An English sparkling wine maker has just beaten other top producers around the globe to win a raft of top International Wine Challenge awards. This surprising news has made the Ideal Wine Company wonder what climate change could mean for Champagne production in France.
The rise of the English sparkling wine industry
ITV News recently reported that Bluebell Vineyard Estates in East Sussex has won a string of top International Wine Challenge Awards. Their sparkling wines were declared “as good as champagne.”
This reflects the greater rise of the English sparkling wine industry. The UK has produced over six million bottles of sparkling wine in the past year; a rise of almost half from the year before. Production has risen by such a staggering volume because perceptions of English sparkling wine are changing, and this is driving demand for products such as those made by Bluebell Vineyard Estates.
England’s getting hotter
This is particularly surprising because England has never been regarded as a good place to make wine. Traditional wisdom has long held that English wines are sub-par because the country they’re produced in is too cold to make a quality product.
However one of Bluebell’s wine makers noted to ITV News that England is becoming an ideal place to establish vineyards. Rising temperatures have allowed vintners in the South of England to develop a reputation for producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes that rival their cousins in hotter countries such as France and Spain.
The effects of climate change
Here’s the flipside. The same wine maker argued that temperatures in the Champagne region of France are also rising and this may mean that soon, it may be impossible to make Champagne in Champagne itself because the region will be too warm. The wine maker suggested that this is because of climate change.
They may have a point. A government site explains that there is clear scientific evidence to suggest that climate change is real. It goes on to note that the average temperature at the Earth’s surface is 0.8°C higher than it was a century ago. The same site reveals that on average, the UK is 1°C hotter than it was a century ago. Meanwhile Climate Adaptation has pointed out that France is 0.95°C hotter, on average, than it was a hundred years ago.
What does this mean for the Champagne industry?
Therefore, the Champagne region of France is getting hotter and it’s doing so because of climate change. This suggests that temperatures in the region could continue to rise and threaten its most lucrative industry. If you want to find out why the French region has such a glowing reputation for making this most lauded of sparkling wines, buy a luxury Champagne from the Ideal Wine Company.
