Attention all wine lovers: Langham Wines are on track to roll out more wine than ever
Langham Wines in Dorchester is set for expansion as the demand is exceeding what the vineyard can produce.
Langham Wines in Dorchester is expecting a ‘boom’ in wine production as result of last year’s summer climate.
The vineyard is on track to pick over a hundred tonnes of grapes this October but head winemaker, Tommy Grimshaw remains cautiously optimistic.
He told us: “It's quite easy to say it's going to be a great year, but I think we have to be realistic. Yes, there is huge yield potential, but we have to get it ripe and to get it ripe we need hot, sunny weather. If we have that it could be phenomenal but equally if it rains for the next six weeks it could be disastrous.”
Fans of sparkling wine like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay can get excited as the winery is set to roll out more than 50,000 bottles.
There has also been a ‘boom’ in wine production nationally, between 2004 and 2021 vineyard space across the UK went from 761 hectares to nearly 4,000 hectares.
According to Mr Grimshaw, the wine industry is the fastest growing agricultural sector in the UK and even the fastest growing wine region in the world.
This growth has partly been driven by pollution that has warmed the planet. The average temperature of Britain's ‘growing season’ has warmed by 1°C.
Langham Wine Estate are now reaping the rewards: “We've gotten to a point now where we're selling out of all our wine to the point where we’re having to slow sales,” Mr Grimshaw said, “We’ve had to expand our 30-acre vineyard to 85 acres.”
However, Langham Wines assured us they are "doing their best to offset the carbon emissions they produce."
To cope with the increase in demand the business has now been granted permission to add brand new, two-storey state of the art winery on its farm site.
The additional 55 acres of land was planted with grapes in 2022 and is set to be harvested next year. It means the award-winning winery will go from producing 50,000 bottles a year to 150,000 bottles.
As it warms further still, winemakers will be able to grow a broader range of varieties, including Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Semillon.