'Hot summer has made growing grapes easy'

A vineyard owner has said the recent heatwaves have made growing grapes "really easy".

Halfpenny Green Winery in Bobbington, on the Staffordshire-Shropshire border, is a 30-acre site with 16 varieties of grape.

Historically, picking at the site begins in late September. However, last year marked the first time ever that it began in August and this year it is due to begin on Tuesday.

"Although they're designed for a slightly cooler climate… as soon as it gets hotter, [the vines] just enjoy it even more," said vineyard owner Clive Vickers. "It's been really easy for us, they've really enjoyed the weather."

Vickers said the continued hot weather could make it more sustainable to produce wine in England.

"We will be producing more homegrown wine and ideally of a higher quality as well, as we enjoy the weather patterns," he said.

The vineyards have been established over the last 40 years, during which time attitudes to homegrown wine had changed, Vickers said.

"We were seen as slightly mad trying to take the world on with wine when perhaps we didn't have the expertise or the weather, and I think we've got both now."

Vickers said in the 90s and 2000s, picking didn't start until the end of September. But the need to do so earlier had been because of "heatwave-driven seasons", he said.

"We have to change and be ready earlier."

He said later spring frosts had also had an impact on the wine-making schedule for some producers.

"There were some [frosts] around May this year, which did a little bit of damage, so although we've got this fantastic crop, there were certain pockets in the UK, particularly south... where they had minus three [degrees Celsius] in the middle of May, which did some damage."

Once picking ends in September, Vickers said there would be a "dormant season" when they will prune vines for winter.

He added: "It's not all perfect with global warming and climate change."

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