Will we ever become a major wine producer?
There isn't enough land in southern England for the UK to become a major wine producer, at least in the short term. Total production represents only 1 per cent of British wine consumption.
One of the bright spots in the darkening skies of climate change is that rising temperatures in England will make wine production easier. The optimum wine-producing climate may only be around for a few decades though. By 2080, much of southern England, including the Thames Valley and parts of Hampshire, will be too hot to grow vines, according to a study by Richard Selley, emeritus professor at Imperial College's Department of earth Science and Engineering, who based his predictions last year on modelling from the Met Office.
On the upside, by 2080 large areas of England such as Yorkshire and Lancashire will be able to grow red grapes such as merlot and cabernet sauvignon historically grown in the hotter wine regions such as the south of France and Chile, says Professor Selley.
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