Made in England ResearchSurvey finding
Seven in ten people who have tried English sparkling wine rate it high quality. Four in ten have never tried it
42% of adults in England rate English sparkling wine as high quality, rising to 69% among those who have tried it. But 39% never have, including half of over-55s.
Key findings
- 42% of adults in England rate English sparkling wine as high quality and 37% say the same of English still wine. Only 3% and 4% rate them low quality.
- Among people who have actually tried them, 69% rate English sparkling high quality and 64% English still.
- 39% have never tried English sparkling wine and 41% have never tried English still wine. Half of over-55s (51%) have never tried either.
- 25 to 34 year olds are the biggest fans: 57% rate English sparkling high quality and only 26% have never tried it.
- Only 43% know that sparkling wine is genuinely produced in England.
The quality verdict
Among all adults in England, 42% rate English sparkling wine as high quality (20% very high, 22% fairly high) and 37% rate English still wine as high quality (16% and 21%). Very few rate either as low quality: 3% for sparkling and 4% for still.
Strip out the people who have never tried it and the verdict is clearer still. 69% of those who have tried English sparkling wine rate it high quality, and 64% of those who have tried English still wine. Greater London (50%) and the South East (49%) are the regions where the most people rate English sparkling high quality; Yorkshire (32%) the fewest.
The people who haven't tried it
39% of adults have never tried English sparkling wine and 41% have never tried English still wine. The gap is generational. 51% of over-55s have never tried English sparkling, compared with 26% of 25 to 34 year olds. And when younger people do try it, they like it: 57% of 25 to 34s rate it high quality, against 32% of over-55s.
| Age | Rate it high quality | Never tried it |
|---|---|---|
| 18-24 | 46% | 33% |
| 25-34 | 57% | 26% |
| 35-44 | 49% | 31% |
| 45-54 | 38% | 37% |
| 55+ | 32% | 51% |
| All adults | 42% | 39% |
Regionally, the North East and Yorkshire (47% never tried sparkling) and Greater London (28%) are the two ends. Leeds (51%) is the city where most people have never tried it; London (33%) the fewest. City figures, and those for smaller regions such as the North East, are based on small subsamples and should be read as indicative. Base sizes are in the full data tables.
Not even sure it exists
Elsewhere in the survey, people were shown five products and asked which they knew to be genuinely produced in England. Sparkling wine was the best known of the five, but only 43% picked it. In Yorkshire the figure was 35%, and among 18 to 24 year olds 27%. Over-55s (50%) and the South East (50%) were the most likely to know. Southampton (54%) and Plymouth (25%) were the highest and lowest cities.
Methodology
The research was conducted by Censuswide among a sample of 2,001 adults in England, nationally representative of those aged 18 and over. Fieldwork ran from 13 to 16 April 2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society and the British Polling Council and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge, and abides by the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles. Survey reference J17714CWMP. Full results for all 20 questions.
The 69% and 64% figures are calculated among respondents who said they had tried each wine (1,214 for sparkling, 1,175 for still). All other figures are among all 2,001 respondents.
Notes for editors
The full data tables (Excel), including breakdowns by gender, age, region and nearest city, can be downloaded. Charts and figures may be reproduced with credit to Made in England Research. Please link to the page you took them from. Marcus Holland, founder of MadeInEngland.com, is available for interview and further comment. Contact: marcus@madeinengland.com, 07983 818291.
Suggested citation
Made in England Research/Censuswide, survey of 2,001 adults in England, 13 to 16 April 2026.