Independents can look forward to an “exceptional” vintage of English and Welsh wines produced in 2025, with a preponderance of quality still wines and excellent, though fewer, sparkling wines. And they can expect the former to come soon.
According to the Harvest Report 2025 from WineGB, wine production rose by 39% in 2025 compared with 2024, while it fell in many European counterparts.
The report is based on a survey of 122 vineyard owners, representing 1,700ha of vines in production, or 41.5% of the UK’s total cropping area.
British wine enjoyed an exceptional year, Stephen Skelton MW, who provided the viticulture harvest commentary for the report, tells FFD, because an early, dry spring followed by hot weather in June and July contributed to the earliest and ripest harvest ever recorded in the British Isles. Warmer, drier regions started picking in the third week of August – though some producers harvested as late as October for extra ripeness.
“It was a very ripe vintage, the ripest we’ve ever had,” says Skelton, with sugar levels averaging around 11% across the nine major varieties, 1.25% higher than the nine-year average.
“Very few wines were chaptalised, which is quite remarkable. Natural alcohol levels were record-breaking, which obviously means you’re getting better still wines.”
Tartaric acid levels were below the 10-year average, while lower disease pressure and reduced bird damage meant fruit remained in good condition throughout the season.
As a result, Skelton says still wines from classic varieties which account for the most plantings, like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, “should be of exceptional quality.” “Ripe fruit, high sugars, and slightly lower acidity makes the wines more approachable earlier and generally better quality. They’ll have more aroma and taste better on the palate.”
“I think you’ll see a lot more Chardonnay and Pinot Noir still wine on the market quite quickly, some as early as this summer”, he says.
Alongside this, particularly strong yields from varieties such as Bacchus, Solaris and Seyval Blanc are likely to translate into more competitively priced still wines.
“Unlike sparkling, they don’t have to go through long ageing, and most are unoaked.
Because it takes three to four years to mature traditional method sparkling wines,
“By definition, this will mean fewer sparkling wines from 2025, but you’re not selling sparkling wine from the current year anyway, you’re selling from stock.”
“Sparkling stocks are quite high, but comparable to Champagne, now working off about five years of stock,” he adds, “so there’s no panic.”
While it is reasonable to wonder whether the sparkling wines, usually made with grapes with a lower potential alcohol level than those used to make still wines, precisely because they are more acidic, will be of a lower quality in 2025, Skelton says: “Not really. Sparkling wine is such a complex process, and there are very few poor examples coming out of the UK.
“We still have higher acidity than Champagne, even in ripe years, which helps with ageing. In ripe years, the sparkling wines are very good.”
Still wines are likely to offer a broader, more accessible price range to independents this year, as they require less time and cost to bring to market.
“To sell a still wine over £30 today, it has to be very good or have won something significant, good Chardonnay, Chablis-style, and good Pinot [Noir], rosé or light red, will sell at that level.
“If you’re newer to the market, you probably need to be closer to £20. And for varieties like Bacchus”, which registered its second-best result this year, joined by exceptionally high yields of Solaris, Seyval Blanc and Rondo, “probably under £20.”
Skelton says yields were average overall, with early estimates around 30 hectolitres per hectare, giving about 16.5 million bottles.
“The official figure is about 16.47 million, so we were close.
“So average volume, but very high quality.”
Skelton recommends paying close attention to competitions this year, “as we may see more wines from 2025 showing well early.”
Until then, independents should prioritise producers with the biggest range.
“Bacchus should be very good. Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, these are generally slightly less expensive than pure Chardonnay or Pinot wines.
For the right balance of price and quality, he adds, “I think rosés will be particularly good, especially Pinot Noir, and also Bacchus.”
With 1,000 hectares of vineyards not yet in full production, he says, “new producers, who may price more competitively, will be coming through, whereas established names have a steady market and established price points.”
This article first appeared in the May 2026 issue of Fine Food Digest.
