WineGB announces 'harvest of the century' for English wine

According to WineGB, wine producers across the UK are hailing 2018 ‘the harvest of the century’ following a record-breaking summer due to unusually hot climates.

“This year’s extraordinary harvest offers the UK wine industry so many exciting opportunities,” said David Parkinson, CEO, WineGB.

“It comes at a time when there is so much uncertainty around Brexit, particularly in the agricultural sector and is a real boost for the country. 

“With the rise in rural employment that we are likely to see over the next 20 years, the growth in wine tourism that will result from the expansion of wineries across the country and the continuing increase in exports, the future of the UK wine industry looks very bright indeed.”

 

According to WineGB, some winemakers started to harvest in September and others are still picking now but all are reporting clean, ripe grapes with concentrated fruit, good sugars and acidity levels, thanks to the ideal growing conditions. 

Producers across the country are predicting an ‘excellent year’ for English still wines, particularly red wines. The unusually hot, dry summer has resulted in ripe fruit with concentrated flavours, which should translate into some ‘exciting’ still wines. 

WineGB also thinks the outlook is just as positive for sparkling wine producers on both the quality and quantity front.

 

Producers are also reporting at least double the volume harvested in 2017, which was a particularly challenging year for many, due to the early frosts which affected many wine regions across Europe. 

With last year’s total volume at around 6m bottles, the 2018 vintage is likely to be at least twice, if not three times the size. 

  

As the export market continues to expand, there is also more demand for UK wines from markets such as the US, Asia, Scandinavia, Japan and Australia which presents further opportunities for producers.