The Uncommon: Award-Winning English Wine from the Kent Downs, Canned for the Future
The Uncommon is one of the most distinctive names to have emerged from England's rapidly maturing wine scene. Founded in 2017 by Alex and Henry Connell - self-styled "Chief Uncommoners" - the brand has grown from a single barrel of Bacchus into the UK's fifth-largest English wine producer and the country's first B Corp-certified winemaker. Everything they make is grown, made and packaged within about 50 miles of their South East London home, and almost all of it ships in lightweight, endlessly recyclable aluminium cans rather than glass bottles.
Find the producer online at wearetheuncommon.co.uk, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.
A vineyard on the North Kent Downs
The Uncommon's vineyard unfurls down a south-facing slope of the Kent Downs, a few moments outside Faversham, on the northern edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The land sits on the same chalk band that runs beneath Champagne, and the team are quick to point out that English summers are now comparable to those of northern France fifty years ago. It is, in their words, "the world's most exciting new sparkling wine region".
The site is planted with the classic Champagne trinity - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier - alongside Bacchus, the aromatic varietal often described as England's answer to Sauvignon Blanc. Wildflowers are sown between the rows, beehives hum at the field margins, and the vineyard opens out towards a wildflower meadow so the soil thrums with activity. Hand-picking, gentle pressing and a deliberately dry winemaking style complete a low-impact picture. All of the winemaking is carried out within a 50-mile radius of the brand's South East London office.
How The Uncommon began
Alex and Henry's starting mission was simple: "To create the best possible English wine with the lowest impact." After researching packaging, they concluded that cans were both more environmentally friendly than bottles and kept young, fresh wines in better condition. They quit their jobs, retrained in oenology and teamed up with Head of Wine Phil.
- 2017 - Henry and Alex quit their jobs and begin work with Phil.
- 2018 - The first wine, Gerald (Bubbly White), is made from just five tonnes of Kent Bacchus and Chardonnay and sells out within months. It lands in Selfridges after a 12-hour dash from Bristol that finishes two minutes before the 5pm cut-off.
- 2019 - Eleanor, the UK's first canned English rosé, joins Gerald. The pair begin refreshing the wine aisles of Waitrose and M&S.
- 2021 - The Uncommon becomes the UK's first Certified B Corporation winemaker, scoring 107.6 against the 80-point threshold.
- 2022 - The spritzer range debuts, alongside a high-profile partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust and support for the reintroduction of European bison to the UK.
- 2024 - Two still wines, Clarence (still white) and Penelope (pale rosé), are unveiled at a still-life class in the Pitzhanger Gallery with artist Harlie Briggs.
- 2025 - The Little Lawn Box, a luxury cooler collaboration with Fieldbar, is launched with a lawn party at Pitzhanger Gallery.
Today the wines can be found on the shelves of Fortnum & Mason, on the wine list of a Michelin-starred chef's restaurant, in the Upper Class cabins of international airlines, and on British Airways' short-haul High Life Café menu.
The wines
Every wine in the range is made specifically for the can. The team argue that cans keep out light and air, preserving the fresh, zippy, dry character that defines their house style, and that an empty can is recycled and back on shelf within about sixty days. All are vegan friendly, naturally low in sugar, and bottled at just 11 - 12% ABV (the spritzers sit lower at 5.5%). The full mixed case, the English Wine Taster 5-Can pack, is the easiest way to meet the cast of characters.
Gerald - Bubbly White
A dry, fizzing white of green-apple sherbet, elderflower, citrus and freshly cut grass. Grapes: Bacchus, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, grown on the Kent Downs. ABV 11%. Sold in cases of five 187ml cans.
Eleanor - Bubbly Rosé
One of strawberries and dreams. Light, bright and overflowing with red summer fruits. Grapes: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. ABV 11%. The Uncommon's flagship and the wine that flies on British Airways short-haul services.
Penelope - Pale Rosé (still)
Pale, fruity and sumptuous, with raspberries, strawberries and a whisper of honeysuckle. Grapes: Pinot Noir. ABV 11%. A dry still rosé designed for British summer.
Clarence - Still White
Vibrant and freewheeling, with peach, elderflower and gooseberry. Grapes: Bacchus, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. ABV 11%. Unveiled alongside Penelope in 2024 with a still-life class at Pitzhanger Gallery.
Percival - Smooth Red
The only red in the range and, says the team, "more decadent than a velvet-covered lilo". Cherry, a hint of oak, made from Kent-grown Pinot Noir. ABV 12%. Red wine is notoriously difficult in England; Percival is The Uncommon's first release.
The Spritzers: Peggy and Alfie
Lighter (5.5% ABV, around 83 kCal per can) and blended with sparkling water and botanicals to play on the notes of the wines they are built on.
- Peggy - Rosé Spritzer with mint and jasmine. Made from Pinot Noir.
- Alfie - White Spritzer with elderflower and cucumber. Made from 70% Bacchus and 30% Chardonnay.
- Mixed Spritzer Box - A four-can-each case of both.
The Lawn Box: a Fieldbar collab
For summer 2025, The Uncommon partnered with British cooler-maker Fieldbar on The Little Lawn Box - a 4-litre heirloom-quality hardcase cooler in Safari White with a bespoke grass-green leather shoulder strap. Packed with ice, it keeps contents below 10°C for up to 50 hours and fits eight 187ml cans. The Uncommon describes it as "picnic-ready, but pavilion-prepped" and lists its intended uses as croquet, boules, tennis, Big Jenga, jetties and regattas, with the strap-line that the cooler holds "enough wine to last you through six hoops, three disagreements and one formal complaint".
A bundle version comes pre-loaded with ten 187ml cans of the wines, saving up to £44 against buying the box and the cans separately.
Tread lightly: sustainability and B Corp
Sustainability is the other half of The Uncommon's identity. The winemaking process is certified by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain; the canning facility is largely powered by on-site wind, solar and heat-pump technology; and the cans themselves have a carbon footprint around 86% lower than glass. The brand's ten-year environmental roadmap runs from "No Impact" in years four to six to "Positive Impact" by year ten, with the goal of becoming carbon-positive and donating 5% of revenue to UK conservation, rewilding and reforestation.
Kent Wildlife Trust and the Wilder Blean bison
Since 2022 The Uncommon has partnered with Kent Wildlife Trust, committing 2% of revenue to support the Trust's mission to wild 30% of the county by 2030. The flagship project is the Wilder Blean scheme, which in 2022 became the first place in the UK to host wild European bison in thousands of years. A surprise calf was born in late 2022 - the first wild bison born in Britain for millennia - followed by a second in December 2023. The Uncommon team volunteer on adjacent reserves such as Oare Marshes, helping to manage reed beds for overwintering wetland birds.
B Corp in detail
The Uncommon hit 107.6 points in its B Corp assessment, comfortably above the 80-point threshold and the highest score for any UK winemaker at the time. The certification is written into the company's Articles of Association, formally balancing purpose with profit.
Where to buy, how it ships
The full range is sold directly through the Uncommon webshop, with new customers able to claim 15% off their first order by signing up to the newsletter. Delivery is UK-only and runs via Royal Mail Tracked 48 and Packfleet/DPD:
- UK Standard (3 - 4 working days): £3, free on orders over £40.
- UK Express (1 - 2 working days): £8.
- No delivery to PO boxes. International shipping is currently unavailable.
Returns are accepted within 30 days for unused items in their original packaging. Customers should email eleanor@the-uncommon.uk and post returns to FAO The Uncommon Returns, Fodabox, Unit 10, Quadrant Park, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1FS.
The characters behind the cans
Each wine is named after a fictional local character, brought to life in illustrated form across the packaging and online:
- Gerald - a gentleman of pin-sharp wit, hazy history and penthouse full of trophies.
- Eleanor - footloose and fancy-full, she travels by hot-air balloon and lands on your lawn unannounced.
- Penelope - the borough's benevolent heartbeat, charity-auction hostess and prolific knitter.
- Clarence - the village oddball, artist-musician-roller skater, fond of avant-garde cheeseboards.
- Percival - the smooth, suave new addition to the still line.
- Alfie and Peggy - the spritzer duo, made for those beer-moment occasions.
The naming has spilled into real life: the team have run pop-up wine bars in Covent Garden's East Piazza and the Turbine Hall at Battersea Power Station, hosted a Waitrose King's Cross takeover for English Wine Week, thrown a civilised lawn party at the Pitzhanger Gallery to launch the Fieldbar box, and partnered with illustrator Rose England on a limited-edition print. The Uncommon Rosé has flown with British Airways as part of the High Life Café menu, and the team have popped up at John Lewis experiences and on Eventbrite tastings.
Visiting and contact
The vineyard itself is not currently advertised as a regular open-to-the-public site, although the team have begun hosting occasional invitation-only visits. Pop-up bars and Eventbrite tastings offer the most reliable way to experience the wines in person. Direct contact channels include:
- General enquiries: gerald@the-uncommon.uk
- Press: florence@the-uncommon.uk
- Customer service: eleanor@the-uncommon.uk
- Privacy: alex@the-uncommon.uk
Registered office: We Are The Uncommon Ltd, 92 Hoxton Street, London, N1 6LP.
Food pairings and the festive table
The team have published a number of food pairings through their Journal. A "Cans & Canapés" feature paired Eleanor (Bubbly Rosé) with smoked-salmon blinis and caviar, Gerald (Bubbly White) with a crispy-bresaola squash tartlet, and Clarence (Still White) with crushed peas, ricotta and pickled pomegranate on sourdough crackers. As an Official Partner of National Picnic Week, The Uncommon also publish a Picnic Journal with collaborators including Erica Davies, Kirthanaa Naidu and the Sussex-based picnic specialists GRAPE & Fig.
Five years on, what's next?
In their five-year anniversary interview, Alex and Henry were asked what success at ten years would look like. "A working environment where our team are happy and love coming to work every day, together," said Alex. "Enjoying the week as much as the weekend," said Henry. The pair have openly targeted Wimbledon, Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and major tennis, golf and cricket venues as dream listings. With the Fieldbar collaboration flying, a flagship red wine finally in bottle, and a Net Zero roadmap to chase, the next five years promise to be at least as eventful as the first.
Follow @wearetheuncommon on Instagram for the latest releases, pop-ups and recipes.