{"id":11935,"date":"2026-08-13T11:12:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T11:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=11935"},"modified":"2026-08-13T11:12:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T11:12:31","slug":"ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-with-growers-reporting-bumper-2026-crops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=11935","title":{"rendered":"Ireland is becoming an unlikely wine country as temperatures rise; the island now has 42 vineyards, with growers reporting bumper 2026 crops"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133207879,imgsize-105621,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-with-growers-reporting-bumper-2026-crops.jpg\" alt=\"Ireland is becoming an unlikely wine country as temperatures rise; the island now has 42 vineyards, with growers reporting bumper 2026 crops\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Across Europe, a massive and long-lasting heatwave has dried up rivers, threatened the flora and fauna and sent many to the emergency ward. Added to the mix have been the raging wildfires that have increased the pressure on the ecosystem and forced the relocation of humans and animals.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>But in southern Europe, something opposite has been taking place. While the vineyards of the region remain threatened by the wildfires and the extreme heat, Irish winemakers are predicting one of their strongest harvests yet. After decades of being dismissed as an unlikely place to grow wine grapes, Ireland is emerging as an increasingly attractive location for commercial vineyards, with growers reporting bumper crops in the summer of 2026 and a surge in enquiries from investors overseas looking to establish new vineyards, according to a report by The Times.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>Traditionally associated with the warmer climates of France, Italy and Spain, wine grapes are increasingly being cultivated in cooler regions as temperatures rise and disease-resistant grape varieties become more widely available. Ireland now boasts five fully-licensed commercial vineyards, while a further 37 operate on a smaller scale for personal use, research or trial production.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>A bumper production<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A bumper production&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" msid=\"133207921\" width=\"\" title=\"Ireland's varied soils and coastal climate are helping produce distinctive wines\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-133207921\/a-bumper-productionbrbr.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ireland&#8217;s varied soils and coastal climate are helping produce distinctive wines<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>Bertrand Laclie, founder of Fairy Trees Winery in Co Louth, the country\u2019s largest vineyard, planted his first vines in 2020 after deciding Ireland\u2019s changing climate presented a commercial opportunity. His family, which has five generations of distilling heritage in France&#8217;s Cognac region, began selling their first Irish wines in 2025, after five years of cultivation. He now produces a range of still and sparkling wines, which are stocked in Dublin Airport and some specialist wine retailers.<!-- --> \u201cI opened a distillery in Co Louth in 2015 and then I saw the climate-change predictions and I just thought, why not try to sell wine?\u201d he said to The Times. <!-- -->\u201cThere are only a few of us here because nobody believes in it yet. It does require a bit of specialist knowledge and not everybody can start a winery, but the idea of Irish wine doesn\u2019t click in the heads of 95 per cent of people. I believe Ireland has a big chance in the future to be a serious winemaker.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>David Dennison, founder of Viking Irish Drinks, who has operated an organic vineyard in Co Waterford since 2010, said this year\u2019s crop was shaping up to be one of his biggest yet, provided the vines received enough rainfall before the harvest. <!-- -->\u201cThere\u2019s a huge interest now from abroad, with people wanting to know more about setting up vineyards in Ireland,\u201d he said to the outlet.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>\u201cWe\u2019re getting emails and phone calls from people with ideas that Ireland is the new area [for wine]. I had an email the other day from a French winemaker who wants to set up a vineyard. Then I had another guy from California who wanted to invest in Irish vineyards.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>Ireland&#8217;s varied soils and coastal climate are helping produce distinctive wines, according to Esperanza Hernandez, owner of Old Roots, a vineyard and winery in Co Wexford, which has been growing grapes since 2015. <!-- -->\u201cAt our vineyard in Wellingtonbridge, the soil combines mineral richness deposited by an ancient glacier with a fertile organic layer, creating conditions that contribute a distinctive character to our wines and set them apart within the Atlantic wine category.<!-- --> What is particularly exciting is that we have successfully grown traditional varieties such as chardonnay, riesling, pinot, cabernet \u2026 In many cooler-climate regions, these varieties can be difficult to ripen consistently,\u201d she said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>More wineries to come<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Dennison, who recently set up the Irish Winemakers Association, believes that with the warming climate more vineyards will begin opening up. \u201cThe biggest obstacle we had here in Ireland was farming; conventional farmers who said you can\u2019t grow grapes in Ireland, but the thing is you can,\u201d he said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/>\u201cIt\u2019s really to get that word out that you can grow grapes in Ireland, and I believe there\u2019s vineyards going to pop up everywhere now. <!-- -->I wouldn\u2019t even know half of them at the moment, but there are lots of people starting to grow grapes. Some might plant 200 or 300 vines, and then you have fools like me who plant 8,000.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>Philip Dunne, a sommelier and wine and spirits expert in the luxury hospitality sector said the quality of Irish wines was improving every year. Ireland should look to the success of southern England, Dunne advised. \u201cThere\u2019s an opportunity here and a reason to be excited,\u201d he said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>\u201cJust look at England and the success they\u2019ve had with sparkling wine and particularly still white wines in Sussex and Kent: some of their brands now are on the global scale. We have to obviously look at the right grape varieties as well: Solaris is a white grape variety and Rondo is a kind of hardy grape variety that both can withstand our generally cooler temperatures. A lot of winemakers in Ireland are planting them, and they seem to be the future.<!-- -->\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>Dennison said Ireland&#8217;s cooler climate could also become a commercial advantage as demand for lower-alcohol wines grew. \u201cThe biggest asset we have is that we can maintain relatively low alcohol levels, under 12 per cent. I think we\u2019re on to a winner [with that] because people are more conscious of alcohol now,\u201d he said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The right temperatures for Ireland<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The right temperatures for Ireland&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" msid=\"133207947\" width=\"\" title=\"While rising temperatures presented significant challenges for many established wine regions, they might also create more favourable conditions for viticulture in Ireland.\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-133207947\/the-right-temperatures-for-irelandbrbr.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>While rising temperatures presented significant challenges for many established wine regions, they might also create more favourable conditions for viticulture in Ireland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/>Hernandez said that while rising temperatures presented significant challenges for many established wine regions, they might also create more favourable conditions for viticulture in Ireland. <!-- -->\u201cThe wildfires across Europe are deeply concerning and our thoughts are with the communities affected by them,\u201d she said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"55\"\/>\u201cThat said, in Ireland [they may] help bring greater consistency to grape ripening from year to year. However, we think the long-term growth of the Irish wine industry will depend on more than climate alone. Success will come from producing high-quality wines at a commercial scale, wines that can stand on their own merits and earn the confidence of consumers both in Ireland and beyond. Irish wine is competing with great wines from all over the world and that means quality, above all.<!-- -->\u201d<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/rest-of-world\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-with-growers-reporting-bumper-2026-crops\/articleshow\/133207833.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Across Europe, a massive and long-lasting heatwave has dried up rivers, threatened the flora and fauna and sent many to the emergency ward. Added to the mix have been the raging wildfires that have increased the pressure on the ecosystem and forced the relocation of humans and animals.But in southern Europe, something opposite has been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ireland-is-becoming-an-unlikely-wine-country-as-temperatures-rise-the-island-now-has-42-vineyards-wi.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Across Europe, a massive and long-lasting heatwave has dried up rivers, threatened the flora and fauna and sent many to the emergency ward. 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