Good year for English wine

England produced 161,960 hectolitres of wine in 2023, equivalent to 21.6 million bottles and an increase of 77 per cent on 2022.

This does not make the UK a recognised wine-making country – Uzbekistan and Tunisa produce more – but revenues for English vineyards nevertheless rose by 15 per cent in 2023, as climate change encouraged growers to plant more vines.

After analysing Company House records, UHY Hacker Young accounting services found that turnover for the country’s seven largest vineyards increased from £32 million (€37.2 million) in 2022 to £37 million (€43 million) last year. This tripled the £13 million (€15.1 million) that the same companies recorded in 2018-2019.

Chapel Down  probably the best-known of the English vineyards, posted revenues of £17.2 million (€20 million) for the year ending December 31, 2023.

The UHY Hacker Young survey concluded that English wine has been boosted by improved growing conditions with vineyards as far north as Yorkshire and even Scotland.  But as English and British wines flourished, traditional wine-makers failed to benefit from higher temperatures.

Spain and Italy, the world’s largest producers after France, have both seen their output affected by the drought as well as torrential rains that result from climate change.