English sparkling wine could be on track to snatch France’s crown thanks to a year of fantastic warm weather.
Winemakers think 2026 could be one of the best vintages the country has ever seen, with grapes thriving in the heat.
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Mark Driver, who founded the Rathfinny Wine Estate, told The Times his Sussex vines believe they have returned to the Mediterranean.
He expects 2026 to be a “landmark” year for English sparkling wine, with the nation having enjoyed four heatwaves already this summer.
And on the other side of the Channel, champagne has reported its lowest-ever yield – with severe droughts and extreme heat pushing temperatures beyond ideal growing conditions.
French champagne houses like Taittinger have already opened vineyards in Britain thanks to the increasingly pleasant climate.
Mr Driver told The Times: “Vines grow in hot countries and England is now a warmer country than it was. So the vines are thriving, the quality is amazing.”
He anticipates “great flavours, good ripeness, and good sugar levels” will soon be on the shelves, as vines “essentially transform sun into sugars and the grapes hold the sugars and create these beautiful flavours”.
The winemaker also said champagne’s struggles will make this vintage stand out, adding: “It’s going to make a lot of people in Champagne start to question whether they can produce the sort of wines that they used to produce in the past.”
Champagne vineyards plan to pick in mid-August, a full month ahead of most English estates.
That extra ripening time “sets England apart”, Mr Driver said, allowing “the accumulation of beautiful ripened flavours”.
The earlier harvest should also benefit English still wines, with grapes spending longer on the vine.
Alastair Benham, the head of operations at Gusbourne, is hopeful this year will be “really good” for his still wines thanks to the warm weather’s effect on ripeness.
Wine quality is also on course to be better than ever – though a late spring frost may mean yields are a little smaller than usual.
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Kent’s Balfour vineyard was among those hit by the frost in May.
Head winemaker Fergus Elias said the “quality promises to be quite extraordinary” following a “fabulous” summer.
He added: “This has all the hallmarks of one of the best vintages English wine has ever seen, which is incredible considering I said the same thing last year.”
Though with harvest still a month away, the picture could shift dramatically.
Mr Elias acknowledged a wet September “could prove a real problem in terms of disease and crop quality”.
He said warmer weather is broadly positive for English wine but warned that “caveats such as late spring frosts and wetter autumns and winters present new challenges”.
But the drier weather can also pose problems – Dermot Sugrue of Sugrue South Downs in West Sussex said his vineyards “desperately need rain” as the vines are extremely stressed.
“It’s very challenging to say the least. We’ll make great wines this year for sure, but volumes will be down, and the cost of production will be very high as a result,” Mr Sugrue added.
Nicola Bates, the chief executive of WineGB, said: “Our producers have shown exceptional skill this season, one in which we saw frost, hailstorms and a heatwave within weeks of each other.
“Their vineyard management is currently delivering healthy, high-quality fruit and whilst it’s too early to definitively say the overall impact on this year’s UK harvest, and what happens over the next few weeks will be crucial, the vineyards look strong and we’re optimistic.”
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