For centuries the English were more focused on drinking wine than producing it but since the dawn of the 21st century, that has changed. Historically England and Wales’ climate was considered too cold to make good quality wine, however, climate change is having a huge impact on the quality and styles of wine that we can now produce.
Researchers have predicted that the exceptional vintage experienced in the UK in 2018 will soon be the norm with significant areas of the country projected to become a further 1.4°C warmer during the growing season by 2040.
According to Wine GB’s latest industry report, there are now 897 vineyards in the UK (although that number is likely to have risen to over 900 since the report was published in September 2022) and plantings are up 70 per cent since 2017 – there is now four times as much land under vine than there was in 2000.
A key factor in the shape of the industry, says Wine GB CEO Simon Thorpe, is the “stratospheric rise in
