England's wine industry growing due to warmer temperatures brought on by climate change

RTÉ News​

01-07-2025

England's wine industry has seen significant growth in recent years due to warmer temperatures brought about by climate change.
In South Downs National Park, where many English vineyards are located, there has been a 90% increase in the past decade.
An average of five new vineyards are grown there every year.
Overall, in Britain, there are approximately 4,000 hectares of land "under vine", with forecasts predicting it could almost double by 2032.
Growing industry
One company adapting to the changing temperatures is Roebuck Estates.
It was founded in 2013 and has six vineyards in southern England.
Like most wine producers in the UK, the company makes sparkling wine as the grapes require less time to ripen compared to still wine.
Michael Kennedy, originally from Northern Ireland, is the CEO of Roebuck Estates.
"In this area we've now got the same average temperatures that the Champagne region had in the 1970s or 80s. So that puts us in a sweet spot for ripening fruit and for making really good wine", he explains.
Volatile weather
England has experienced two heatwaves in recent weeks.
Last month, the World Weather Attribution group at Imperial College London warned that climate change was contributing to these extreme weather conditions.
It also reiterated that such events will become more frequent as the world gets warmer.
Harsher winters are also a problem for wine producers in England.
Mr Kennedy explains that frost, wind and rain can present problems.
Wine producers in England therefore often spread out their vines by "about double what they would be in a vineyard in Champagne" to improve airflow, Mr Kennedy explains.
He also says that higher average temperatures during winter can be a problem "higher temperatures during the winter might mean that the buds burst earlier".
Traditional wine making regions of Europe are also experiencing new challenges.
Jake Wicks, head of viticulture at Roebuck Estates, has worked in vineyards around the world.
"Sad to say but areas in southern France and Spain are really struggling with water availability. Vines require quite a lot of water and if that's not available to them they're unable to ripen the fruit", he explains.
Climate adaptation
The growth of Britain's wine industry is part of a wider climate adaptation effort, according to Alex Biss from the University of Reading.
Research he conducted in 2023 found that the type of grapes Britain will grow in the future could change, meaning England may be producing still wines as well as sparkling.
He also warns however, that the agricultural sector as a whole is having to ask questions around what type of crops can be grown in the future.
"It's not just about viticulture. It's a much larger scale assessment of what crops will be grown here and what we can grow", he explains.