English and Welsh winemakers reported a sharp rise in production in 2025, with a hot, dry summer and continued vineyard expansion helping to deliver the UK’s third-largest grape harvest on record.

The equivalent of 16.5 million bottles were produced across the UK last year, or 124,377 hectolitres, according to figures from the Food Standards Agency (FSA). That marks a 55 per cent increase on 2024, when production fell sharply after heavy rainfall and disease pressure hit yields.

Despite the rebound, 2025 volumes remained below the 21.6 million bottles produced in 2023, which is still widely regarded as a standout year for the sector.

The latest figures point to a strong recovery for the industry, particularly in white wine, where production rose by more than 131 per cent year on year.

WineGB chief executive Nicola Bates said the industry had taken “great optimism from the quality and scale of the 2025 vintage” and praised the “considerable skill and hard work from viticulturalists and winemakers” behind the result.

Regional performance, however, remained mixed. Growers in north-west England and Wales had forecast a strong season, while producers in the south-east, the UK’s largest wine region, had expected harvest levels to come in below average.

Some major producers had already warned that output would not return to record highs in 2025. Nyetimber, based in West Sussex, said its vines needed longer to recover from the cool, damp growing conditions of the previous year, while Kent producer Gusbourne reported a lower-than-average harvest because of limited rainfall.

The number of vineyards registered with the FSA rose 4 per cent to 1,158 in 2025, with the vast majority operating commercially rather than as hobby sites. The total vineyard area also grew by almost 3 per cent to 4,357 hectares, or around 10,700 acres.

The FSA oversees vineyard inspections and wine regulations in England and Wales, ensuring products are correctly labelled and meet the required standards.

The sector now supports more than 10,000 jobs and is estimated to be worth £14 billion, underlining the pace of growth in domestic wine production.

While the UK remains a relatively small player globally, ranking below countries such as Uzbekistan and Tunisia for output, production has generally trended upwards in recent years.

Rising temperatures have helped attract further investment into British vineyards, even as growers in some traditional wine-producing regions face increasing pressure from climate change.

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