Sunny period been 'great' for Herefordshire's vineyards says Herefordshire farmer
Latest figures suggest over 60 hectares of land in Herefordshire (65.2) has vines planted in it
A Herefordshire wine maker says the county's vineyards have seen a real growth in recent years and the sunny weather so far this year has been a real positive for them.
Wine GB reported figures from the Food Standards Agency Wine Team in July 2024 stating that there are now 1,030 vineyards in the UK, a 9.2% rise on the previous reporting year.
It meant that the total area under vine in the UK now stands at 4,209 hectares, with in Herefordshire over 60 hectares (65.2) of vines planted.
Jo Hilditch is the co-chair of the Herefordshire County BID and runs an agricultural business in the north-west of the county which has a vineyard itself.
She says the weather has been a real help to their plants and this time of year gets exciting with it also being English Wine Week.
"We've had this wonderful sunny period where its been great for the flowers coming out on the plants," she said.
"So last year for example, it was so damp through this period that the protective sticky caps didn't come off the end of the grape formation where the flowers is, but this year they've come off with all the sunshine.
"People are now starting to plant vineyards more and because of climate change, we're able to plant vineyards that we couldn't do before."
English Wine Week has ran from the 21-29 June this year.