England

English wine is growing in popularity and is increasingly recognised as a premium wine-producing region, with more than 450 wineries and around 3.15m bottles produced a year.

The most popular grapes varieties grown in English vineyards are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Bacchus, as well as Pinot Meunier and Ortega.

Whilst vineyards are found across the whole of England, the climate of the South and South East makes it a particularly popular region for growing vines, especially in Hampshire, Sussex and Kent.

2018 saw a bumper harvest, with yields doubled in some vineyards.

English sparkling wine

In December 2015, Champagne Taittinger announced it was buying a vineyard in Kent and would produce an English sparkling wine.

English sparkling wine specifically has been highly praised for its quality, collecting three Platinum and six Gold medals in the 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards.