The growing demand for English sparkling or sweet wine stimulates the country's grape industry to “gain momentum” and look for suitable land for vineyards.

In connection with the start of the English Wine Week, the industry body announced that this year 3 million vines were planted in England and Wales - three times more than in 2017, making the UK one of the fastest growing wine regions in the world.

“Potential vineyards look like a really attractive bet,” said Simon Robinson, chairman of the UK Wines organization (WineGB) and owner of the vineyard in Hattiesley Valley in Hampshire.

Robinson also noted that not all agricultural land is suitable for planting vineyards, as the land should generally be oriented south to soak up the sun, on the slope and be of the right type to control drainage and water retention.

Such vineyard-friendly lands can benefit 50% more than regular agricultural land, he said.

According to Robinson, interest in growing grapes has especially grown recently, as Britain is preparing to leave the European Union and subsidies for traditional agricultural land are likely to decline, and farmers are looking for a variety of sources of income.

According to WineGB, the vineyard area in the country has doubled over the past seven years and now stands at just over 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres). “The interest in land from winegrowing buyers has never been so strong,” said Nick Watson of Strutt & Parker Real Estate Agency.

As an approximate indicator: in southeastern England, an acre of ordinary agricultural land costs on average about £ 8500 ($ 10,700), and the cost of an acre of vineyard land is £ 15,000-200,000 ($ 19-25,000).