The growing market for UK Vineyards

Burgundy, Chianti and the Napa Valley now have a surprising rival – the green, undulating hills of England and Wales. Not content with being the fifth-largest wine-consuming market in the world, the British are becoming prodigious producers, with a growing number of vineyards making a total of 9 million highly quaffable bottles a year – and gaining accolades from connoisseurs around the globe.

“These are exciting times for British vineyards,” says Chris Spofforth, director of farms at Savills, who is based in Sevenoaks, Kent. “Viticulture is our fastest-growing agricultural sector and the UK is a good place to be buying or growing a vineyard.” Spring is the perfect season to start your search.

A handful of UK vineyards were recorded in 2000, but that figure has now grown to about 800, according to the trade body WineGB. You’ll find areas under vines from Sussex to Cornwall, Wales to Yorkshire. At least 500 are commercial, with the rest being hobby-led, and while viticulture is still “a bit niche”, as Spofforth puts it, the industry is flourishing, spurred on by values-driven investors and market confidence.

“Serious money is being invested in British wine and good growing sites are highly sought-after,” says Spofforth – and it’s easier to buy a vineyard in the UK than in overheated Bordeaux. “Here, you’re paying a premium over agricultural value and it’s a lot easier than buying in France.”

As for the new British buyers, many are “high-net-worth private individuals investing at significant levels for their personal portfolios. They’ve made their money elsewhere and have an interest in wine. These are not people who’d invest in a sector without prospects.”

British wine’s spiritual home is Sussex and Kent, where rolling chalky downs – and a little more sun – make for vine-friendly conditions. Well-drained hills have an edge, says Spofforth, because “vines don’t like getting their feet too wet”. That said, clay soil is fine if other factors are right, and British viticulture has fanned out to East Anglia, the southwest and the Welsh Marches, leading to animated discussions about British terroir – a French term that denotes the unique flavour of each environment.

There’s a double-edged reason for this success, however – climate change. “It’s a very real part of why the industry has been able to grow and why people have had the optimism to invest,” according to leading British winemaker Dermot Sugrue, of Sugrue South Downs vineyard. This silver lining has led to a vinous coming of age, but Spofforth adds a note of caution: “Climate change can also go against you in late frosts in spring or damp Augusts, when you expect your fruit to be ripening.”

What of the homes attached to vineyards – are there enough Loire-style chateaux to go around? Such a grand dream will not be cheap to realise, Spofforth says. “A big house in the southeast comes with a big price tag, and for some commercial investors the gap between residential and vineyard value doesn’t make sense,” he explains. “Some ask, ‘Why pay £1.5 million on a house that adds nothing to my wine business?’”

Add-ons such as staff lodgings can sharply increase the price, while vine-ready land sells for £15,000-£20,000 per acre, rather than the typical farming cost of £9,000 or so per acre. With commercial buyers requiring at least 20-30 acres, vineyard owners need deep pockets – and there’s a four-year lead time between planting your first vines and popping your first cork for still wines. It’s even longer for sparkling. This is a choosy market, says Spofforth: “Some people can spend up to five years finding the right south-facing site. Others give up.”

Because of these highly specific factors, many sales are off-market. Savills currently has three vineyard properties on its books, two in West Sussex, one in East Sussex – but, despite the tough competition, Spofforth says that viticulture is a congenial and rewarding industry. “It’s incredibly friendly. Everybody rubs along together, sharing ideas and even equipment.”

The returns can be excellent, although British wines carry a price premium. Good sparkling wines start at about £25 and still wines at £15 – so they can’t compete with cheaper everyday drinking options on supermarket shelves. Some British vineyards are already following their counterparts in Australia and America in offering restaurants, glamping sites and wedding venues on the estate. But for most new winemakers the fun lies in eventually opening a bottle of their own label – a moment of sheer viticultural magic.

Pictures from top: in the vineyard at sunset (unsplash); Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard in East Sussex; Rathfinny Wine Estate in Alfriston; clipping the grapes (Getty); and Kingscote Wine Estate, West Sussex