Devon vineyards toast a vintage harvest in 2010

Devon's vineyards are toasting a vintage year, thanks to perfect weather conditions during 2010. (Left: click on image for larger picture)

The warm spring and early summer, combined with sunshine in September, means the harvest at the county's wine producers is set to be a bumper one.

There are now 24 vineyards in Devon, producing a range of whites, rosés and reds wines, many to international acclaim. Two of Devon's award-winning vineyards, Sharpham near Totnes and Pebblebed (right) at Topsham in east Devon, are reporting abundant yields.

Both begin harvesting over the last weekend in September.

Sharpham Vineyard, which has 10 acres of vines on south-facing slopes overlooking the River Dart, expects to harvest 100 tons of grapes - enough for 100,000 bottles of wine.

Pebblebed Vineyard, just outside Exeter, expects to harvest enough fruit for 25,000 bottles.

Both Pebblebed and Sharpham grow a range of grapes, including Madeleine Angevine (right) and Pinot Noir, for a variety of wines.

And both have seen a change in the climate in recent years.

Geoff Bowen set up Pebblebed Vineyard 10 years ago and believes climate change is having an effect: "I believe global warming is happening," he said.

"But the very nature of the weather in England will always be variable. This year, it has been favorable - it's gone our way."

Duncan Schwab from Sharpham agrees that the climate is more favorable to wine producing in Devon than it was when the first grapes were planted at the vineyard in 1981: "There are certainly grape varieties we can grow now that we couldn't grow 20 years ago," he said. "We can now grow Pinot Noir because it ripens.

"There are definitely signs of a warming climate, which is helping us.

"You never know, we could grow Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, although that would be some years off because they need a warmer climate."

Duncan says the bumper harvest this year is down to the pattern of the weather: "It's certainly going to be a sizeable crop. We tend not to get two good harvests in a row but we've got back-to-back good harvests. The seasons in the south west aren't necessarily hotter, but they are longer. We had a nice spring, which was good for the flowering and we've just had a nice spell now, just in time for the harvest."

It is the same story in east Devon, according to Geoff Bowen: "We had a cold winter and that's always good for fruit producers because it kills off bugs. Then we had a good May and June - June is very important, just before flowering at the start of July. The weather was iffy in July and August but that doesn't affect us, and now we've had a nice spell in September which is also very important. The good weather has come at all the right times."

The three-week harvest at Sharpham begins on 24 September, when an additional 18 local people are taken on to help out. At Pebblebed, harvesting gets under way on 26 September, and families are invited to come along and take part.

The vineyards supply outlets in the south west - through retailers, restaurants, bars and their own shops: "We are still very much based in a 20-mile radius," said Duncan. "There's no need for us to look any further."

The 2010 vintage from the vineyards will be available in 2011.

Source:
BBC, "Devon vineyards toast a vintage harvest in 2010", accessed September 24, 2010