It’s official: we’re a nation of Sauvignon Blanc fanatics. This is one of many interesting findings of a large study we have conducted into our sales data.
Analysing over one hundred grape varieties and wine regions, our study found that Sauvignon Blanc is the most popular wine in almost every British town, city and county, with only Berkshire bucking the trend (drinking more of our second favourite grape, Chardonnay).
However, the dominance of both Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay in the UK paints only half of the national picture. In the last year, Laithwaite’s Wine has sold wines made from over forty different single grape varieties, and a closer look at the figures reveals that our wine tastes are rather diverse.
Glasgow – the cosmopolitan Scottish city – has the greatest penchant for Grenache, with the highest proportion of bottles sold here. Bournemouth, meanwhile, is also painting the town red, with the largest percentage of Merlot in the UK sold.
Residents of Hammersmith and Fulham are keeping Beaujolais Nouveau fashionable, Rosé is most at home in Ramsgate and Slough leads the way in enjoying a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.
When it comes to sparkling, Liverpool came out on top as the city with the highest percentage of Prosecco drinkers while, unsurprisingly, Champagne flutes are filling up most frequently in the City of London and Westminster.
The top 10 grape varieties across the UK, revealed!*
1. Sauvignon Blanc
2. Chardonnay
3. Merlot
4. Cabernet Sauvignon
5. Shiraz
6. Grenache
7. Pinot Noir
8. Tempranillo
9. Pinot Grigio
10. Malbec
Beth Willard, Wine Buyer here at Laithwaite’s, is proud to be able to draw up the first ‘Grape Britain’ wine map:
What it shows is, while Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay have a huge nationwide appeal, we are actually a nation of wine connoisseurs, with our own unique tastes and preferences. One of the main reasons behind this is the ever-increasing choice on offer.
We’ve noticed a slight shift in the nation’s palate over the last few years to wines made from lesser known varieties and from less mainstream regions. We are starting to see wines from Romania and Hungary usurp the popularity of traditional favourites like Italian Pinot Grigio. Sauvignon Blanc’s dominance at the top of the list might soon be challenged.
See below for a full list of grape varieties and wine regions, and where we sell the highest proportion of bottles
· Albarino – Chichester
· Cabernet Sauvignon – Slough
· Carignan – Armagh
· Carmen – Hinckley
· Chardonnay – Leicestershire
· Chenin Blanc – Worcestershire
· Durif – Middlesbrough
· Gamay – Wigtownshire
· Gewürztraminer – Stevenage
· Grenache – Glasgow
· Lambrusco – Chorley
· Malbec – Bournemouth
· Malmsey – Canterbury
· Marsanne – Hambleton
· Merlot – Bournemouth
· Montepulciano – East Devon
· Muscadet – Gloucester
· Muscat – Folkstone
· Nebbiolo – Kensington and Chelsea
· Champagne – City of London
· Pinot Blanc – Croydon
· Pinot Grigio – Pembrokeshire
· Pinot Noir – Hertfordshire
· Pinotage – Rossendale
· Prosecco – Liverpool
· Riesling – Oxford
· Rosé – Ramsgate
· Roussanne – Blackpool
· Sauvignon Blanc – Birmingham
· Semillon – Lincolnshire
· Shiraz – Wolverhampton
· Syrah – Lancashire
· Viognier – Northamptonshire
· Zinfandel – Hartlepool
Additional regional varieties:
· Champagne – City of London / Westminster
· Beaujolais – Hammersmith and Fulham
*(excluding blended wine)
