Where in the UK can landowners profit from wine?

According to WineGB, the body representing the wine industry in Britain, UK wine production has increased tenfold since the early 2000s, with more than 10.6m bottles produced in 2024.

Acreage under vine has also expanded rapidly, with more than 4,841ha planted across 1,100 vineyards as of 2025. The sector's contribution to the economy is also notable. WineGB's 2025 industry report estimates that UK wine generates more than £570m annually, supporting more than 3,300 full-time and 13,000 seasonal roles.

The remarkable growth of UK wine has been facilitated by several coinciding factors including technological advancements, strategic investments and, perhaps most crucially, climate change.

For many years, the UK was too cold to viably grow grapes for wine production – even the most resilient sparkling varieties require a minimum average temperature of 13C throughout the growing season from April to October. However, climate change-induced temperature rises have meant that much of the south and east of England are now regularly above this threshold.

With national temperatures rising at a rate of approximately 0.25C per decade, Knight Frank models forecast the total area of climatically suitable land for viticulture in the UK to increase from 71,000km² in 2024 to 120,000km² in 2034, unlocking land predominantly across the Midlands.

Although rising temperatures create promising growing conditions for the UK's relatively cool climate, excessive heat across northern Europe is lowering production volumes in France by as much as 23%.

In fact, these harsh conditions are driving demand for land in the English countryside by established overseas producers; French champagne house Taittinger is just one of those expanding into England to hedge their bets.

Historically, site identification was time-expensive and inefficient, using a combination of anecdotal knowledge and manual surveys. However, we can now quickly and accurately identify optimal sites using geographic information systems (GIS) and datasets pertaining to climate conditions, soil types and terrain.

Technological advances are also driving improvements and success in the UK wine industry. The recent adoption of precision agriculture such as global positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing, robotics and automation has enabled growers to better monitor weather conditions, vine health and improve efficiency on the farm.

Many commercial vineyards in the UK are increasingly using some form of precision agriculture. Inside the winery, producers have adopted inert gas presses, which extract juice in an oxygen-free environment that preserves aromas and taste, temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, which allow for precise regulation of yeast activity to control flavour and advanced filtration systems to enhance quality and yield.

Through bodies such as Innovate UK, the UK government has provided more than £10m in research grants for viticulture and oenology – the science of winemaking –  since 2018. These grants have supported research on disease-resistant grape varieties, climate adaptation and low-intervention winemaking.

Sustainability is also at the forefront of producers' strategy – 40% of English vineyards are certified under the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain scheme, which sets industry standards for environmental stewardship.

Electric machinery, rainwater harvesting and organic pesticides are all becoming increasingly common, reflecting both regulatory pressures and consumer demand for sustainable produce.

UK vineyards and wineries are attracting more visitors than ever. According to WineGB's 2024 Tourism Report, there were 1.5m visitors in 2023, up 55% from the previous year. Direct spending is up, as is indirect spending on things like accommodation, dining and visits to other local attractions.

Participants in WineGB's Industry Survey 2024 indicated that tourism accounted for 25% of total operating income; but there's still room to grow. For comparison, Napa Valley, a mature wine region in northern California, welcomes nearly 4m visitors each year and generates spending of $2.5bn annually, according to Napa Valley Vintners. Knight Frank has calculated that this is nearly five times more spend per person compared with UK producers.

To help UK vineyards maximise the benefits of tourism, Knight Frank provides bespoke consultancy advice on local demographics and placemaking opportunities. Placemaking is the strategic and collaborative process of shaping an environment – both physically and socially – to enhance its appeal as a visitor destination.

Producers are increasingly turning to tourism to supplement the relatively small scales of production in the sector, reflecting the broader trend of growth in the experience economy.

While UK wine is typically positioned as a premium product – serving producers well – in today's challenging economic climate, the most successful and resilient businesses are those offering visitors more than just great wine.

Critical acclaim is driving demand both domestically and abroad, with exports now accounting for 9% of sales and rising. That said, wine producers that embrace tourism and the experience economy will be more successful and resilient than those that do not, but only if their strategy is clear and well-executed.

Climate change presents both challenges and opportunities for growers, for whom securing suitable land is becoming increasingly difficult.

Digital transformation will continue to shape all aspects of the wine-making process; advances in new technologies, including artificial intelligence, will create new opportunities we cannot yet conceive, while sustainability will remain central to the practice.