Scotland '˜could be major producer and exporter of wine by 2100'

Scotland could be a major wine producer and exporter by 2100, with Edinburgh becoming the site of leading vineyards, a study has suggested.

Chardonnay grapes are pictured at a vineyard in Hautvillers, on September 22, 2016. / AFP / FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI (Photo credit should read FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain’s changing levels of temperature and rainfall could produce ideal conditions for sauvignon blanc and chardonnay in as-yet unfamiliar wine areas such as the Scottish capital, Peckham and Milton Keynes, according to the University College London study for Laithwaite’s Wine.

Professor Mark Maslin and Lucien Georgeson used average temperature and rainfall conditions required for growing different grape varieties with predicted changes in ­climate to map possible changes to British viticulture over the next 85 years.

They worked on the ­theory that temperatures are expected to increase by at least a further 2.2C by 2100 and rainfall will increase by 5.6 per cent.

Prof Maslin said: “Climate is critical to successful grape cultivation. This study could signal how we think long-term about British wine production and redraw the future wine map of the world.

“However, exactly where would be best for particular grapes will depend on site, slope, aspect, soil and drainage as wine-making is as much an art as it is a science.”