Sales of vines up as growers look to make own wine

The owner of a garden centre says he has seen a significant increase in grapevine sales as customers bid to save on buying wine by making it themselves.

John Cutteridge, who opened Megaplants Garden Centre in Doddington, Cambridgeshire, in 2013, said demand for vines had risen noticeably in recent months.

Cutteridge believes the cost-of-living crisis may be playing a role, with some people viewing wine as an increasingly expensive luxury and looking for ways to reduce the cost by producing their own.

Meanwhile the Waresly Park Estate, near Gamlingay, is producing its first-ever range of bottled wine, saying the weather conditions are "perfect" for a bumper grape crop.

Lewis Heron is the head gardener at the 120-acre Waresly Park Estate and says grapevines were introduced in 2023 - mainly due to the change in climate.

"We grow champagne grapes, like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier here at a one-hectare (2.47-acre) vineyard," he said.

He added that traditionally it had been hard to grow grapes and get the crop to ripen with a lack of sun and a short season.

"In today's world we have no problem with the weather conditions, they love the heat," he said.

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), there were 7,020 acres of active vines growing in the UK in 2021.

By 2025, that figure had risen to 10,769 acres.

WineGB estimated the industry employed about 3,300 people - with a further 13,000 seasonal positions filled in 2024.

The industry body estimates about two thirds of a typical year's production in the UK is sparkling wine.

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