Climate change promises Champagne lifestyle for UK growers
While warmer summers in Europe may be good news for wine, beer could wilt
London — Could rain-sodden Britain become the hot new wine producer? After a record-breaking heatwave over the British summer, this once unlikely scenario could yet happen as rising heat due to climate change turns parts of the famously wet, grey country into prime grape-growing land, researchers said on Friday. Scientists identified Kent, Sussex and East Anglia in east and south-east England, along with Wales, as emerging hot-spots that could produce enough wine to rival France’s Champagne region, which sells 310-million bottles of bubbly each year. “This summer’s heatwave has led to a record grape harvest and a vintage year for English and Welsh wine, prompting great interest in investment and land opportunities,” researcher Steve Dorling from the University of East Anglia said in a statement. Using computer models, historical climate records and terrestrial data, the team said 33,700ha of land in Britain could be productive for wine-making as weather gets hotter, according to a s...
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