IT LOOKS like a typical scene from the vineyards of France or Spain but – believe it or not – these pictures were actually taken in sunny old North Yorkshire.

Ryedale Vineyards at Westow, near Malton, is England’s most northerly commercial producer, having harvested its first crop last year.

Stuart Smith, who runs the vineyard, said he hoped to produce 3,000 bottles of white and rosé wine this year compared to 450 last year, and eventually increase output to 20,000 in five years’ time.

Industry experts are predicting that home-grown wine production in England will almost double in the next six years.

Despite a lacklustre British summer, the brief sunny spell during the Wimbledon fortnight fell during the vine flowering period, boosting domestic grape production.

This year’s harvest among England’s 416 wine-growers is expected to produce at least three million bottles of still and sparkling wine, but the figure is still far behind seasoned wine producer France’s formidable eight billion-bottle output.

Approximately 1,106 hectares of land are now dedicated to grape-growing – an increase of 45 per cent since 2005, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Mr Smith said: “We’re a relatively new vineyard, last year was our first crop.

“This year we’ve had particularly good weather – the heat in June brought the vines into flower quite early and we missed much of the wet weather in July. We had some rain, but it wasn’t too bad.

“In general, the climate is warming, making it possible to grow grapes in the south of England and increasingly further north.”

Mr Smith’s team began harvesting the early black grapes this week, and the process will continue for the next month over his two sites, which contain 10,000 vines.

He said: “There is a tremendous loyalty to Yorkshire produce and we are tapping into that. With the quality, people come back for more. There is a much greater demand for local food and drink than there has been for a long time.”