Poor crop for northern vineyard

The grapes have been hit by mildew

One of England's most northerly vineyards has failed to produce a crop again this year.

The grapes at the Medieval Bishop's Palace in Lincoln have been hit by mildew so no wine is expected from the 2003 crop.

The vineyard, which has vines supplied by Lincoln's twin city in Germany, Neustadt, has only managed to produce wine about four times in the past 20 years.

Lincoln's twinning officer, Kate Fenn, says they hope next year will result in a better yield.

Dessert wine

She said it was hoped that this summer's good weather would lead to a bumper crop, but the vines suffered from mildew.

Ms Fenn said: "These vines were planted in 1972 but we know this land was also used to grow grapes by the Romans."

Other vineyards in the East Midlands are hoping for a better year.

Tony Skuriat, whose Eglantine Vineyard is close to Loughborough, Leicestershire, is predicting a good output from his small operation.

The Eglantine Vineyard's first commercial crop appeared in 1984 - and in 2003, clinched a silver medal in the International Wine and Spirits competition with its dessert wine North Star.

The vineyard usually sells about 4,000 bottles of wine a year.