While wildfires and extreme heat threaten vineyards across southern Europe, 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 this summer and a surge in inquiries from investors overseas looking to establish new vineyards.
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 has five fully licensed commercial vineyards, while a further 37 operate on a smaller scale for personal use, research or trial production.