An army of fruit pickers will arrive at vineyards across Southern England this morning (Monday 28 September) to begin this year’s grape harvest.
Winery bosses, while reluctant to use the term “bumper”, are “quietly optimistic” the crop will be significantly higher than the previous two years and even better quality.
Although much of Britain hardly saw a summer, conditions have been perfect for grape growing in the key area of South East England which basked in sunshine during Wimbledon fortnight (end of June, start of July) when vine flowering occurs.
These flowers self-pollinate, form grape clusters and then grow into fruit. The dry, mainly warm summer has ripened the fruit to levels required to make World Class wines.
This year’s harvest should allow the industry to produce at least 3 million bottles of still and sparkling wine.
Compared to France’s eight billion there’s a long way to go, but England’s 416 winegrowers have steadily increased plantings.
More and more farmers now see the potential of turning over sections of their land into vineyards.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says there are 1,106 hectares of land now dedicated to grape growing. The figure is a 45% increase since 2005.
John Warde of Squerryes Estate in Westerham, who has an 11.5 hectare vineyard on his mainly dairy and arable farm, says: “Grape growing is far more than a hobby; it is a very useful commercial enterprise”.
The English Wine Producers association predicts that with further acreage being planted, by 2015 English wine production will rise to 5.6 million bottles, of which 3.7 million will be sparkling wine. Newly planted vines take about three years before producing a full crop.
Such is the interest in English wines that Waitrose has become the first UK retailer to plant vines on its own 4,000 acre farm in England, The Leckford Estate. Customers will need to be patient though, as this English fizz will not debut on the shelves until 2014.
Frazer Thompson, CEO of Chapel Down Wines, the UK’s largest producer of English wines, says:
“English wine, especially our sparkling wine, has become an international force to be reckoned with.
“It has become something people drink through choice and not just patriotism.
“Our fizz regularly beats traditional champagnes at international competitions. English wine has become desirable not just here but in the US, Hong Kong and Japan.
“Our biggest problem up to now has been taking on new customers for fear of not being able to supply our regulars.
“Wines from areas such as Kent replicate the taste of champagne because they use the ‘holy trinity’ of champagne grapes (pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier) in a region with the perfect soil and climate.
“The Kent coast is only 80 miles north of Champagne and the geology of the chalk sub-soil and the topography is almost identical.
“We’ll be picking our chardonnay and pinot noir grapes right through until the second half of October so it’s really too early to say whether this will be a bumper year for the industry. However, everyone remains quietly optimistic.”
ends
3 ENGLISH SPARKLING WINES TO TRY
Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut (available from Waitrose) is a fabulous sparkling wine with countryside flavours of hawthorn, citrus and blackcurrant. £17.99
Marks & Spencer English Sparkling Brut NV is a zesty and fresh sparkling wine made from a blend of Reichensteiner, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir. £16.99
Chapel Down Pinot Reserve (available from Majestic Wine) is a delicate sparkling wine boating a sustained mousse and notes of citrus. £24.99
