was created to have somewhere we could showcase our wines with food. We always felt that English sparkling wine, with its racy acidity, brings out the best in a variety of dishes." Their sold-out restaurant and waiting list confirm this.
| Photo Credit: Matthew J. Thomas
Artelium: A tasting at their on-site restaurant Artelium Kitchen, proves their sparklings live up to their hype. The Decanter Gold-winning 2018 Blanc des Blancs is delicate and elegant, while the Curator's Cuvee 2018 is opulent and rich. Artelium Kitchen combines a cellar door shop with the eatery, offering an eclectic menu along with popular food and wine nights.
Artelium wine harvest | Photo Credit: Will Hearle
RidgeviewEstate: It opened its successful al fresco restaurant The Rows and Vine in 2023. Surrounded by verdant vineyards, guests dine on a selection of small plates accompanied by a selection of the estate's wines. The Ridgeview made-for-hospitality still wines, a rosé, and a Chardonnay,have proved immensely popular, says Roberts.
The wine journalist, educator and travel writer is based in Bengaluru.