UK vineyards now exceed 1,000

WineGB has announced that there are now 1,030 vineyards in the UK, an increase of 87 new vineyards or 9.2% in the last year.

With the total area under vine at 4,209ha, the average vineyard is quite small at just over 4ha or 9.88 acres.

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier continue to dominate, their planting share has slightly decreased from 71% in 2021 to 68% in 2023. The top five varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Bacchus and Seyval Blanc – still form the majority of new plantings. Hybrid varieties constitute just 8% of total plantings, with top hybrids including Seyval Blanc, Solaris, Rondo and Regent.

WineGB data also reveals that 76% of wine produced in 2023 will be made into sparkling wine, 23% into still wine, and 1% into other products such as vermouth. For still wines, a higher proportion will be white wines (66%), with red wines (13%) and rosé (20%) remaining relatively unchanged from 2022.