Investors toast Britain’s perfect wine climate
English wine investors are set to reap the rewards from a soggy summer in what is expected to be a bumper harvest for the industry.
A dry June, followed by the wettest July in more than a decade, means English winemakers are predicting a perfect vintage – with their highest and best yields to date.
English wine has been a runaway success over the past few years, with a forecast that production will hit 25m bottles in 2023.
Boost: Climate change and summer heatwaves have meant English vineyards have been able to grow grapes usually found in typically warmer European countries
More than 940 vineyards produced an estimated 12.2m bottles last year in Britain, according to a fresh report from the trade group Wine GB.
Climate change and summer heatwaves have meant English vineyards have been able to grow grapes usually found in typically warmer European countries.
The biggest winemaker in the market is Kent-based Chapel Down, which makes up 30 per cent of the English sparkling wine business.
Charlie Holland, who runs fellow Kent wine producer Gusbourne, said English wine was ‘an amazing success story for England’.
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