Heard of British wines?
I recently mentioned the concept of British wine to a French friend and found that they could hardly stop laughing! It's fair to say that the UK is not particularly known for its wines.
In fact, many people are stunned to find that grapes grow at all, given the weather conditions that we frequently experience. Yet grapes have been grown on British soil for centuries and the Romans used to drink British wine. But there's no doubt that the reputation of local wines did suffer for a time.
This was largely because some pretty poor quality wines were being produced and sold. But have things changed in recent years?
You may well be aware that many new producers have moved into the UK. New to the UK, that is...but not new to wine production. Producers from France and elsewhere have been looking to buy up land in southern England, with Kent proving particularly popular. Why should they be interested in such areas? One reason is that the climate here doesn't differ too greatly from the wine producing areas of northern France. Where south-facing slopes can be found, they provide the perfect environment for growing grapes.
There's also the issue of climate change. Many people are concerned about the threat of rising temperatures but Britain's wine producers are looking to embrace such changes. In effect, they could lead to the climate in the UK growing more and more like that of continental Europe. This would mean that increasing areas of Britain might be right for growing grapes. They're also hoping to see less variability when it comes to climate and weather patterns.
At the moment, one of the biggest challenges facing vineyard owners in the UK is that the weather is hard to predict. A great summer may be followed by a poor one. This makes it hard to maintain quality grape production. It's also limiting the varieties of grapes that can be grown. If summers become longer and hotter then the range of wines that can be produced here may well increase.
Could there come a time when British wines are comparable to those produced in France or Italy? Some wine experts suggest that a number of British wines have already reached these levels. Maybe it's taking time for consumers to cotton on to the fact that British wines have improved.
So would you be tempted to buy a wine that's been produced in Britain?
It's actually quite difficult to find online wine merchants stocking British wines - even a reputable company like Wine Hound seem to specialise in wines from Europe and the New World. Maybe this will change as we see consumers looking to make more local choices.
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