UK heatwave comes as a godsend for English winemakers
A recent heatwave in the UK which saw the mercury hitting temperatures not seen since the long hot summer of 1976 has come as a glimmer of hope to English winemakers, many of whom saw their crops decimated by a sharp frost at the end of April.
Temperatures across the south of England plummeted to minus six degrees leaving English winemakers fearing that the frost would wipe out the developing buds and affecting yields by as much as 80%.
However, according to Bob Lindo of Camel Valley in Cornwall, the heatwave last week has helped to “reset expectations” on this year’s harvest to “normal”. He said that following the week of high temperatures he was far more optimistic about the prospects for this year’s crop than he had been. But speaking to Drinks Business he cautioned that there was still a long way to go until the harvest in October.
While the early buds had been affected by the frost in April, it hadn’t actually affected as many buds as was intially feared. “I though we would have about 50% wiped out, buy only about a half of that was out to be lost,” he said. “We thought it was the end of the primary shoots, but quite a few followed and all those flowered and set up in the beautiful weather, so all of those will be fruitful."
Nick Wenman, owner of Albury Organic Vineyards in the North Downs told Drinks Business that he predicted his estate would lose around half of the harvest as a result of the frosts, rather than the 80% he had originally forecast, noting that the recent warm weather had been “very helpful” in encouraging growth.
His Chardonnay grapes were most badly affected, he added, because the shoots were well developed when the frost arrived, followed by the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, although the Seyval, which he thought would be wiped out is now “laden with fruit”.