This hot, dry summer has been a case of winners and losers, but, with the lack of spring frost, it brings a rosy outlook for English vineyards after a difficult 2024 season. At Wyken Vineyard in Suffolk, Sam Carlisle is more cautious: ‘Hot summers and positive growing seasons aren’t always what they seem in English wine,’ he warns. ‘In our last really hot year, 2022, our earliest-ripening variety, Madeleine Angevine, was attacked by wasps just before picking and we lost 40% of it in 12 hours. And it’s been a tremendous wasp year.’His comments were echoed in a recent interview on the Country Life Podcast with Beth Pearce MW, head of buying at Flint Wines, who pointed out that while higher temperatures may improve English wines, inconsistent weather from a changing climate is much more of a concern. ‘It’s time the Government puts the necessary support into the most on-trend wine region or we risk missing our chance,’ says chief executive Nicola Bates.