Bumper harvest gives English winemakers extra fizz
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Forget green fields and clouds. Blazing sunshine and rows of grapevines are now a growing part of the English countryside, leading to a rise in locally produced sparkling wine 鈥 boosted this year by a bumper harvest.
At the Chapel Down winery in Kent, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of London, dozens of fruit-pickers are busy loading grapes into bins for the harvest, which is about 60 percent bigger than last year鈥檚.
While Britain鈥檚 2018 summer was the joint-hottest on record 鈥 adding to concerns about global warming 鈥 the heat has been a boon for England鈥檚 wine industry, which accounts for about 2 percent of all the wine bought in Britain.
鈥淭he conditions have been, frankly, perfect,鈥 said Mark Harvey, managing director of the wines business at Chapel Down.
鈥淲e are seeing huge demand for the limited supply that we鈥檙e able to deliver to the market, so the need to bolster stocks is urgent. To have a harvest of the scale that we鈥檙e having this year is just the best.鈥
At Chapel Down, which has chalky soil similar to the famous Champagne region of France and utilizes the same traditional method of winemaking, the bumper harvest has come at an opportune time.
Trade data from Britain鈥檚 customs service show imports of champagne into Britain have fallen to a 17-year low, in part reflecting the pound鈥檚 post-Brexit fall against the euro.
鈥淐hampagne prices have crept up because of the weakness of the pound. Does that make it a more attractive place to be selling English sparkling wine? Undoubtedly,鈥 Harvey said.
Other wineries tell a similar story.
Simon Robinson, chair of the Wines of Great Britain (WineGB) trade body and owner of the Hattingley Valley winery in Hampshire, reckons British winemakers have also benefited from a growing preference for local produce among consumers and an improved standing among wine critics. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what鈥檚 changed over the last few years 鈥 particularly the larger producers have been concentrating on quality, with a significant degree of success,鈥 he said.
The Brexit Terroir
The plentiful harvest has been a welcome distraction from uncertainty ahead of Brexit, due to take place in March next year.
While the bulk of Chapel Down鈥檚 wines are sold domestically, the production process is heavily international.
Outside its warehouses, there are giant metal tanks built by a French company, all full of wine.
Inside there are lines of barrels of French oak, as well as giant pressing machines built by a German company.
And on the vineyards, teams of mostly Eastern European workers, many Romanian, pick the grapes.
How easy it will be for wineries to attract seasonal labor for the harvest after Brexit remains to be seen.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big issue. It鈥檚 an issue in terms of grape supply into the wineries in the UK. It鈥檚 a big issue for Kent. There鈥檚 lots of fruit that needs to be picked in Kent,鈥 Chapel Down鈥檚 Harvey said. 鈥淚鈥檓 confident that we鈥檒l find a solution, but the answers aren鈥檛 there yet, that鈥檚 for sure.鈥
And in the longer term, the prospects for England鈥檚 wine industry may well hinge on Britain鈥檚 ability to strike trade deals with countries outside the European Union.
鈥淗attingley Valley sells roughly between a third and 40 percent of its own brand for export. The biggest market by far is the United States. After that is probably Australia and Japan,鈥 Robinson said. Chapel Down鈥檚 Harvey also highlights the United States as a major potential source of growth for the company. By contrast, the EU is not such a big market for English winemakers, given the prominence each wine-producing country gives to its own product.
鈥淭he idea that we would introduce English wine is a bit difficult,鈥 Robinson said, adding that Germany at least seemed to be a little more open-minded.
But right now, it is impossible to say if the British wine industry鈥檚 fast growth will be aided or impeded by Brexit.
Underlining the challenge, WineGB estimates that 3 million grapevines have been planted over the last three years.
鈥淚n a reasonably good year, that should produce around 8,000 or 9,000 tons of grapes,鈥 Robinson said.
鈥淎nd I have no idea where those grapes are going to be processed.鈥
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