Have You Considered Trying Bangor Beaujolais? Climate Change Offers Ideal Conditions for Wine Grapes in North Wales

Your favourites might include a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, a Spanish Rioja or a Chilean Merlot.

But a Pinot Noir from Denbighshire might soon be added to your wine list – as North Wales is experiencing a boom in vineyards.

The number of wine producers there – and right across the country – has increased in the last two decades.

And it’s all down to warming temperatures, which means Wales has become ‘more suitable’ for growing wine grapes, experts say.

According to the Foods Standards Agency Wales, a total of 59 vineyards across the country were registered with them at the end of July.

This is a huge increase from ‘only six’ registered in Wales in 2009, according to the BBC.

One is the Vale Vineyard in the Vale of Clwyd in North Wales, which produces a range of wines including a Pinot Noir, sparkling rose and Solaris white.

Their website reads: ‘The unique micro-climate and the quality ‘terroir’ provide a superb location for the vines to produce quality grapes’.

In recent years North Wales has started to experience higher temperatures, leading to less frost and warmer, longer growing seasons.

This allows for the more reliable ripening of grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

A study, carried out by the University of East Anglia and published in 2022, concluded that climate change is likely to increase the potential for wine production in the UK.

The researchers said conditions are projected to resemble those in famous growing regions of France and Germany.

The study’s lead author Dr Alistair Nesbitt, of vineyard and winery consultancy Vinescapes Ltd, said: ‘We found that significant areas within England and Wales are projected to become warmer by 2040 by up to a further 1.4°C during the growing season.

‘This expands the area of suitability for Pinot Noir for sparkling wine production, but also new areas will open up within the growing season temperature suitability range for still Pinot Noir production and for growing varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Semillon and more disease-resistant varieties, which are hardly grown in the UK at present.’

The year 2018, in particular, was especially warm and dry, which led to the production of 15.6 million bottles of wine in the UK.

The researchers said areas in north-east Wales and southern Wales are projected to have 2018 ‘conditions’ in up to three-quarters of years leading up to 2040.

Vineyard tours and tasting events play a large part of the business for many Welsh wine producers.

Some have even won major international wine awards and supply Michelin-starred restaurants.

While warmer weather seems to be working in their favour, producers still have to contend with extreme weather events and the threat of disease.

The weather’s impact on vineyards can also mean that yield and grape quality can vary significantly from year to year.