October – 2019, A Good Year!

Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Stellenbosch and Tuscany; all are recognised for producing quality wines with reputations established over centuries of consistent production. Is it now plausible to include Southern England alongside this illustrious list and, if so, should viticulture be an option for your land?

Consider the current size of the UK wine sector. In 2015 Government statistics state there were 1839 hectares of productive vines, up from 722 only a decade before. Between 2016 and 2018 this increased by circa 575 hectares. The industry has more than tripled in size in just over 10 years and could, as new vines reach maturity, lead to annual production heading towards 10 million bottles.  With the majority of UK produced wine consumed domestically this could lead to annual sales well over £100 million!