How the climate can also upset the economy and, perhaps, change the course of history. The hot (and prolonged) summer across the Channel in fact, it has boosted English wine producers, who are already looking forward to one record harvest. And who above all dream of equaling and, why not, surpassing the tradition of their eternal French rivals.
On their favorite land, which has always been the flagship of French excellence worldwide: the champagne. Chapel Down, in fact, this year the harvest starts two weeks in advance and is ready for the great challenge: “The 2011 vintage will be one of the best in history”he even says Fraser Thomson, owner of the largest English vineyard, in Kent, where excellent sparkling wines are produced in a splendid landscape: chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot bianco.
In fact, the summer in these parts recorded a abnormal heat, a symptom of an evident global warming that could predict a rosy future for winegrowers across the Channel.
Wine production in the UK has reached record of 4 million bottles last year, marking a +27% compared to the previous data. Still too little to worry the proud French, strong on their 5 billion bottles, but at least enough to help over 400 British companies (which to date barely meet the internal needs) to shake off inferiority complexes in the matter. Above all, as we said, on the subject of champagne: sparkling wines in fact represent 50% of the total production, while a third is dedicated to still whites and only 12% to reds.
“We are not novices in terms of viticulture – he underlines Brian Lockie of the English wine center – just think that we have been practicing this activity since the times of the Roman invasion. From the Renaissance onwards, this segment of the economy was unfortunately the prerogative of the aristocracy alone, which thus exploited its boundless lands. This has made it difficult for wine to spread, even on a cultural and habitual level, in England. But for some years now – concludes Lockie – global warming has been allowing for an improvement in quality”.
Lockie himself also reveals a gem: “I understand that different companies from the north of France, precisely those specialized in champagne, are thinking of transfer part of their business to England, as it is absurdly starting to get too hot there, again due to climate change. Here, on average, there's a grade or two less, and that's ideal for them”.
However, the fact remains that the challenge of overtaking the French on their favorite terrain is not lost from the start. On the contrary. Over In the last 25 years, the area dedicated to viticulture in the UK has tripled. Chapel Down is even quoted at the stock exchange, where in the first half of this year it saw its value rise by + 41 %. “Much better than what French companies do. The truth is that we have copied their model, but we are becoming more dynamic and innovative than they are: we are surpassing them”.
The confirmation comes from the recent assignment of the Sparkling Wine Trophy, the prize for the best bubbles assigned by Decanter magazine. A white Englishman, the Ridgeview, won it by placing behind it three glorious French wines, the Thiènot, the Charles-Heidsieck and the Taittinger.
And unlike Italian prosecco, which sells for a few euros, the English bubblies think big and post prices worthy of their rivals, with bottles that reach 50 euros. “The more expensive it is, the more customers get the idea that the product is of quality – explains Thomson, who also provides some data -: in 2001 we sold 20 bottles of our "brut" for £5, last year we sold ten times as much, at 18 pounds each”.
The challenge has been launched: the British, used to buying wines from across the Channel (it's the second market after the French one), are starting to discover the "Made in UK".
Read the article on Le Figaro
