Grape Varieties Grown in the UK
177 varieties recorded across 844 vineyards
Britain sits at the cool northern edge of the winemaking world, and that single fact shapes everything in the vineyard. Growers here need varieties that ripen reliably in a short, unpredictable season, tolerate damp summers and survive a late spring frost. What has emerged is a distinctive planting mix found almost nowhere else: classic Champagne varieties alongside German crossings and a fast-growing wave of modern disease-resistant hybrids.
The Champagne trio
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier dominate UK planting and are the backbone of the sparkling wines that made English wine's international reputation. Southern England shares the chalk geology that runs under Champagne, and in a cool climate these three ripen at the high acidity and modest sugar levels that traditional-method sparkling wine wants. Pinot Noir is also increasingly bottled as a still red in warmer years, and Precoce — an early-ripening Pinot Noir mutation — hedges against a short season by ripening a couple of weeks ahead of its parent.
Britain's own signature: Bacchus
If English wine has a signature still white, it is Bacchus. A German crossing that ripens early and keeps its aromatics, it gives intensely perfumed wines of elderflower, nettle and grapefruit that are often compared to Sauvignon Blanc — but with a character recognisably its own. It is now one of the most widely planted varieties in the country and the one most often held up as the grape England should be known for.
The reliable German crossings
Long before sparkling wine took over, UK vineyards were planted with hardy crossings bred in Germany for cool, marginal sites. Seyval Blanc remains widely grown for its dependability and crisp neutral base wine, while Reichensteiner, Ortega, Siegerrebe, Madeleine Angevine and Muller-Thurgau still account for many of the country's oldest vines. Several are enjoying renewed interest as growers look for varieties that ripen without a hot summer.
PIWIs: the disease-resistant wave
The fastest-growing group is the PIWIs (from the German pilzwiderstandsfähig, "fungus-resistant") — modern hybrids bred to resist mildew in a damp climate, which means dramatically fewer sprays and a genuinely lower-input vineyard. Solaris ripens early enough to be grown as far north as Scotland, Rondo and Regent provide deep colour for reds that would otherwise struggle here, and newer plantings of Phoenix, Souvignier Gris, Divico and Cabernet Cortis are spreading quickly among organically minded growers.
Below is every grape variety recorded in this directory, ordered by the number of vineyards growing it. Use the filter to jump straight to a variety, or select one to see the vineyards and wineries that grow it.
No grape varieties match that search.