'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
|