English Wine Week: Why Now Is the Most Exciting Time to Drink British

This English Wine Week, we’re raising a glass to everything that makes home-grown wine worth celebrating. Here’s why the world is finally paying attention.

The Awards Speak for Themselves

English wine is no longer politely applauded at international competitions, it’s winning them outright.

At the International Wine Challenge 2025, for the first time in thirty-four years, the Champion Sparkling Trophy went to a wine that wasn’t Champagne. It went to Nyetimber of West Sussex, whose Blanc de Blancs Magnum 2016 beat the entirety of Champagne, Cava, and Prosecco to claim the top sparkling prize at the world’s most rigorous wine competition. A landmark moment for English wine and a shot heard around the wine world.

The wins don’t stop at bubbles. Lyme Bay Winery in Devon made history at the same IWC, collecting an extraordinary four Trophies for its still wines, including the English White Trophy and English Red Trophy. Proof that English wine’s ambitions now stretch well beyond sparkling.

The momentum has continued into 2026. At the International Wine Challenge 2026, Everflyht Wine Estate in Sussex claimed the English Sparkling NV Trophy for their Cuvée Edition 3 NV, celebrated for its precision, elegance, and exceptional craftsmanship, fittingly, in the estate’s tenth anniversary year.

At the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026, Balfour from Kent secured a Best in Show for their Blanc de Blancs 2018, while Winding Wood from Berkshire made history with the county’s first-ever Platinum medal for their Rosé Brut 2022. These aren’t lucky breaks. This is a pattern a consistent, upward trajectory that the international wine world has sat up and taken note of.

Meanwhile, the WineGB Awards 2026 assessed 372 wines from across England and Wales, with judges noting not just quality but remarkable breadth. Alongside the classic sparkling styles, they found excellent examples of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and even disease-resistant varieties like Divico and Cabernet Jura, a sign that English winemakers are experimenting, innovating, and succeeding on multiple fronts.

A Bumper Harvest and a Maturing Industry

The 2025 harvest was a landmark moment for English wine production. UK vineyards produced 124,377 hectolitres, equivalent to more than 16.5 million bottles, a staggering 55% increase on 2024. That’s not just good weather. That’s an industry investing heavily, expanding its vineyard land, refining its viticulture, and reaping the rewards.

From Sussex to Somerset, Kent to the Cotswolds, vineyards are producing wines of genuine world-class quality. And with that growth comes something even more significant: recognition on the map.

Building Identity: PDO Status and the Rise of English Appellations

One of the most exciting long-term stories in English wine is the push for Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status the same gold-standard geographical protection that defines Champagne, Burgundy, and Barolo.

PDO status is not easily won. It requires that 100% of grapes are grown within a defined region, that wines pass independent chemical analysis, and that they clear an organoleptic tasting panel. It is, in short, a guarantee of provenance and quality.

England already holds a national PDO, and now sub-regional appellations are beginning to take shape:

Crouch Valley, Essex — producers farming London Clay have been working toward their own PDO, with an application under review. This would mark one of the first truly hyper-local English appellations.
Rother River, East Sussex — winemakers along this beautiful stretch of East Sussex are actively laying the foundations for a terroir-led appellation, with a PDO application on the horizon.

Come and Experience It for Yourself

Reading about English wine is one thing. Tasting it, in the landscape that grew it, is something else entirely.

At Fizz on Foot, we take you into the heart of Sussex wine country on foot, through some of England’s most beautiful scenery, and straight to the cellar doors of award-winning vineyards. English Wine Week is the perfect excuse to make it happen.

Here are a few ways to get involved:

🥂 Book a Tour

Join us for one of our guided walking and wine tours across the Sussex countryside. You’ll hike through stunning landscapes and finish with tastings at local vineyards — all with expert guidance on what makes English wine so special right now.

👉 Browse our tours and book your spot at fizzonfoot.com

🍾 Buy Some Wine

Discover our curated selection of English wines — hand-picked from producers we know and love. Whether you’re after a classic traditional method sparkling or something a little different, we’ve got bottles worth seeking out.

👉 Shop English wine at fizzonfoot.com

🎁 Give the Gift of English Wine

Know someone who’d love a vineyard walk and wine tasting? Our gift vouchers are valid for 12 months and available for both weekday and weekend tours — the perfect present for wine lovers, foodies, walkers, and anyone who just deserves a brilliant day out.

👉 Buy a gift voucher at fizzonfoot.com

The Bottom Line

English wine is not emerging anymore. It has emerged. It is winning international trophies, building appellations, producing 16.5 million bottles a year, and earning the genuine respect of the global wine industry.

English Wine Week is a celebration but it’s also a reminder. The next time you reach for a bottle, consider going local. The quality is there. The story is extraordinary. And the landscape it comes from? Well, you can walk through it with us.

Happy English Wine Week from all of us at Fizz on Foot. To help you celebrate we have 10% off the website for this week only. Simply enter: EWW202610% at check-out.

Want to celebrate English Wine Week in style? Book a tour, buy a gift voucher, or get in touch — we’d love to share our favourite Sussex vineyards with you.