Inside Britain's fastest growing and most unlikely wine region (2025)

It is famedfor its puddings, peaks and moody moors - but now Yorkshire is bubbling up in the most unexpected of ways.

Thanks to balmier British summers, 'God's Own Country' has quietly transformed into the UK's fastest-growing wine region.

The White Rose county now boasts more than 20 commercial vineyards producing over 120,000 bottles a year, from zesty whites to award-winning fizz.

One of these is Dunesforde Vineyard, which is run by ex-accountant Ian Townsend, who swapped spreadsheets for soil in 2016.

A former pony paddock, near Boroughbridge, now produces up to 15,000 bottles a year and to acclaim. Last year, its Pinot Gris 2022 scooped the top white wine gong at the WineGB Awards – the first time a Yorkshire wine had ever done so.

Ian, 67, said: 'When we started in 2016, it was an experiment,

'But I said we've got two things in common with Bordeaux – we're 60 feet above sea level and we've got clay soil.

'The Romans made wine two miles down the road 2,000 years ago – so why not us?'

He believes Yorkshire wines should embrace their unique characteristics, and not be compared directly to contemporaries on the continent.

He added: 'If the French are Paris St Germain, then we're probably York City. We don't have the means or resources to really compete on their level.

'Just trying to copy what the French do is not the way I think we should go.

'We're British, let's produce what comes naturally to us.'

Rival Yorkshire Heart, based near Nun Monkton, is aiming to bottle more than 55,000 wines this year from its sprawling 19-acre site. It last year scored seven regional awards – including for its Sparkling Red.

Managing Director Tim Spakouskas said: 'I don't like to compare our wines to anything else in particular.

'I think English wine has to find its own identity, and Yorkshire wine has to find its own identity, so it stands on its own two feet, really.

'We do get people come in and ask, what's your wine like? Is it compared to this or compared to that? And you can give people a rough idea of what it does compare to.

'Our wines are a bit Riesling/Sauvignon Blanc in flavour and style; the crisp, dry, fruity white wines. Reds are almost like a light body French wine.

'A few years ago, there was a big thing about local produce. And it didn't get as far as drink. People were eating a nice piece of local beef with a bottle of red wine they bought from the supermarket that's come from Chile or Australia or Italy.

'Whereas nowadays, people are a bit more interested in what they're drinking as well and where it's come from and the provenance of it.'

Winemaking in Yorkshire is not for the faint-hearted, despite warmer climes.

Cold temperatures can result in grapes struggling to reach their full sugar levels, while the early harvesting, which occurs in cooler climates due to autumn frosts, can cause high acidity in wine.

Ideal temperatures to grow grapes are generally thought to be between 20C and 30C, with long hours of sunshine needed to create full-bodied reds.

But the question is - does wine from the Côte du Yorkshire actually taste good?

To find out, MailOnline put two of Yorkshire's most lauded bottles - Dunesforde Vineyard's £25 Pinot Gris and Yorkshire Heart's £31 Sparkling White – to the ultimate test: a blind tasting against supermarket tipples.

Could tourists in York pick the premium plonk from the budget booze - Aldi's popular £7.99 Freeman's Bay pinot gris and its Nicholas de Montbard Champagne, £13.99.

Here's how all our intrepid tasters got on.

Josh Tempest

Josh, 21, was bowled over by the Yorkshire still white wine - but preferred Aldi's Champagne to its local sparking wine rival.

He condemned Aldi's Freeman's Bay as 'too sugary' whereas Dunesforde's award-winner had 'more balance'.

Josh from Ruthin, North Wales, said: 'Overall, I liked nearly all of them, apart from the Aldi Pinot Gris. That one didn't do it for me. The others, especially the Yorkshire ones, were really good, which I didn't expect at all.'

'I never would've guessed the wine I liked best came from around here. When I think of wine, I usually picture Germany or France - not Yorkshire.'

Pointing to Dunesforde's Pinot Gris, Josh added: 'When I go to a shop now, I'll be looking out for one like this. I didn't know we made stuff like that - but now I'll be looking for it, for sure.'

David Allonby

David, 75, plumped for Aldi's budget wine over the more expensive, and award-winning, Dunesforde number but admitted: 'I like them both, to be fair.' He said he preferred Freeman's Bay - but 'only just'.

He also opted for the £13.99 Champagne but admitted he could happily drink both.

David, from Flintshire, North Wales, said: 'I wouldn't refuse either of those, to be honest. Both of them were something I would choose.

'Usually you find the Australian, Spanish, French, all that sort of stuff. But when you see that these really nice wines are made in your own country, it's quite unusual.'

Darrin Smith and Kim Hill

Darrin, 58, said the Yorkshire sparkling was really impressive - whereas Aldi's Champagne 'burns when it goes down a little bit'.

He said Yorkshire Heart's offering was 'more sparkly, a bit more fruity' and 'far outweighed' its rival, and correctly guessed: 'I'd probably say that was the premium one'.

Darrin, from Telford, Shrops, said: 'It seems to have more like body - as if more time had been taken over it, rather than just mass-produced.'

Kim, 63, from Chester, described Aldi's Pinot Gris as 'more like a cordial than a wine'. But she said she preferred it to the still 'very nice' Yorkshire wine.

She said: 'To be honest, either of these wines would be fine. They're both really good.'

Darrin added: 'I think normally I would go with the Aldi. But that's just for convenience, I think, more than anything.

'But tasting the Yorkshire wine, it does make you think for a special occasion it would be nice to have something like that.'

Cerys James and Will Stafford

Cerys, 46, liked Aldi's Champagne for its easy-drinking style but said Yorkshire Heart's bubbly had 'more body' – perfect with a meal.

Cerys, from Welshpool, mid-Wales, said: 'Because we're in the environment of just having a taste and the time of day, Aldi's is an easy drinker. But if you were to kind of sustain that drinking, it would just be quite sickly.

'Whereas if I was sat down for an evening meal, I'd probably gravitate to the second [the Yorkshire Heart],because of the depth.'

Will, an amateur winemaker, described Aldi's wine as tasting 'more home-brewy' and said its Yorkshire opposition was 'very nice' - first plumping for the supermarket before changing his mind.

He said the flavour of the Freeman's Bay drop quickly disappeared, whereas Dunesforde's aromas persisted.

Will, also 46, added: 'We tend to buy home-grown foods and locally sourced things where we live. So I think it's encouraging really the fact that even in Yorkshire you're getting these wines.

He added: 'I won't be spitting it out.'

Anne and Alan Whitnall

Like Will, Alan also first opted for Aldi's still wine before later changing his mind upon a few more sips.

Alan, 77, from Dunblane, Scotland, said: 'Now, after having more, that one [Aldi] does taste bland.

'Whereas the Yorkshire one is very nice.

'After going back to that one, it's got much more life in it.'

Anne, also 67, opted Yorkshire Heart's sparkling wine - describing it as 'fruity' and 'alive'.

She said: 'It doesn't surprise me that we're getting wines of this quality here. With the south-facing slopes and warming climate, it makes sense.

'The soil's right, and you can really taste that in the wine. It's impressive, honestly.'