Wales: Vineyards, PDO and Grapes

Wales had 91.4 hectares under vine in 2025 on Wine Standards figures, spread across nearly 60 registered vineyards. Monmouthshire in the southeast and Carmarthenshire in the southwest are the top counties for plantings, but vineyards run from Anglesey and the Llyn peninsula in the northwest, across to the Vale of Clwyd in mid-Wales, down to the Vale of Glamorgan and the Gower, and west to Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. The Welsh Government's Business Wales service calls the industry "blossoming and rapidly expanding with a multitude of vineyards located throughout Wales." Over 20 different grape varieties are grown here, producing red, white and rose wine, either still or sparkling. Welsh Wine Week 2025 staged more than 40 events across Wales, and by 16 June 2025 over 50 vineyards were operating in the country. The first commercial vineyard in the UK was planted in Wales, in 1875 near Castell Coch just outside Cardiff. That vineyard no longer exists, but 150 years on the region's winemaking industry is thriving.

• 91.4 hectares under vine in 2025 and nearly 60 registered vineyards
• Monmouthshire and Carmarthenshire are the top counties for plantings
• The first commercial UK vineyard was planted near Castell Coch in 1875
• Over 50 vineyards were operating across Wales by Welsh Wine Week 2025

Every Welsh vineyard sits above 49.9 degrees north, which brings long daylight hours in the growing season. That northerly latitude creates a long growing season and long daylight hours, conditions key to the development of strong aromatic flavours. Welsh wines tend to carry crisp acidity, a trait that comes from the character of the Welsh landscape. Vineyards are spread throughout Wales rather than concentrated in one belt: from Anglesey and the Llyn peninsula in the northwest, across to the Vale of Clwyd in mid-Wales, down to the Vale of Glamorgan, the Gower, and west to Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, alongside the Monmouthshire and Carmarthenshire clusters that lead in plantings.

• All Welsh vineyards are positioned above 49.9 degrees north
• The northerly latitude gives a long growing season and long daylight hours
• Vineyards are spread from Anglesey and the Llyn peninsula to Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion

Wales carries two UK protected wine names on the GOV.UK register of protected geographical food and drink names, published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. "Welsh" holds Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, and "Welsh Regional" holds Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. Both are registered under the UK scheme as of 10 March 2021, with an original EU registration date of 29 December 2011, and both are listed with country of origin United Kingdom and reason for protection "UK geographical indication from before 2021." Each year, Welsh wine goes through a qualification process to achieve PDO or PGI status. Specific vintages are awarded the status following an application process and approval from a tasting panel, and each potential Welsh Wine must pass an independent post-bottling analytical test and an organoleptic test.

• "Welsh" is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO); "Welsh Regional" is a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
• Both registered under the UK scheme on 10 March 2021, on the DEFRA register
• Original EU registration for both: 29 December 2011
• Specific vintages earn PDO or PGI status after an application process, tasting panel approval, an independent post-bottling analytical test and an organoleptic test

Two protected names cover Welsh wine: Welsh PDO and Welsh Regional PGI. Within the country, Monmouthshire, in the southeast of Wales, and Carmarthenshire, in the southwest, are the top counties for plantings. Vineyards are spread more widely too, including Anglesey and the Llyn peninsula in the northwest, the Vale of Clwyd in mid-Wales, the Vale of Glamorgan, the Gower, and Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion in the west. Seven vineyards presented their wines at a Welsh Wine Week 2025 tasting event in Cardiff: Ancre Hill Estates, The Dell Vineyard, Hebron Vineyard, St Hilary Vineyard, Tair Gafr Wines, Velfrey Vineyard, and White Castle Vineyard, the last based in Monmouthshire.

• Welsh PDO and Welsh Regional PGI are the two protected wine names covering Wales
• Monmouthshire (southeast) and Carmarthenshire (southwest) are the top counties for plantings
• Vineyards also reach Anglesey, the Llyn peninsula, the Vale of Clwyd, the Vale of Glamorgan, the Gower, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion
• Seven vineyards presented wines at the Welsh Wine Week 2025 Cardiff tasting: Ancre Hill Estates, The Dell Vineyard, Hebron Vineyard, St Hilary Vineyard, Tair Gafr Wines, Velfrey Vineyard and White Castle Vineyard

Seyval Blanc and Solaris thrive in the Welsh climate, and several vineyards successfully grow classic varieties including Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. In total, over 20 different grape varieties are grown across Wales, producing red, white and rose wine, still or sparkling. Red wines are often made from Pinot Noir Precoce, Regent and Rondo, and WineGB credits the region's reds with winning acclaim, with more recent plantings of Divico and Cabernet Noir now producing wines that garner praise. Wales is a particular hotspot for winemakers favouring a low-intervention approach, and styles range from traditional method sparkling and conventional still wines through pet-nat, col fondo and orange wines, to a Port-like fortified wine made from Regent.

• Seyval Blanc and Solaris thrive in the Welsh climate; Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir are also grown successfully
• Red wines are often made from Pinot Noir Precoce, Regent and Rondo, with newer plantings of Divico and Cabernet Noir
• Over 20 grape varieties are grown across Wales in total
• Styles include traditional method sparkling, still wine, pet-nat, col fondo, orange wine, and a Port-like fortified wine made from Regent

Wales had 91.4 hectares under vine in 2025 on Wine Standards figures, with nearly 60 registered vineyards. Over 50 vineyards were operating across Wales by Welsh Wine Week 2025, and recent years have seen notable increases in the volume of wine produced in the country, alongside a number of vineyards picking up international awards. Gwin Cymru, WineGB's regional association for Wales, organises the annual Welsh Wine Awards, held at Llanerch Vineyard Hotel, and holds regular meetings, vineyard management and winemaking training, and study tours with the Welsh Drinks Cluster. The Welsh Government's Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, said of the industry: "Welsh vineyards are not only producing award-winning wines, but are also playing a vital role in our rural economy and tourism sector." White Castle Vineyard, a Monmouthshire producer, marked Welsh Wine Week 2025 by opening a new on-site winery; its owner, Robb Merchant, said the opening "represents a significant chapter in the evolution of White Castle Vineyard."

• 91.4 hectares under vine in 2025 and nearly 60 registered vineyards
• Over 50 vineyards were operating across Wales by 16 June 2025, during Welsh Wine Week 2025
• Gwin Cymru organises the annual Welsh Wine Awards at Llanerch Vineyard Hotel
• White Castle Vineyard, a Monmouthshire producer, opened a new on-site winery during Welsh Wine Week 2025

Primary sources: WineGB, https://winegb.co.uk/wines/regions/ and https://winegb.co.uk/about/regional-associations/; Welsh Government Business Wales, https://businesswales.gov.wales/foodanddrink/how-we-can-help/new-uk-geographical-indication-gi-schemes-0/welsh-wine-pdopgi and https://businesswales.gov.wales/foodanddrink/news-and-events/news/wales-toasts-its-thriving-wine-industry; GOV.UK protected food and drink names register, https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/welsh and https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/welsh-regional. Last verified 2026-10-05