English wine’s record year: Production soars to 6.3 million bottles as global warming allows Chardonnay and pinot noir grapes to grow
By Richard Marsden
11 May 2015 (Daily Mail) – English wine production soared to a record 6.3 million bottles last year – buoyed by climate change. Vintners say similar conditions now exist in England to those in parts of France ten to 20 years ago, allowing types of grapes such as chardonnay and pinot noir – associated with Champagne – to grow. Vineyards now exist in the UK as far north as Yorkshire. Sparkling wine represents two thirds of English production, and many vineyards have harnessed techniques from Champagne producers. The figures released by English Wine Producers yesterday represent a 42 per cent increase in production compared with 2013, when 4.45m bottles were made – itself a record figure. The umbrella body for English vineyards says the area of vineyards in the UK has doubled in the last seven years and now stands at more than 4,900 acres, or 2,000 hectares. Individual producers believe the success is because long-term climate change is allowing Britain to replicate traditional French growing conditions. […] Nicholas Coates, of Coates and Seely, also based in Hampshire and which supplies upmarket stores including Fortnum and Mason, added: ‘The Champenoise who taste our fruits say they are similar to those in Champagne 10 to 15 years ago. ‘There’s no doubt that the global warming of the last 10 to 20 years has moved the ideal place for cultivating the grapes.’ [more]
