Yorkshire set to rival France and Italy as perfect place to produce wine, experts claim

YORKSHIRE is set to rival Burgundy and Bordeaux as the perfect place to produce wine, experts say.

The county is best known for tea and bitter but rising temperatures mean its slopes are ideal for vineyards to rival any in France and Italy.

Producers say they have had bumper crops thanks to this year’s summer heatwave.

Laurel Vines, of Aike, East Yorks, expects to turn out 20,000 bottles after smashing its harvest record by six tons.

Manager Jonathan Yeo, 26, said: “The weather has been phenomenally good for us.

“We’re producing fantastic wines that stand up against the best.

"People are quite surprised to learn that the same kind of terroir in the Champagne region of France runs all the way up to East Yorkshire.

"If the weather continues then there's no reason in time we can't compete with the likes of Bordeaux and Burgundy."

The county — famously the setting for BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine — already has 20 commercial vineyards making more than 100,000 bottles a year.

Fine wine supplier Nick Corke said: “Wines from the North could soon match the best.”