The county of Yorkshire is famous for its no-nonsense beer, and hairy-chested tea. Some two thousand years ago, thanks to the Roman occupation, it was renowned for its wine. With climate change, history is repeating itself.

I haven’t tried the wines of Dunesforde, which is 30 miles Northwest of York, (yes, even further North), not far from the A1. I’ve driven up that road many times, and I find it hard to imagine vines thriving in that part of the world. Sheep, yes. Wheat, possibly. But vines? This should alarm even the greatest climate sceptic. A recent study published in Nature states:

“Climate change is affecting grape yield, composition and wine quality. As a result, the geography of wine production is changing.

About 90% of traditional wine regions in coastal and lowland regions of Spain, Italy, Greece and southern California could be at risk of disappearing by the end of the century because of excessive drought and more frequent heatwaves with climate change.

Warmer temperatures might increase suitability for other regions (Washington State, Oregon, Tasmania, northern France) and are driving the emergence of new wine regions, like the southern United Kingdom.”

What have we got to look forward to? What is the character of Vin Anglais?

I immediately thought of Dad’s Army, the quintessentially English comedy show from the late 60s.

The thing about Dad’s Army is how utterly amateur every character is. Captain Mannering, who is ostensibly in charge, is a pompous, unimaginative, and yet tolerant bank manager, played by Arthur Lowe.  His number two, Sergeant Wilson, brilliantly played by John Le Mesurier, is more refined and better educated. These two represent the nation’s professional classes, but natural-born leaders they are not. Trawl through the rest of the cast and you have the Empire, ably performed by Clive Dunn’s Lance Corporal Jones, a xenophobic butcher, “they don’t like it up ‘em”, prone to panic attacks; Private Godfrey, the eldest member of the company, who would have been old enough to have fought in Boer Wars, and young Pike, played by Ian Lavender who died earlier this year, the last surviving actor of the series. The only character who is in anyway resourceful is Private Walker, the Cockney Spiv.

Students of the show could have predicted Brexit. This few, this happy few, this ramshackle band of brothers were no match for German efficiency. They had no love of the continent. They were powered by past glories. And, of course, everyone was white.

Writing this on Anzac Day, it strikes me that there was another truth at play – a group of individuals, thrown together, and poorly led, were nonetheless prepared to face adversity. I’m grateful to have been born in more peaceful times.

But what has this got to do with English wine, you ask? Well, I’d argue it will struggle to stand up to the continental equivalents, but it will give them a damn good show.

Now, back to Australia. I have recently found a truly phenomenal bargain chardonnay, very much worthy of this site. Your challenge will be to find some, as it seems to be sold out. The wine is called Folklore, and I suspect it’s about to become eponymous. It’s definitely not from Yorkshire.