What you need to know

Estimated at £13.3 billion in 2019, the total still, sparkling and fortified wine market grew by 9% over 2014-19, driven mainly by inflation. Further inflation is expected going forward, while the ageing UK population and alcohol moderation trend will hinder volume sales growth. Value sales of still, sparkling and fortified wine are therefore projected to rise by 9.2% to reach £14.5 billion and volume sales to decline by 4.7% to 1.3 billion litres by 2024.

Wine is drunk by 71% of UK adults, with 35% doing so once a week or more. Still red and white wines are on level pegging as the most commonly bought types, each on 34%.

Good vintage, provenance, including UK sourcing, and quality awards are among the key attributes seen as worth paying more for in wine. Many consumers’ interest in wine from different countries and in less familiar sparkling wine varieties provide avenues for companies to explore.

Products covered in this Report

This Report analyses the UK market for still, sparkling and fortified wines, including sales through both the off- and on-trade. Coverage in the Report is restricted to wines of fresh grape, produced from the naturally fermented juice of the grape and includes low and non-alcoholic varieties.

The on-trade includes premises with a licence to serve alcohol for consumption on the premises, mainly pubs/bars but also nightclubs, hotels and the hospitality sector.

Still wines

Red, white and rosé wines are the three main types of still wines covered, with lower-alcohol wines (from 5.5% ABV), boxed wines and dessert wines also included here.

Semi-sparkling wine, defined as having a pressure of less than three bars, is included with still wines in HMRC data, and is covered by this Report.

Sparkling wines

Champagne: including rosé and vintage Champagne, is produced under strict regulation within the tightly defined Champagne appellation of France. Within the EU, the term méthode champenoise is similarly restricted solely to the Champagne area.

Sparkling wines: including white, rosé and red, are known by a variety of terms, dependent upon the region of production. For example:

Crémant – the generic name for sparkling wine made in France outside the region of Champagne.

Spumante – the Italian term for a sparkling wine.

Cava – a type of white or pink sparkling wine, produced mainly in the Penedès region in Catalonia, Spain.

English sparkling wine – any sparkling wine made in England.

Asti – a sparkling wine produced in the Asti region in Piedmont, Italy.

Moscato – a lightly sparkling wine also produced in Piedmont.

Prosecco – the name is protected under European law and can only be used for wine made from the Prosecco grape in the Conegliano/Valdobbiadene region of Italy.

New World – refers to wines from countries outside Europe, chiefly Australia, New Zealand and the US, but also South Africa, Argentina and Chile, for example.

Fortified wines

Fortified wine is wine with an added distilled beverage, which is usually brandy. These wines differ from spirits made from wine as fortified wines have a spirit added to them. There are a wide range of styles, with the best known being port, sherry, Madeira and vermouth. Also included are British fortified wines, Montilla and ginger wine.

Excluded from the Report

Drinks made from concentrated grape juice, fruit wine, mead and cider and perry are excluded from this Report.

Back to top