The 10 Grapes Grown in the UK for English Wine

England grows around 90 different grape varieties, but a small handful do most of the work. Three grapes alone make up close to 70% of everything planted, and they are the same three grapes used in Champagne.

What Grapes Are Grown in the UK?

England grows close to 90 grape varieties across its vineyards, according to government figures reported by WineGB, the trade body for the UK wine industry. Most of that land is planted with a small group of grapes, led by Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the same three grapes used to make Champagne. Together, these three cover roughly two-thirds of all vines in England and Wales.

Beyond the big three, growers plant white grapes suited to cooler weather, such as Bacchus and Seyval Blanc, along with smaller amounts of red and hybrid grapes. A hybrid grape is explained below.

Why Do These Grapes Grow Well in England?

England sits at the cooler edge of where wine grapes can ripen, so growers choose varieties that cope well with a short, mild growing season. Long summer daylight hours help grapes ripen slowly, which builds flavour without pushing sugar levels too high. That slow ripening helps give English wine its characteristic high acidity.

Soil plays a part too. Much of southern England, especially Sussex and Kent, sits on the same band of chalk that runs through the Champagne region of France. According to the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, some English vineyard sites also have soils rich in chalk and greensand, both of which drain well and suit grapes destined for sparkling wine.

A land suitability study from the University of East Anglia mapped England and Wales for viticulture potential and found around 33,700 hectares of prime growing land, an area larger than the Champagne region itself. The same research group has also tracked a warming trend of roughly 1°C in UK growing-season temperatures since the 1980s, which has made ripening far more reliable for grapes like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, according to their follow-up study on UK wine production.

The 10 Main Grapes Grown in the UK

This list covers the ten most planted grape varieties in England and Wales, based on the most recent full breakdown published by The Drinks Business, drawing on WineGB’s annual industry survey.

Two of these grapes already have their own guide on this blog. Read more about Chardonnay or Pinot Gris for a closer look at how each one is grown and what it tastes like.

Which Grapes Make English Sparkling Wine?

English sparkling wine is made almost entirely from three grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. These are the same three grapes used across the border in Champagne, and England shares a similar chalk soil and cool climate, which is part of why English sparkling wine has drawn comparisons to it.

• Chardonnay: Brings citrus freshness and structure
• Pinot Noir: Adds body, red fruit character and depth
• Pinot Meunier: Softens a blend with fruitier, more approachable notes

Most English sparkling wine blends two or three of these grapes, using the same traditional method as Champagne, where a second fermentation happens inside the bottle. For more on how that works, see our full guide to sparkling wine styles, methods and pairings.

Which Grapes Make English Still Wine?

Still wine, meaning wine without bubbles, has grown fast in England over the past decade. The grapes behind it are different from the sparkling trio above, chosen instead for the aromatic character they bring to a glass on their own.

Bacchus

Bacchus is England’s signature white grape for still wine. It produces aromatic, herbaceous wines with citrus and elderflower notes, and is often compared to Sauvignon Blanc. It’s one of the grapes covered in our white wine guide.

Seyval Blanc and Solaris

Both are hardy hybrid grapes that ripen early, making them reliable choices for England’s shorter growing season. They tend to produce crisp, citrus-driven white wines.

Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris is a colour mutation of Pinot Noir, meaning it developed naturally from the same grape family but with pink-grey rather than black skin. In England it tends to produce softer, rounder white wines. Read our full guide comparing Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio.

Rondo and Pinot Noir Précoce

These are England’s main red wine grapes, covered in our red wine guide. Both ripen earlier than most red grapes, which helps them cope with a shorter, cooler season, though English reds remain lighter in body than reds from warmer countries. Pinot Noir grown for still wine is also used to make rosé, covered in our rosé wine guide.

Are New Grape Varieties Being Planted in England?

Yes. English vineyards are steadily diversifying. WineGB reports that 51 different grape varieties were planted in a single recent year, and hybrid grapes now make up around 8% of all UK plantings, up from a smaller share a few years earlier.

This shift partly reflects efforts to match grapes to England’s changing weather. Research published in the journal OENO One notes that before 2004, England’s most planted grapes were hardier, cooler-climate varieties like Reichensteiner and Seyval Blanc.

By 2020, warmer growing seasons had allowed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier to take over as the dominant varieties, a trend expected to continue as the climate keeps changing. Newer aromatic varieties such as Muscaris and Schönburger are also gaining ground, alongside classic white grapes like Pinot Blanc.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most planted grape in England?

Chardonnay is the most planted grape in England, making up around 31% of all vineyard plantings. It’s used mainly for sparkling wine.

Can Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot be grown in England?

Not reliably. These grapes need a longer, warmer growing season than England currently offers, so they rarely ripen enough to make good wine here. Growers instead choose earlier-ripening grapes better suited to a cooler climate.

Are English wine grapes the same as French wine grapes?

Many are. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are the same grapes used in Champagne, and Pinot Gris comes from France too. England also grows German-bred hybrid grapes, like Bacchus and Solaris, developed specifically for cooler climates.

Why does England grow so many hybrid grapes?

Hybrid grapes are bred to resist frost and disease, both common challenges in England’s damp, changeable climate. They gave early English vineyards a reliable way to produce wine before warmer growing seasons made classic grapes like Pinot Noir a safer bet.

Sources

• WineGB: UK Vineyards Surpass 1,000 Milestone Mark: grape variety diversity and current plantings data
• The Drinks Business: The Top 10 Grape Varieties Planted in the UK: ranked list of England’s most planted grapes
• Wine and Spirit Education Trust: An Introduction to English Wine: climate and soil context
• OENO One: Climate Change Projections for UK Viticulture to 2040: how grape variety plantings have shifted over time
• Journal of Land Use Science: A Suitability Model for Viticulture in England and Wales: land suitability research from the University of East Anglia
• University of East Anglia: Study Predicts Growth in UK Wine Production Due to Climate Change: warming trend data and its effect on grape ripening