Floods mean smaller vineyard crops

The heavy rain and floods of 2007 have resulted in smaller crops and delayed picking in vineyards across Shropshire this year.

Nationally, vineyards have been suffering after last year's horrendous summer, with many struggling to survive.

But those in Shropshire are confident they will get through this year and have their fingers crossed for an improvement in the weather.

David Millington, of Wroxeter Roman Vineyard, near Shrewsbury, said: "The wet weather is not affecting us this year but it did affect us last year, so it is affecting this year's crop.

"The reduction in the crop is as a result of last year, they are suffering due to a lack of fruit due to the deluges we had.

"I have been round other vineyards recently and I was looking at a vineyard on Monday in Gloucestershire and the lack of fruit is very obvious."

Mr Millington said the other problem that vineyards could experience was noble rot, which could mean the loss of fruit.

But he said their crop this year was better than last year's and they were hoping for a better harvest next year.

Martin Vickers, manager of Halfpenny Green Vineyards, near Bridgnorth, said it was not all doom and gloom after the wet summer.

"It's not been too bad," he said. "It's been nothing like as bad as last year when we had really bad yields.

"The critical time for us is in late June and early July when the vines are flowering.

"Our yields this year are a bit below average and we could really do with an Indian summer just to help with the ripening and finish the grapes off.

"Although we could grow shiraz and cabernet sauvignon grapes, we plant hardy varieties which can withstand cold and wet summers.

"We'd usually be picking the grapes in late September and early October, but we're running a couple of weeks behind this year.

"We had four really good summers in a row between 2003 and 2006, so we were expecting a couple of bad summers."

By Rhea Parsons