Loch Ness wine less of a myth than the monster!

Global warming could mean Britain has vineyards as far north as Scotland by the end of this century, according to Professor Richard Selley, senior research fellow at the Department of Earth Sciences at Imperial College. Professor Selley is the author of The Wine Lands of Britain – Past, Present, Prospective and has studied the correlation between our geology and viticulture through the ages. He told the UK Wine Show that, to his amazement, ‘I could see that the vineyards were ebbing and flowing across the British Isles correlative with temperature change.’ With such information, he said, he can take a step forward and predict where future vineyards will be as global warming continues. ‘In simple terms, our children will be drinking Sheffield Shiraz and Manchester Merlot. And our grandchildren will be drinking Glasgow Gewurtztraminer.’ Looked at step by step, he sees the vineyards creeping northwards via the Peak District and the southern slopes of the Lake District, where the lake water would give advanced reflection onto the vines. And after that? ‘The northern shore of Loch Ness is my most favoured location for a vineyard by the end of the century,’ he said.