Ripe for the picking? Irish wine on the up – but ‘nobody will retire rich’

Global heating has made conditions more favourable for growing grapes - and finding the right variety is key

Heard the one about Irish wine? Like its English counterpart, it is no longer a joke, with more than a dozen vineyards now producing bottles to emulate those of the terroirs of France, Spain and Italy.

At about 60 (50) a bottle and produced in small quantities, it is far from a commercial activity, but efforts over the last 10 years have produced what one retailer described as an arguably very fine" rose.