Wine

What wine actually is

Wine, in its simplest form, is grape juice that has been fermented by yeast. The yeast consumes the sugar in the juice and converts it into alcohol, carbon dioxide and a range of flavour compounds. The result is a beverage that is typically 8 to 15 percent alcohol by volume, with a complex mix of acids, sugars, phenolics and aromatics.

The basic process is universal, but the choices made along the way, the variety, the site, the harvest date, the fermentation, the aging, the blending, the bottling, give rise to an almost infinite variety of styles. The art of winemaking is the art of making these choices well.

The chemistry of wine

Wine is a complex chemical solution. The main components are water (around 85 percent), ethanol (8 to 15 percent), glycerol (0.5 to 1.5 percent), acids (0.5 to 1 percent), sugars (0 to 25 percent), phenolics (0.1 to 0.5 percent), and a long list of aroma and flavour compounds at trace levels. The balance of these components, and the way they interact, is what gives each wine its unique character.

The categories of wine

Wine is divided into several broad categories. Still wine is wine without significant effervescence, the largest category. Sparkling wine is wine with significant carbon dioxide, made by méthode traditionnelle, Charmat, ancestral or other methods. Fortified wine is wine to which a spirit has been added, including Port, Sherry, Madeira and the small UK category. Dessert wine is wine with high residual sugar, including botrytised and late-harvest styles. And rosé is pink wine made by limited skin contact or by bleeding.

Each category has its own rules, its own traditions and its own consumer base. The UK wine market is dominated by still and sparkling, with rosé growing fast and fortified and dessert wines as smaller niches.

Wine in the UK

The UK has a long history of wine consumption, even if the domestic production has been smaller. British consumers drink around 1.5 billion bottles of wine a year, of which about 30 million bottles are now produced in the UK. The rest is imported, with France, Italy, Spain, Australia, the US, South Africa, Chile and New Zealand the main sources.

The UK wine industry has grown from a few hundred hectares in the 1990s to over 4,000 hectares in 2025, with the South East accounting for the majority. The country is now a significant producer, with international recognition for its sparkling wines and a growing reputation for still wines from Chardonnay, Bacchus and Pinot Noir.

Wine and the law

Wine is a heavily regulated product. The UK and EU rules cover production, labelling, marketing, taxation and health claims. The Wine Standards branch of DEFRA, the Food Standards Agency and local authority trading standards officers all have a role. The PDO and PGI systems protect regional and varietal names, and the rules on labelling require ABV, allergens, lot numbers and other information.

For the consumer, the rules mean that a bottle of wine in the UK is a reliably safe and well-described product. The back label, the technical sheet and the producer's website all give the information needed to understand what is in the bottle.