Over one-fifth of the UK may have suitable weather by mid-Century to grow Chardonnay grapes for still wines.
Over one-fifth of the UK may have suitable weather by mid-Century to grow Chardonnay grapes for still wines.
The impact of climate change by 2050 may mean that UK-grown Chardonnay grapes will be ripe enough to produce high quality still wines, in most years.
Following their model of the effect of variation in weather on Chablis wine quality, in France, researchers at the University of Reading have turned their attention to Chardonnay still wine production in the UK. Their work is published today (05 December 2022) in OENO One.
Alex Biss, a PhD student who led the project, said: “There are some great sparkling wines produced from Chardonnay grapes already in the UK, but the grapes used in sparkling wines don’t need as much ripening as for still wines. A good Chardonnay vintage is not attained reliably in Britain at present, but climate change looks set to change that in the not too distant future.”
Read more at University of Reading
Photo Credit: JillWellington via Pixabay
