United Kingdom wine legislation — official wine regions
1. UK Quality Wine Schemes — classification system (administered by WineGB/DEFRA)
| Level | Designation | Description | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | PDO — still | Protected Designation of Origin | 100% of grapes from England/Wales; about 88–90 permitted cultivars; no hybrids |
| Highest | PDO — sparkling | Protected Designation of Origin | 100% of grapes from England/Wales; only 6 cultivars; no hybrids |
| Intermediate | PGI | Protected Geographical Indication | At least 85% from England/Wales; hybrids permitted; remaining grapes must be UK, not EU |
| Basic | Wine | Wine without geographical indication | Since 1 January 2024 no formal varietal certification; 85% for one named variety, 95% collectively for multiple varieties |
Labelling: PDO = 'English/Welsh Protected Designation of Origin'; PGI = 'English/Welsh Regional Protected Geographical Indication'. Protected terms cannot be used for wine without a GI.
2. Registered UK wine schemes (PDO/PGI)
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| English | PDO | Registered; still and quality sparkling wine from England |
| EnglishRegional | PGI | Registered; regional wines from England |
| Welsh | PDO | Registered; still and quality sparkling wine from Wales |
| WelshRegional | PGI | Registered; regional wines from Wales |
| Sussex | PDO | Registered 5 July 2022; wine under the Sussex product specification |
| Darnibole | PDO | Registered; dry still Cornish wine requiring 100% Bacchus |
3. Pending applications
| Name | Type | Submitted / current status |
|---|---|---|
| The Crouch Valley | PDO | 7 March 2023 — under consideration; not ready for consultation |
| Natural Wine of Wales | PGI | 11 August 2025 — under consideration; not ready for consultation |
| English Vermouth | PGI | 16 March 2023 — aromatised wine; not ready for consultation |
Additional: Great British Classic Method is a trade mark/private certification concept, not a registered PDO or PGI.
4. Sources and review status
| Source | Status date | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| FSA still-wine guidance | 2 Sep 2025 | gov.uk/government/publications/uk-quality-wine-schemes-guidance-still-wines |
| FSA sparkling-wine guidance | 2 Sep 2025 | gov.uk/government/publications/uk-quality-wine-schemes-guidance-sparkling-wines |
| DEFRA protected-name applications | 27 Jan 2026 | gov.uk/guidance/protected-wine-and-aromatised-wine-names-applications |
| DEFRA GB protected-names register | Checked 28 August 2026 | gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names |
| WineGB 2025 Industry Report | Jun 2025 | winegb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/WineGB-2025-Industry-Report.pdf |