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
Europe's summer set to to break records. Extreme heat and drought. . . Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Split image showing a European heat map with temperatures reaching 39°C in France and Spain on the left, and a severely depleted river with exposed sandy banks beneath a bridge on the right.
Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Extreme heat and drought

Europe's summer set to to break records
Your moments from the solar eclipse. A unique sight. . . Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Split image showing a total solar eclipse glowing through dramatic clouds on the left and a multi-exposure eclipse sequence tracing the Sun across a blue sky on the right.
Wednesday, 12 August 2026

A unique sight

Your moments from the solar eclipse
Late season views as summer rolls on. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 9 August 2026
Split image showing a horseback ride along a green hillside trail beneath blue skies on the left and a small sailboat on a calm coastal bay under broken clouds on the right.
Sunday, 9 August 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Late season views as summer rolls on
All weather news
This might also interest you
Historic Storm Éowyn arrives. On this day.... . . Saturday, 24 January 2026
Split image showing a person in a yellow jacket struggling against strong winds and heavy rain on a street at night on the left, and an Irish wind forecast map on the right with red and purple shading, gusts up to 75 mph, and a wind warning icon, divided by a curved white line.
Saturday, 24 January 2026

On this day...

Historic Storm Éowyn arrives
Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands. Storm and rain. . . Friday, 12 December 2025
Weather graphic showing rain and wind fields over the Canary Islands and a central warning symbol.
Friday, 12 December 2025

Storm and rain

Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands
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