English wine production surged 55% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to the Food Standards Agency. This increase in volume is driving down prices and expanding the range of styles available, from affordable easy-drinking whites to complex orange wines and elegant still reds.
Higher Volumes, Lower Prices
For decades, English wine has been seen as overpriced and underwhelming. But higher production volumes are now bringing prices down at the lower end of the market. Waitrose's Blueprint English White and The Wine Society's English White, both blends from Surrey and Gloucestershire wineries, are now available for under £12. Aldi's Specially Selected Bowler & Brolly English White Cuvée costs just £5.99, blending nine grape varieties including bacchus and climate-proof hybrids like reichensteiner and seyval blanc.
Expanding Styles
English winemakers are now producing a wide variety of styles, often with lower alcohol by volume (ABV). Marks & Spencer's English Orange Wine, made in Kent with chardonnay, pinot gris, and ortega, offers a peachy introduction to skin-contact wines at 11% ABV. Funky, bottle-fermented col fondo and pét-nat wines are also emerging, such as those from Tim Wildman MW's Lost in a Field project, which revives forgotten grape varieties planted in the mid-20th century.
Elegant Still Wines and Rosés
English still wines are gaining recognition, with Simpsons' The Roman Road Chardonnay rivalling cool-climate burgundy. Ben Walgate's biodynamic rosés from East Sussex and Woodfine's Lost Vagus pinot noir demonstrate the potential for fresh reds. In warm years like 2025, dessert wines such as Denbies' Noble Harvest Ortega are also produced.
Seven English Wines to Try
- Waitrose Blueprint English White £10.25, 11%: A light, tangy bacchus and ortega blend ideal with asparagus.
- M&S English Orange Wine £15 (Ocado), 11%: A peachy gateway to orange wine from Kent.
- Ben Walgate Rosato 2022 £16.20 (Bottle Apostle), 10.5%: A smoky, biodynamic rosé perfect for barbecues.
- Simpsons The Roman Road 2023 £29 (The Wine Society), 13%: A single-vineyard chardonnay with burgundy character.
- Ark Pinot Gris 2022 £18 (arkwines.co.uk), 12%: An apricot-hued beauty from Suffolk.
- Berry Bros & Rudd English Sparkling Rosé £29.95, 12.5%: A classy crowdpleaser from Hambledon vineyard.
- Domaine Hugo Botley's Col Fondo 2022 £35 (Good Wine Shop), 10.5%: A cloudy, buttery unfined fizz.
