Top wineries of Great Britain 2026 revealed

Last year Nyetimber topped the charts in this comprehensive blind tasting of English wines carried out by Australian publication The Real Review. But has the Sussex producer managed to hold onto its crown in 2026, or has it been eclipsed by another contender? Anthony Rose reports.

The Real Review tastes around 10,000 wines per year, with a particular focus on Australia and New Zealand, providing ratings and reviews “to empower consumers and elevate their wine experiences.”

An algorithm then uses those unbiased reviews to generate the Top Wineries list based on scores.

The UK is also a key annual focus for the publication, and the results of this year’s ‘Top Wineries in the UK’, one of the world’s most comprehensive blind tastings of wines from the United Kingdom, have now been released.

The tasting panel consisted of British wine journalist Anthony Rose, wine critic, educator and jancisrobinson.com contributor Young Shi, and Rosemary George MW.

Remarkable consistency

Last year’s winner, Nyetimber, retains its crown as The Real Review’s Top Winery of Great Britain for 2026, and in doing so becomes the first winery to have won the title three times and in two consecutive years.

Last year the West Sussex estate celebrated its return to the summit after Langham had pipped them to the post in 2024; now Nyetimber has renewed its dominance, comfortably clear of the field. The regularity of its high scoring underlines the remarkable consistency that has made Nyetimber a benchmark for English sparkling wine.

Langham Wine Estate again claims the runner-up position, and this time does so with a meaningfully higher score than last year. Dorset’s finest continues to push the front-runner hard, and the gap between first and second place is now even narrower than in 2025.

Spectacular rise

However, the single most dramatic story of the 2026 rankings is the spectacular rise of Coates & Seely. Hampshire’s flagship sparkling wine producer vaults from 12th to 3rd place, a significant gain on its 2025 performance. That kind of leap, from the fringes of the top 10 to the podium in a single year, is almost without precedent in this competition. Nicholas Coates and Christian Seely have long been regarded as among the most serious practitioners of English sparkling wine; this ranking confirms that their ambition is being matched by results in the glass.

Coates & Seely are not the only Hampshire success story. Raimes English Sparkling makes the most dramatic ascent of anyone in the top 30, leaping 17 places from 31st to 14th.

Quietly raising their game

And Everflyht Vineyard from East Sussex climbs 12 places (29th to 17th) with a similarly impressive gain of points. Both producers serve notice that the depth of talent in English sparkling wine continues to broaden well beyond the established elite.

Also deserving special mention is Artelium, the East Sussex producer that climbs 11 places from 21st to 10th, breaking into the top ten for the first time. Together with Wiston Estate (up five from 13th to 8th) and Oastbrook Estates (up eight from 27th to 19th), this points to a cluster of Sussex producers that are quietly but consistently raising their game.

Sobering reversals

If there are notable winners, there are also some sobering reversals. Hambledon Vineyard, in fourth position last year, drops to 15th, an 11-place fall.

Bluestone of Wiltshire, eighth in 2025, slips to 16th.

Most striking of all are the falls of Oxney Organic Estate and Ridgeview. Oxney, which was 9th last year, tumbles to 34th, while Ridgeview, one of the founding names of English sparkling wine, falls from 17th to 38th. These are significant movements for two producers with distinguished track records.

One of the most quietly consistent wineries is Henry Laithwaite’s Harrow & Hope, which holds fourth place, while Chapel Down retains fifth position for the second consecutive year, a sign of the Kent producer’s improving consistency at the top level, notably thanks to its Kit’s Coty labels. Hundred Hills similarly holds sixth place, confirming that last year’s newcomer has established itself as a fixture in the upper reaches of the table.

New contenders

Ten new wineries enter the ranked list of 39 this year. The most notable debutant is Domaine Hugo of Wiltshire, which comes straight in at 18th, a remarkable first appearance for Hugo Stewart.

Balfour Hush Heath Estate from Kent enters at 26th, while Furleigh Estate from Dorset and Leonardslee Vineyards from Sussex both make the ranked list for the first time.

The variety of regions represented by the new entrants, from Kent and Sussex to Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, points to the continued geographical spread of quality English wine production beyond its traditional heartlands.

The depth of the field continues to impress. The total ranked list has grown to 39 producers. That broadening of the quality base is, if anything, the most important structural story of the 2026 rankings: it is no longer a handful of estates carrying the flag for English wine, but a substantial and growing cohort of producers capable of delivering at a consistently high level.

Still wine expertise

Gusbourne (up from 11th place to 7th) and Black Chalk Wine (which saw a marginal drop from 10th to 12th) both produce still Chardonnays of genuine distinction. Hattingley Valley, up from 14th to 11th, has been developing its still wine range with evident seriousness.

Essex producers Lyme Bay and The Heretics are making still Chardonnays that demonstrate what the county’s relatively warm growing conditions can achieve. Oxfordshire’s Brightwell Vineyard is another producer where still wines play a significant role. The question for future editions of this ranking is whether the methodology should evolve to give still wines greater explicit weighting or whether a separate still wine award would better serve the story being told.

Dynamism and engine rooms

Hampshire consolidates its position as the most dynamic county in the 2026 rankings, with Coates & Seely’s rise to third, Raimes English Sparkling’s leap to 14th and a clutch of other producers—Hattingley Valley (11th), Candover Brook (23rd), The Grange (24th) and Louis Pommery England (27th)—all holding or improving their standings. The county’s chalky soils, sheltered valleys and warming micro-climates are producing wines that rival the best of Kent and Sussex with increasing regularity.

Kent and Sussex remain the engine room of English wine, with Gusbourne and Wiston Estate both making strong upward moves and Chapel Down holding firmly at fifth. The South West continues to punch above its weight: Langham and Sandridge Barton fly the flag for Dorset and Devon respectively, while newcomer Furleigh Estate demonstrates the growing potential of the region.

In rude health

The 2026 rankings paint a picture of an industry in rude health. Nyetimber at the top, Langham snapping at its heels, Coates & Seely completing a startling podium finish and, behind them, a field of 36 producers.

The question for 2027 is whether any producer can break the stranglehold of the established top two, or whether the real competition is between the exceptional producers jostling for third place and beyond.

On the evidence of this year, there are at least half a dozen estates capable of making that leap. English wine has never been more exciting or more competitive.

Top Wineries of Great Britain 2026 in full

1. Nyetimber, South East, Sussex, West Sussex

2. Langham Wine Estate, South West

3. Coates & Seely, Wessex, Hampshire

4. Harrow & Hope, Thames & Chilterns, Buckinghamshire

5. Chapel Down, South East, Kent

6. Hundred Hills, Thames & Chilterns, Buckinghamshire

7. Gusbourne, South East, Kent

8. Wiston Estate, South East, Sussex, West Sussex

9. Digby Fine English, South East, Sussex, West Sussex

10. Artelium, South East, Sussex

11. Hattingley Valley, Wessex, Hampshire

12. Black Chalk Wine, Wessex, Hampshire

13. Sugrue, South Downs, South East, Sussex

14. Raimes English Sparkling, Wessex, Hampshire

15. Hambledon Vineyard, Wessex, Hampshire

16. Bluestone, Wessex, Wiltshire

17. Everflyht Vineyard, South East, Sussex, East Sussex

18. Domaine Hugo, Wessex, Wiltshire

19. Oastbrook Estates, South East

20. High Clandon Estate Vineyard, South East

21. Fox & Fox, South East, Sussex, East Sussex

22. Lyme Bay, South West

23. Candover Brook, Wessex, Hampshire

24. The Grange England, Wessex, Hampshire The Grange

25. Roebuck Estates, South East, Sussex, West Sussex

26. Balfour Hush Heath Estate, South East, Kent

27. Louis Pommery England, Wessex, Hampshire

28. Furleigh Estate, South West

29. Sandridge Barton Wines, South West, Devon

30. Nutbourne Vineyards, South East

31. Squerryes England, South East, Kent

32. Hoffmann & Rathbone England, South East, Sussex, East Sussex Hoffmann & Rathbone

33. Ambriel, South East, Sussex, West Sussex

34. Oxney Organic Estate, South East, Sussex, East Sussex

35. Leonardslee Vineyards, South East

36. Heppington Vineyard, South East

37. Rathfinny Wine Estate, South East, Sussex, East Sussex

38 Ridgeview England, South East, Sussex, East Sussex

39. Leornian Wines

Tasting notes for the top wines

Sparkling Wine of the Year: 1086 by Nyetimber 2014

Region: Kent

Score: 97 points / db Gold medal equivalent

Price: £150

A youthful pale gold, still remarkably fresh in aroma while showing the developed complexity of bottle evolution. When tasted, it is beautifully balanced with full-flavoured, ripe appley fruit supported by a firm spine of juicy pineappley acidity; nuanced and complex with a divine creamy nuttiness, finely balanced and finishing luxuriously dry. What a wine!

Sparkling Rosé of the Year: Gusbourne Rosé 2020

Region: Sussex

Score: 95 points / db Gold medal equivalent

Price: £55

A deep coppery pink, bright and fresh in aroma with an appealing background trace of berry fruit. In the mouth there’s plenty of raspberries and cream in the mousse, which is superbly full-flavoured, distinctly creamy and rich in texture, buoyed by a lively mousse. Beautifully balanced, it tapers towards an appetisingly dry, elegantly styled finish. A restrained and elegantly styled English rosé.

Blanc de Blancs of the Year: Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Blanc de Blancs 2019

Region: Buckinghamshire

Score: 95 points / db Gold medal equivalent

Price: £65

Pale gold with fresh, bright aromas showing notes of crème fraîche autolysis, floral and smooth. In the mouth, this youthful, richly concentrated blanc de blancs is developing nicely, with a delicacy of texture whose juicy, ripe orchard-apple fruit is buoyed by a fine, creamy mousse and subtle toasty notes that wouldn’t be out of place in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs. This pure Chardonnay finishes stylishly dry, and the overall balance suggests more ageing potential than most of us want or need.

Blanc de Noirs of the Year: Hundred Hills Blanc de Noirs 2021

Region: Hampshire

Score: 95 points / db Gold medal equivalent

Price: £66

A hint of rose gold in the colour suggests a fair proportion of black grapes. The nose is invitingly rich and toasty, showing classic secondary-fermentation autolytic development. In the mouth, a fine-textured mousse expands beautifully across the tongue, dissipating in high-quality red fruit, toffee apple and nutty flavours, and finishing refreshingly dry.

Read about more top-performing English wines from The Real Review’s blind tasting here.

 

 

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