In order to satisfy our wine obsession, the UK imported roughly 1.25 billion litres of wine in 2023 alone. We have also started producing and exporting our own wines. The number of wineries in the UK has been steadily growing since 2005, with 2023 seeing 221 active wineries operating across the country.
But which area of the UK is the most interested in wine? House of Townend, an award-winning family wine merchant, has used Google search data to uncover the UK’s wine obsessions.
Bristol comes out on top!
According to search data, Bristol is the most wine-obsessed city, with 16.63% searches for wine per capita. Despite having the smallest population on our top 10 list, at just 1.48 million, Bristol comes out on top!
When we compare Bristol’s relatively low population to the larger cities on our list, such as London (39.9 million) and Birmingham (7.29 million), it becomes clear that the city’s interest in wine is strikingly high.
Interest is also high in Leeds, with 12.26% searches per capita, despite a relatively low population of 2 million, while Glasgow also shows high interest in wine with 11.61% searches per capita and a population of 2.3 million.
Despite its cultural diversity and culinary reputation, London doesn’t even crack the top five when it comes to searches per capita, averaging 10.18%. Birmingham also trails behind at 6.80% per capita. Edinburgh comes in at the bottom of our top 10 list, with only 6.27% searches per capita, despite its population of 4.8 million.
Check out our top 10 list of wine-obsessed cities in the UK per capita below. Is your city on the list?
- Bristol: 16.63%
- Leeds: 12.26%
- Glasgow: 11.61%
- Sheffield: 10.75%
- Newcastle: 10.67%
- London: 10.18%
- Manchester: 8.34%
- Birmingham: 6.80%
- Liverpool: 6.50%
- Edinburgh: 6.27%
Prosecco power
Prosecco wine consistently emerged as the most searched wine type across all 10 cities, highlighting its overall population, regardless of location. With 74,000 searches across the whole of the UK, Prosecco is trailed by celebratory Champagne (60,500 searches) and the classic Sauvignon Blanc (22,200 searches).
When looking at the whole of the UK, we see that Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon come further down our top 10 list, with 9,900 and 8,100 searches respectively. The data indicates that, as a country, we are more focused on sparkling and light white wines rather than heavier red wines.
Although Prosecco and Champagne dominate the searches for every city, Bristol also has relatively high searches for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir when compared to the other cities within our top 10.
Check out our top 10 list of wine searches across the whole of the UK below. Is your favourite drink on there?
- Prosecco: 74,000
- Champagne: 60,500
- Sauvignon Blanc: 22,200
- Pinot Grigio: 18,100
- Pinot Noir: 14,800
- Chardonnay: 9,900
- Cabernet Sauvignon: 9,900
- Malbec: 9,900
- Merlot: 8,100
- Rosé: 8,100 (653% increase YoY)
The rise of rosé
Rosé shows extremely high year-on-year (YoY) growth across all 10 cities, with a 653% YoY increase across the whole of the UK. This is despite it being the least searched wine type overall, clocking in at the bottom of our top 10 list with 8,100 searches across the whole of the UK – a tie with the less popular Merlot.
However, if this YoY growth continues, the data predicts 12,600 searches for rosé across the UK by November 2025 – which would raise rosé to number six on our top 10 list!
Glasgow is notable for its large increase in searches for rosé – a striking rise of 1,100% YoY. This change may indicate changing tastes in traditionally non-wine-dominated areas. Bristol has also shown increased interest in the blush pink tipple, with a 967% YoY search increase.
Another area with a relatively small population that has seen a significant YoY increase for rosé is Newcastle. Despite its fairly low population of 1.69 million, the party city – noted for its brilliant nightlife – has seen a 950% search increase YoY for rosé.
It seems that, as a nation, we’re waking up to the light, delicate taste of a delicious glass of rosé. The perfect drink for the summer months, search interest is sure to rise again across the country as the warm weather arrives.
So, there you have it – Bristol is the UK’s most wine-obsessed city, closely followed by Leeds and Glasgow. We are a nation of Prosecco and Champagne drinkers who are discovering the delights of a crisp glass of rosé. Did your city get a mention?