The fast-growing success of Britain’s wine industry

Hotter summers are great for the nation’s winemakers, says Chris Carter. But land for vineyards is selling at a premium – expect to pay up to £25,000 an acre for the best spots.

Picking grapes at Chilford Hall
The area under vine in Britain has expanded by 70% in the last five years
(Image credit: © Geoffrey Robinson / Alamy)

Britain is getting warmer. This year’s record-breaking 40.3°C, recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, followed years of hotter summers – the ten warmest years in Britain have occurred since 2002.

That is, however, good news for Britain’s wine growers. English sparkling wine already competes with the best Champagne has to offer and regularly wins international awards. When it comes to reds, however, the climate is still too cold and clammy. Not for much longer, says a recent paper in the viticulture science journal OENO One.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.