Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    British vineyards thrive: How did summer 2023 impact our wine?

08:00
29 October 2023

British vineyards thrive
How did summer 2023 impact our wine?

Vineyards across Britain are thriving amidst the warming climate, placing new wine regions on the map. But how did summer 2023 impact our wines?

As a result of the warming climate, winemakers are able to produce varieties of wine that are more traditionally accustomed to France, such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, perhaps soon to be Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, as our climate continues to warm.

Meteorologist and Reporter Tamsin Green went to visit Fairmile Vineyard, in Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, to speak to Owner Jan Mirkowski about the impacts he's felt from the heat, particularly from summer 2022.

Pinot Noire picking at Rowley Farm winery, East Ilsley, October 17th 2023.
Pinot Noire picking at Rowley Farm winery, East Ilsley, October 17th 2023.

One Weather & Radar user even sent us in an action shot of Pinot Noir grapes being picked in Berkshire just the other week for this year's harvest.

Research by the University of Reading has shown that over one-fifth of the UK may have suitable weather by 2050 to grow Chardonnay grapes for still wines.

Taittinger and Pommery have already established vineyards in England, while the Champagne region itself is growing uncomfortably hot.

But how has the summer of 2023 impacted the crops? With an above-average June, but a below-average July and August in terms of temperatures, it wasn't exactly the record-breaker that we saw in 2022.

Although two out of three of the summer months were below-average in terms of temperature, the warm June meant that the summer has a whole averaged a fraction above-average still, accompanied by around-average sunshine.

The summer as a whole was also wetter than normal, particularly through July and August when successive low pressure systems spun in off the Atlantic, including two named storms, Antoni and Betty.

That being said, the harvest each year relies a lot on the previous year and vice versa, based on the conditions that the vines had to deal with prior, as well as the growing conditions. So this year's or next year's batch could still produce a decent harvest.

We'll just have to wait another two to three years for the wines to reach our shelves to know just how much impact the summer held.

More on the topic
How to sleep better in warmer weather. Tropical nights ahead. . . Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Person sitting on the floor indoors beside a running electric fan, cooling down in a sunlit room during hot weather, with sunlight streaming through a window.
Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Tropical nights ahead

How to sleep better in warmer weather
Schools closed and more heat disruption. Red warnings now live. . . Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Split image showing a person using a sun umbrella near the Elizabeth Tower in London on the left and a temperature map of England on the right with widespread red heat, temperatures reaching 35°C near London, and a large thermometer icon.
Wednesday, 24 June 2026

Red warnings now live

Schools closed and more heat disruption
50 years since historic 1976 heatwave. Three-month hot spell. . . Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Black-and-white photograph from the 1976 UK heatwave showing a crowded outdoor swimming area packed with people bathing, wading, and sitting along the water's edge during extreme summer heat.
Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Three-month hot spell

50 years since historic 1976 heatwave
All weather news
This might also interest you
Storm Chandra makes impact. Severe gales & heavy rain. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing strong winds over the UK on a forecast map and widespread rain and snow on a weather radar map.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Severe gales & heavy rain

Storm Chandra makes impact
Mixed conditions on an unsettled week. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 2 November 2025
plit image showing a double rainbow over a rocky shoreline on the left and sheep grazing in a green field under stormy clouds on the right.
Sunday, 2 November 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Mixed conditions on an unsettled week
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList