Weather fronts blowing in from the Atlantic or the North Sea are nothing new for growers in the United Kingdom. What is new however, is the impact climate change is having on vineyard management. In the words of Dr Alistair Nesbitt CEO, Vinescapes, “We’re thinking much more about vineyards in terms of how they can be climate smart.”
In this article for Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker I speak with vineyard managers across South East England to better understand how climate change is impacting their work in the vineyards and what strategies they are investigating to embed resilience into the vineyard.
The 2025 Harvest Report from WineGB published earlier this year provided valuable insights into a vintage that contrasted sharply with 2024. Where 2024 challenged growers with frost, disease pressure and erratic weather patterns, 2025 has been described as a mast year by the WineGB Wine Technical Group, leading to high expectations for wine quality. Highlights from the 2025 report include:
- Growing Degree Days were up to 1051 compared with a 5-year average of 1008.
- Average potential alcohol levels achieved were up nearly 1% from 9.47% in 2024 to 10.48% in 2025.
- Tartaric acid levels dropped from a 10-year average of 10.47g/L to 10.22g/L.
- Harvest volume was up 39% from 2024.
The area under vine in England and Wales has continued to increase significantly, up by 510% since 2005 to 4,841 ha in 2024. Remaining stable within this context, membership to Sustainable Wines of Great Britain (SWBG) sits at approximately 40% of area under vine as reported in the SWGB Report 2025.
In 2024 when SWGB surveyed its members, soil health was a key area of focus, with 80% of respondents consistently monitoring and recording soil health, and over 90% utilising at least one floor management system such as cover crops, no tilling, animal integration, reduced mowing, and avoidance of herbicides where possible. Increasing biodiversity in the vineyard and removal or reduction of synthetic chemical use were also strategic goals for more than 80% of survey participants.
Notwithstanding growing consumer interest in sustainable wine production, a theme common to all the discussions I had with vineyard managers was the importance of linking vineyard trials with business outcomes. Meaningful data collection was described as essential to any discussion about future-proofing the business.
A pragmatic approach to innovation coupled with a long-term view of sustainability underpinned many approaches to new techniques in the vineyard. Drawing on his experience as a consultant Dr Nesbitt said, “I think generally, from a sustainability perspective, we’re seeing a movement to look at alternatives from synthetic pesticides. For example, we’re seeing specifically an increase in awareness of, and adoption of more regenerative practices.”
This aligns with sustainability consultant Anne Jones in her work with Wines of Great Britain (WineGB) and as Development Director for the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, “I think one of the most exciting things we’re seeing is a willingness to learn, and to experiment and change. We’re seeing producers using regenerative practises because they can see that in five years’ time making wine without them [regenerative practises] is not going to be viable. If you haven’t got a sustainable vineyard, you’ve not got a sustainable business.”
To read what vineyard managers had to say about how they are responding to challenges arising from climate change, click here for the published article.
Image supplied: Jon Pollard, Head Vineyard Manager at Gusbourne Estate