Chapel Down is set to reap the rewards of ‘perfect growing conditions’ as southern Europe battles monster heatwaves, the boss of the English wine producer has said.
The Kent firm, which is forging ahead with plans to double the size of its business by 2026, saw sales swell 21 per cent to £8.37million in the first half of the year.
Boss Andrew Carter said the coooler climate in the UK put it at advantage for growing grapes while European countries such as Italy, Spain, France struggle with extreme temperatures.
The UK tends to have a temperature around one degree lower than in Champagne, France, famous for producing sparkling wine, Carter added.
But there have been more and more extreme weather conditions in southern Europe, Carter said.
Vintage year? Chapel Down which is forging ahead with plans to double the size of its business by 2026, saw sales swell 21% to £8.37m in the first half of the year
He continued: ‘I really feel for them but it does reiterate the opportunity of producing wine in this country’.
Heatwaves and droughts can cause the ripening of grapes to stop, leading to grapes having bitter flavours and being smaller than usual.
The UK’s climate produces wine that is ‘crisper, fresher and more elegant in style’ than from other regions, he claimed.
The company said its growing conditions ‘have so far been positive and the vines are developing ahead of seasonal averages’.
After a record harvest of 2,050 tonnes in 2022, Chapel Down is anticipating ‘another successful and high yielding harvest’.
Sales of the company’s tipples had been driven by its sponsorship of events such as English Cricket, Royal Ascot, and the Oxford versus Cambridge boat race.
Although the cost of living had resulted in a slight decline in what customers tended to spend when visiting Chapel Down wineries, the brand had still managed to be seen as ‘very much an affordable luxury.’
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