A FINE ENGLISH WINE

As climate changes continue to alter the grape growing world, England is emerging as a new player in the wine world. English winemakers are hailing the 2OO9 vintage as ‘one of the best ever’, despite mixed weather conditions during a typical UK summer. Wet weather in July, particularly in the south-west, failed to dampen optimism for the harvest, which winemakers said was saved by a long, warm autumn. English Wine Producers (EWP) reported “exceptional’ fruit quality across the country, with Chardonnay and the Pinots registering potential alcohol levels of 11 to 13 percent”. Sugar levels were among the highest ever recorded, acidity was good, and excellent fruit flavors were reported in many of the UK’s trademark aromatic white wines. Vintage conditions were boosted by a lack of late frosts, plus warm and dry weather during flowering. EWP said the volume of wine produced in 2OO9 should be considerably higher than in the past two years, due to a number of new vineyards. Production could even top the previous record of over 3 million bottles, recorded in 2OO6. If this keeps up, US retailers may find the need to add an aisle for ‘Wine of the UK’.