Climate change makes English winemakers see red

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-10 10:15

Visitors sampling the red wines in Denbies cellar said they were pleasantly surprised.

"It's tasty," said Mario Garcalo from Portugal, as he sipped a Pinot Noir-Dornfelder blend in the large, musty, barrel-lined underground tasting room.

Not everyone is won over. Wine buyer Field said while some "very nice" reds are being made, Berry Brothers has been unable to find one it feels is good enough to stock.

COST

Another factor working against English reds is cost. With annual red wine output of around 400,000 bottles and total output of just over 2 million bottles, against 7-8 billion bottles in France, the industry lacks economies of scale.

English red wines retail at around 8 pounds ($13.09) a bottle, against an average price of 4.26 pounds/bottle for wine in the UK, according to consumer data provider Nielsen.

For the time being, the economics favor production of sparkling wine, where English producers find it easier to compete both in terms of price and quality, said Chris Foss, Head of the Wine Department at Plumpton College in East Sussex.

That may change if Copenhagen fails to curb carbon dioxide emissions.

"It's a disaster in lots of other ways but I'm looking forward the UK making some interesting Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Francs," Foss said.

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