Move over Champagne, England's vineyard acres are swelling, sparkling wine now dominates homegrown production, and the nation's thirst for wine, both imported and domestic, is pouring billions into the economy.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the UK had 4,700 hectares of vineyards planted across England and Wales, marking a 7% increase from 2022
- English wine production reached 2.7 million bottles in 2022, up from 2.1 million in 2021
- There are over 500 vineyards in the UK as of 2023, with 180 producing wine commercially
- The UK off-trade wine market was valued at £5.3 billion in 2023
- Total UK wine sales volume reached 1.46 billion bottles in 2023
- Off-trade wine sales grew 3% in value to £5.4 billion in 2023
- Per capita wine consumption in UK rose to 22.3 litres in 2022
- 58% of UK adults drank wine in the past year as of 2023
- Average UK adult consumes 18.5 litres of wine annually in 2023
- UK wine imports volume was 1.37 billion bottles in 2023
- France supplied 34% of UK wine imports by volume in 2023 (470 million bottles)
- Italy exported 295 million bottles of still wine to UK in 2023
- UK wine exports reached 3.5 million bottles in 2023
- Value of UK wine exports was £25 million in 2023
- USA was top destination for UK wine exports with 1 million bottles 2023
The UK wine industry is growing rapidly in vineyard area, production, and economic impact.
Consumption
- Per capita wine consumption in UK rose to 22.3 litres in 2022
- 58% of UK adults drank wine in the past year as of 2023
- Average UK adult consumes 18.5 litres of wine annually in 2023
- Wine is the preferred alcohol for 42% of UK consumers in 2023
- 25-34 year olds consume 28% more wine than average in 2023
- Women account for 55% of wine drinkers in UK 2023
- Frequency of wine consumption: 35% drink weekly in 2023
- AB social grade drinks 1.5x more wine volume than average 2023
- Londoners consume 20% above national wine average in 2023
- 62% of wine consumed at home vs 38% out-of-home in 2023
- Millennials (25-40) represent 40% of premium wine buyers 2023
- Wine consumption occasions peaked at dinner for 48% consumers 2023
- Organic wine consumption up 15% among UK adults 2023
- 18% of UK adults are teetotal, impacting wine consumption 2023
- South East England has highest per capita wine intake at 25 litres 2023
- Low alcohol wine appeals to 22% of consumers trying moderation 2023
- 70% of wine drinkers buy English sparkling wine occasionally 2023
- Average spend per wine purchase £12.50 in off-trade 2023
- 45% of consumers prefer sustainable wines in UK 2023
- Wine volume per drinker fell 2% to 35 litres annually 2023
- Prosecco is consumed by 30% of wine drinkers monthly 2023
- 55+ age group buys 60% of fortified wines consumed 2023
- Vegan wine preference among 15% of consumers in 2023
- Home consumption occasions up 10% post-pandemic to 75% 2023
- Natural wine consumption tripled since 2019 to 5% share 2023
Consumption Interpretation
While the average Brit remains steadily committed to their evening glass (or three), the modern wine scene is a vibrant tapestry where sobering moderation trends, a thirst for sustainability, and a millennial-driven premium shift are all being poured into the national carafe, proving that even a classic indulgence is constantly being remixed.
Economic
- UK wine industry contributes £1.5 billion to economy annually 2023
- Total GVA from UK wine sector £500 million in 2022
- Wine tourism generated £200 million revenue in 2023
- 12,000 jobs supported by UK wine industry in 2023
- Tax revenue from wine duty £3 billion in 2023
- Off-trade wine sector turnover £6 billion in 2023
- On-trade wine contributes £2.5 billion to hospitality 2023
- UK wine retail employs 50,000 people directly 2023
- Export GVA from wine £15 million in 2023
- Vineyard land value increased 20% to £500m total 2023
- Production sector GVA £300 million in 2022
- Wine supports 2,000 tourism jobs in rural areas 2023
Economic Interpretation
The UK wine industry is no longer just a charming footnote but a serious economic vintage, pouring billions into the economy, supporting tens of thousands of jobs, and fermenting a robust trade that stretches from the vineyard to the pub.
Exports
- UK wine exports reached 3.5 million bottles in 2023
- Value of UK wine exports was £25 million in 2023
- USA was top destination for UK wine exports with 1 million bottles 2023
- Netherlands imported 500,000 bottles of UK wine in 2023
- Germany took 300,000 bottles from UK in 2023
- Sweden exports destination for 200,000 bottles UK wine 2023
- UK sparkling wine exports grew 15% in volume 2023
- Average export price per bottle £7.10 for UK wines 2023
- Norway imported 150,000 bottles of English wine 2023
- Canada received 100,000 bottles UK wine exports 2023
Exports Interpretation
The UK wine industry, now exporting a respectable 3.5 million bottles, is proving that it’s no longer just a domestic novelty but a serious global contender, with the USA leading the charge by happily sipping nearly a third of our output, all while we cleverly convince the world our bubbles are worth a very precise £7.10 per pop.
Imports
- UK wine imports volume was 1.37 billion bottles in 2023
- France supplied 34% of UK wine imports by volume in 2023 (470 million bottles)
- Italy exported 295 million bottles of still wine to UK in 2023
- Spain's wine exports to UK reached 210 million bottles in 2023
- Australia imported 28 million bottles to UK in 2023, down 14%
- Value of UK wine imports hit £4.8 billion in 2023
- Germany supplied 45 million bottles of sparkling wine to UK 2023
- Chile's exports to UK grew 5% to 15 million bottles in 2023
- US wine imports to UK at 12 million bottles in 2023
- Portugal exported 25 million bottles including Port to UK 2023
- South Africa imports rose 8% to 18 million bottles in 2023
- Argentina sent 8 million bottles to UK wine market 2023
- New Zealand exports totaled 10 million bottles in 2023
- Duty paid on wine imports was £2.9 billion in 2023
- EU countries provided 85% of UK wine import volume 2023
- Average import price per bottle rose to £3.50 in 2023
- Bulk wine imports increased 20% to 200 million litres 2023
- Romania emerged as top 10 supplier with 5 million bottles 2023
- Moldova wine imports to UK at 3 million bottles in 2023
- Hungary exported Tokaji and others totaling 2.5 million bottles 2023
- Imports from Rest of World down 2% to 150 million bottles 2023
- French red wine imports 150 million bottles to UK 2023
- Sparkling imports value £1.2 billion in 2023
- Still wine import volume 1.2 billion bottles in 2023
Imports Interpretation
While we faithfully drown 1.37 billion imported bottles a year, paying nearly £3 billion in duty for the privilege, the numbers soberly reveal our national pastime is less about sipping fine vintages and more about a strategic, bulk-buying thirst where the EU keeps our glasses 85% full and the only thing rising faster than imports is the taxman's share.
Production
- In 2023, the UK had 4,700 hectares of vineyards planted across England and Wales, marking a 7% increase from 2022
- English wine production reached 2.7 million bottles in 2022, up from 2.1 million in 2021
- There are over 500 vineyards in the UK as of 2023, with 180 producing wine commercially
- Sparkling wine accounts for 67% of UK wine production volume in 2022
- Average yield per hectare in English vineyards was 9.5 tonnes in 2022
- Chardonnay is the most planted grape variety in the UK with 1,207 hectares in 2023
- Pinot Noir covers 1,016 hectares in UK vineyards as of 2023
- The South East region holds 42% of UK vineyard area with 1,974 hectares in 2023
- Kent has 827 hectares of vineyards, the largest county by area in 2023
- UK still wine production was 0.9 million bottles in 2022
- Number of UK wineries increased to 170 in 2023 from 159 in 2022
- Sussex vineyards span 792 hectares, second largest after Kent in 2023
- Pinot Meunier planted on 444 hectares in the UK in 2023
- UK wine industry employed 5,500 direct full-time equivalents in 2022
- Hampshire vineyards cover 393 hectares as of 2023
- Bacchus grape variety occupies 243 hectares in UK vineyards in 2023
- The number of vineyard sites in England rose by 23 to 528 in 2023
- UK vineyard plantings grew at an average of 10% annually from 2018-2023
- Essex has 200 hectares under vine in 2023
- UK wine production value reached £80 million in 2022
- Hertfordshire vineyards total 145 hectares in 2023
- Seyval Blanc covers 22 hectares, one of the smaller varieties in 2023
- Southern England produced 90% of UK wine in 2022
- New vineyard plantings in 2023 added 300 hectares
- UK wine industry invested £50 million in new facilities from 2020-2023
- Average vineyard price per acre in South East England is £25,000 in 2023
- 15 new wineries opened in the UK in 2023
- UK sparkling wine base wine production hit 12,000 tonnes in 2022
- Triomphe d'Alsace planted on 12 hectares in 2023
- Vineyard workers in UK numbered 3,000 seasonal in 2023
Production Interpretation
The UK wine industry, fueled by a bubbly ambition and a Chardonnay heart, is methodically planting its flag—primarily in the South East—by adding vineyards, wineries, and jobs at a steady clip, proving it's no longer just a quaint hobby but a serious, sparkling enterprise.
Sales
- The UK off-trade wine market was valued at £5.3 billion in 2023
- Total UK wine sales volume reached 1.46 billion bottles in 2023
- Off-trade wine sales grew 3% in value to £5.4 billion in 2023
- On-trade wine sales by volume fell 1% to 140 million bottles in 2023
- Supermarkets accounted for 78% of off-trade wine sales value in 2023
- Prosecco sales volume was 57 million bottles in the UK in 2023
- Average bottle price in off-trade rose to £7.65 in 2023
- Wine share of total alcohol off-trade sales was 37% by value in 2023
- Online wine sales grew 12% in 2023 to £1.2 billion
- Fortified wine sales declined 5% in volume to 10 million bottles in 2023
- Premium wine segment (over £10) grew 8% in off-trade 2023
- New World wines took 65% market share by volume in 2023
- Rosé wine sales up 4% to 140 million bottles in 2023
- Duty-paid wine clearances totaled 1.5 billion litres in 2023
- Independent merchants saw 6% sales growth in 2023
- White wine outsold red by 10% in off-trade volume 2023
- Wine sales per capita in UK was 21.5 litres in 2023
- Multiple off-licences held 5% of off-trade wine market in 2023
- Sparkling wine sales volume hit 100 million bottles in 2023
- Australian wine sales fell 15% in volume to 25 million bottles 2023
- France dominated sparkling imports with 45% share in 2023
- Total wine market value reached £13 billion in 2023
- Convenience stores wine sales grew 2% in 2023
- Low/no alcohol wine sales up 25% to 2 million bottles 2023
- Italian still wine sales 120 million bottles in 2023
- Off-trade price inflation for wine was 6.5% in 2023
- Total UK alcohol market wine share 32% by volume 2023
Sales Interpretation
The nation's relationship with wine remains steadfastly complex, with Brits soberly trading nights out for supermarket trolleys and online carts, finding solace in fizz and premium bottles while quietly inflating the average price to a tenner's change, all in pursuit of that 21.5 litres of personal peace.
Sources & References
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