Climate change means Chardonnay grapes could be grown near Birmingham by 2050 trends now
Chardonnay grapes could soon be suitable to grow as far north as Birmingham a new study has found.
Brumdeaux could become a reality by 2050 because of climate change, according to Reading University researchers.
While at pains not to make light of the harmful impacts of global warming, the scientists say that the impact of hotter temperatures will mean between one fifth and one quarter of the UK will have suitable weather to grow grapes more suited to warmer climes.
Alex Biss, a PhD student who led the project, said that because Chardonnay wines are still, they require more ripening than those used in sparkling wines which are being successfully grown in areas of Kent and Sussex.
Brumdeaux could become a reality by 2050 because of climate change, according to Reading University researchers (stock image)
Left: Chardonnay still wine quality score estimates across the UK. A: 1981 to 2000, B: 2010–2019, C: 2012, D: 2018. Right: Predictions for the vintage score of Chardonnay still wine across the UK in 2040-2059 using different climate projection models. CNI: cool night index, the mean minimum temperature. Green is Good, purple is Excellent
He 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.’
Some of the most celebrated Chardonnay wines are grown in the Burgundy region of central France, more than three hundred miles south of the Midlands.
The research model, developed by Biss and professor of crop science, Richard Ellis, considered three aspects of weather that affect the quality of Chardonnay still wine: average temperature between April and September, average minimum temperature in September and total rainfall between June and September.
The model
