As wine drinkers develop a taste for English wines, the UK wine industry experiences a boom in sales

Wines of Great Britain (WineGB), the official organization for the UK wine industry, reveals the most recent sales and planting numbers that demonstrate how the sector is continuing to grow as the English wine industry prepares to celebrate English Wine Week from June 18–26.

English and Welsh wine sales have increased 69% from 2019 — from 5.5 million bottles in 2019 to 7.1 million in 2020 and 9.3 million in 2021. Approximately 3,758 hectares1 of land are now under vine, having more than doubled in just eight years and more than quadrupled since 2000.

Over 50% of all English and Welsh wines are sold through winery websites and cellar doors, indicating the rapid growth of direct to consumer sales, which now account for 96% of all sales on the domestic market. But there is also significant growth in high street sales:

Majestic reports that sales of English sparkling wines are already up by over 58% compared to the same period last year.
Aldi reports 160% year on year growth for its English still rosé
The Jubilee provided a significant boost for the industry2 with Sainsbury’s reporting the English Sparkling Wine category was up 370%, Exports, representing 4% of all sales, grew by 21%, with Scandinavia the leading market and more specifically Norway, which alone saw 85% increase in sales in 2021 (over 2020).
Wineries are expanding their cellar door offerings with events, restaurants, visitor centers, and lodging, and the industry is thriving as a result. This is helping to create more rural employment prospects. Due to the growing popularity of wine tourism, Airbnb has now introduced a new “vineyard” search option for travelers who want to include vineyard excursions.