White stills
the internationals
Chardonnay: A Cool Climate Contender
From steely minerality to ripe stone fruit, Chardonnay – our most planted variety – reveals its full versatility in the UK. Whether oaked or unoaked, savoury or fruit-driven, this well-known chameleon grape shines in England and Wales.
While making its name for its role in sparkling wines, Chardonnay also excels as a still wine in our cool climate. Thanks to extended hang time and meticulous vineyard management, English and Welsh Chardonnay wines display elegance, precision and freshness. These refined expressions are increasingly being mistaken for fine wines made across the Channel, a testament to the quality now achieved on our shores.
With its broad stylistic range, Chardonnay offers winemakers a perfect canvas to express regional character and individual creativity. It’s truly one of the most exciting categories in today’s English and Welsh wine scene.
Pinot Power and Rising Stars
Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc have rapidly risen through the ranks to enter the top 10 most planted varieties. Sitting perfectly between Italian approachability and Alsatian weight, these white Pinots offer ripe fruit with refreshing drinkability. Two grapes to watch in the UK.
Other international stars gaining ground are Sauvignon Blanc and Albariño. Rare but well worth the hunt.
british classics
Bacchus
Britain’s answer to Sauvignon Blanc
Zesty, aromatic and packed with personality, Bacchus is the UK’s signature still white wine variety. With flavour profiles ranging from green apple and elderflower to papaya and passionfruit, it covers all the bases.
Usually unoaked and dry, Bacchus delivers a vibrant mix of herbaceous lift and tropical flair, often earning comparisons to Sauvignon Blanc. The perfect dry white wine, with a British twist.
Drink English and Welsh Bacchus on its own or with seafood, white meat, salads and asparagus.
Heritage varieties
Heritage varieties, modern twist
Before Chardonnay and Pinot Noir took centre stage, UK vineyards were planted with early-ripening varieties and hardy hybrids suited to cooler climes. Today, these heritage grapes are stepping back into the spotlight, bringing character, aroma, and freshness to both blends and single varietal wines.
Used in both still and sparkling wines, Seyval Blanc remains the UK’s fifth most popular variety. Its citrus acidity and gentle aromatics provide the perfect canvas for winemaking expression.
Other varieties, including Solaris, Reichensteiner, Ortega, Müller-Thurgau, and Madeleine Angevine, are leading a new wave of expressive, often low-intervention, wines that prove old grapes still have new stories to tell.
The newcomers
Grapes for a Changing Climate
Climate change may have opened new doors for English and Welsh wine, but it also brings real challenges. Enter the next generation of grapes: hybrids and Piwi varieties bred to require less intervention in the vineyard and to have more resistance to disease.
Names like Sauvignac, Muscaris, and Souvignier Gris may not roll off the tongue just yet, but they’re gaining ground in UK vineyards. While still new to our soils, early results are encouraging and ongoing research is helping unlock their full winemaking potential.
