Vineyard or Winery?

Conversationally the terms ‘vineyard’ and ‘winery’ are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference – and you can be one without being the other!

There’s now over 1000* vineyards in Great Britain – some of these may just be a few hectares, whilst the UK’s largest wine producer, Chapel Down, has over 350 hectares. Most of these vineyards are not open to the public but between them they are growing over 90 different grape varieties (with the traditional champagne grapes – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier – the most popular).

A winery (as the name suggests!) is a place where wine is made. These also vary in scale from large state-of-the-art facilities to much smaller scale production. The number of wineries in Great Britain is 221* and some of these offer contract facilities to allow multiple vineyards to make their wines. Halfpenny Green in Staffordshire not only make their own wines but also support over 100 other vineyards in England and Wales – making between 250-300 different wines! For smaller vineyards this is often a more cost-effective way to produce wine whilst still being fully involved in the process.

When you’re looking for a tour and tasting, visiting somewhere with an onsite winery will usually allow you to see the equipment first-hand – although most vineyards will talk you through the process even if they can’t show you. And of course, whether it’s a vineyard or a winery, there’s bound to be some tasting involved. Cheers!     

*source Wine GB Wine Industry Data 2024