From discovering the next big English and Welsh wine story to catching up with the people shaping the industry, here’s why 7th September 2026 should be in your diary.
If you work in wine, hospitality, travel or the media, there are some events that should not be missed and the WineGB National Trade & Press Tasting is one.
Taking place on Monday 7th September 2026, for the first time at Old Billingsgate – the biggest venue yet – the annual tasting brings together the diverse English and Welsh wine industry under one roof.
With hundreds of producers to explore, there is plenty to get through. But the event is about far more than just the bottles being poured.
1. Taste hundreds of English & Welsh wines in one convenient location
The WineGB Trade & Press Tasting is the most comprehensive opportunity to taste the length and breadth of English and Welsh wine in a single sitting.
From sparkling to still, established names to newer producers, it’s an opportunity to get a snapshot of where the industry is now – and where it is heading next.
2. Discover the wines and producers everyone will soon be talking about (before they’re talking about them)
English and Welsh wine is moving fast. New vineyards are being planted, established producers are expanding their ranges and an increasing number are exploring varieties, styles and winemaking techniques beyond the traditional English sparkling wine category.
The National Trade & Press Tasting is a chance to get ahead of those developments.
For buyers, that might mean finding the next wine to put on a list or shelf. For journalists, it’s about discovering the producer or industry insight that becomes your next big story.
The tasting provides an opportunity to meet producers face-to-face, understand the decisions behind the wine in your glass, and discover the stories that don’t necessarily make it onto a tech sheet.
3. Hear how UK wine is playing its part in global tourism
For many producers, the visitor experience, cellar door, hospitality and tourism offer are becoming increasingly important parts of the business.
The tasting will include tourism-focused panel discussion with key figures from both sectors, looking beyond the bottle to the wider experience that vineyards can offer visitors.
That makes it particularly relevant not just to wine professionals, but to anyone working in destination marketing, hospitality, travel or tourism.
4. Put your English wine knowledge to the test
Think you know English wine?
With such a broad range of wines in one place, the tasting is a useful opportunity to compare regions, varieties and styles side by side.
How does Chardonnay from one part of the country compare with another? What are producers doing with Bacchus? How is Pinot Noir evolving? And what other grape varieties are beginning to make their mark?
Sometimes the quickest way to learn is simply to taste.
5. Put English wine into a hospitality context
What does the growth of English wine mean for restaurants, hotels, bars and other hospitality businesses?
The hospitality panel will explore the opportunities and challenges around bringing English and Welsh wine to customers – from what works on a wine list to how the category can be presented and sold.
For sommeliers and hospitality buyers, this is an opportunity to hear from people working at the sharp end of the industry and to consider how home-grown wine can play a bigger role in the guest experience.
6. Find wines for your wine list
For sommeliers, restaurateurs, hoteliers and hospitality buyers, the tasting is an opportunity to discover wines that can bring something different to a list.
English and Welsh wines can offer a compelling point of difference for customers – whether that means a sparkling wine for celebrations, a distinctive still wine by the glass or a bottle with a strong sense of place.
And with the category continuing to grow, now is a good time to see what is available.
7. Discover wines by price – not just by producer
For the trade, one of the most practical elements is the Cellar Door by Price tasting table.
Rather than approaching the category through producer names or grape varieties, this allows visitors to explore English and Welsh wines according to their cellar-door and retail website prices.
For restaurants, retailers and hospitality buyers, it is a useful way to investigate what the category can offer at different price points – and for which occasions.
8. Taste the wines that won big at the WineGB Awards
If you haven’t yet managed to taste all the trophy-winning wines from this year’s WineGB Awards, this is your chance.
The Awards table will showcase the cream of the crop from the 2026 competition – which saw a record number of entries and, for the second-year running, more still wines entered than sparkling.
For buyers and sommeliers, it is an opportunity to taste some of the country’s most highly rated wines side by side. For press, it is an easy way to get acquainted with some of the names and bottles that have been making headlines.
9. Celebrate Chardonnay – the UK’s most planted grape
Chardonnay now represents 33% of total UK plantings, making it the country’s most planted grape variety.
The dedicated Chardonnay tasting will explore the grape’s versatility, from the high-acid wines that form the backbone of English and Welsh sparkling wine to increasingly impressive premium still examples.
For anyone who thinks they know what home-grown Chardonnay tastes like, this is a useful opportunity to think again.
10. Get to know PIWIs
Disease-resistant grape varieties may not sound like the most glamorous tasting theme, but they could be one of the most important.
The dedicated PIWI table will explore wines made from hybrids bred to naturally resist disease, with the focus on their potential environmental and qualitative benefits.
As sustainability and climate resilience become increasingly important considerations for growers around the world, this is an opportunity to taste what that future might look like in the glass.
11. Be there – and be seen
Network with the people shaping UK wine.
Wine is a people business.
The National Trade & Press Tasting brings together producers, winemakers, buyers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, retailers, journalists and other industry professionals.
So alongside the formal tasting, there is plenty of opportunity to catch up with old contacts, meet new ones and find out what is happening across the sector.
Sometimes the most useful conversation of the day happens between tastings.
The National Trade & Press Tasting is one of those occasions where being in the room matters.