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Delhi Wine Club

Posted: Wednesday, July 11 2007. 3:00 PM

Global Warming : English Crops washed out

English crops that benefited a lot because of a run of dry springs and hot summers in recent years due to global warming, face gloomy prospects due to the recent rainstorms and cold snap, reports The Observer, UK.

'Yields will be down by around 20 per cent, with some producers even losing a considerably higher proportion of their crops,' said Bob Lindo, chairman of the UK Vineyards Association and owner of the award-winning Camel Valley vineyard in Cornwall.

'The weather has been so appalling that it is only the very skilful growers who will be OK this year. But many English producers are very inexperienced at this game, so they won't know all the tricks,' said Lindo, whose 2004 Cornwall Brut recently beat 250 champagnes to win gold in an international competition.

'In addition, because many English producers grow grapes as well as having a full-time job elsewhere, they simply won't have had the time to nurse their vines through this season. Only those able to nip out into the vineyards at a moment's notice, to take advantage of every dry spell, will get through this.'

Until the weather took a turn for the worse a few weeks ago, wine producers in England were feeling optimistic about the future. As global warming has changed Britain from being a marginal climate with a good vintage every decade to a place of high yields, quality and reputation, wine production has increased and improved.

In the past two years, England's 400 vineyards, from Cornwall to Yorkshire, have increased the vine planting by a third; enough to yield 1.4 million bottles. The effort recently seemed to pay off.

In May, English wines took 21 accolades at the International Wine Challenge, the highest number since the contest was launched 24 years ago. This outstripped last year's haul of 16 awards and 10 in 2005.

The results showed in sales. Waitrose recently reported that sales of English wine went up by 40 per cent last year. The supermarket was even planning to double its range, stocking up to six local wines in every branch serving wine-producing regions.

The vintners are also concerned about the impact of the shortfall on the public. 'We've only just persuaded consumers to start buying English wines, and now we might be facing a situation where even if people want to buy it, they can't,' says one of them.

Julia Trustram Eve, head of the English Wine Producers Association, admits some off-licence shelves could be left bare this year. 'It is very unfortunate, but producers are going to have to start rationing their wine and spreading it thinly around those who want to stock and sell it,' she said.

Complete story: http://observer.guardian.co.uk

 
 

 
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