There was a time when English wine was the butt of jokes among connoisseurs, and given the inferior quality of what was being produced, many would say, deservedly so. Today, however, thanks to a combination of climate change, increased wine knowledge and more investment, British wines are flourishing.

In the last decade the number of acres planted with grapevines in England and Wales has grown by 135%, according to the English Wine Producers trade body, and over the next 12 months UK wine producers will plant a record 1 million vines, increasing production by 2 million more bottles of wine annually.

The fact that the prestigious French champagne brand Taittinger has planted a vineyard in Kent with the aim of producing a top quality English sparkling wine is the clearest signal yet that the climate – both economic and meteorological – is right for English wines.

Wine enthusiast Neil Deacon, founder of pop-up wine-tasting events company Vintwined, says: “The quality of English wines has improved massively in recent years and consumer perception is starting to change. This is due to a number of different factors, including climate. Although damaging for the planet as a whole, one small benefit of climate change is that the average temperatures in the south of England have risen sufficiently to make wine production viable.”

Among the best selling English wines, sparkling wines tend to be the “must stock” item for restaurants and wine shops. Brett Woonton, co-founder of wine bar chain Vinoteca, says: “This has only increased in recent times due to higher production and the wines continuing to be positively featured in the press and in wine competitions. But let’s not forget easy-drinking whites, typically made from early and easy ripening grapes such as müller-thurgau and bacchus, and from producers such as Denbies and Chapel Down, which sell in significant numbers.”

All of this bodes well for the many small wine producers based in the south of England. Bolney wine estate in Sussex was established in 1972 by Janet and Rodney Pratt, and was one of the first commercial vineyards in England. In the 1990s their daughter Sam Linter took over the running of the vineyard, which today employs around 25 people and turns over £1.2m a year.

She says: “We make red, rose and white still wines, plus white and rose sparkling wines. Our most popular wines are our white pinot gris – the only English wine in Wimbledon All England Tennis Club – red pinot noir, and Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine. We make 50% still and 50% sparkling and currently produce around 150,000 bottles a year.”

Bolney wine estate also exports, mainly the sparkling wines that have the international recognition, to Japan, US, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Another important factor behind the British wine boom is an increase in knowledge about viticulture, and significantly, a sharing of that knowledge between producers. “Unlike many other wine regions, there is more collaboration among wine producers in England than there is competition,” explains Deacon. “They recognise the need to work collectively to raise the standards of English wine and improve consumer perception of English wines, and it is working.”

They also share the problems, for example, when England’s marginal climate makes it difficult to grow grapes in challenging years. “Unless the vineyard is planted on a good site it will be challenging every year,” says Liam Idzikowski, expert winemaker at Lyme Bay Winery in Devon, which processes around 100 tonnes of English wine grapes a year, and also produces cider and meads. “The wines will be expensive and the quality poor, which could put people off English wine.”

He has concerns about the prospect of a million or more vines being planted this year. “Many may not be planted in sites that are suitable,” he says. “English wine is still very much a cottage industry and without planting regulations anyone with some land can try and produce English wine.”

Nevertheless, some already have tried, and succeeded. Nestled in the chalky hills of the South Downs in Hampshire, are the Raimes vineyards where, in 2011, Augusta and Robert Raimes, the fifth generation of the family to farm the fields, planted chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier on 10 acres of their family farm.

“Farming, particularly arable farming, no longer involves a lot of people,” says Augusta. “Instead we have two tractors with satellite technology that comfortably manages 1,500 acres of arable production and two employees. Our diversification into growing grapes does involve people and that is very appealing to us. We have a growing family and together we get out there to do as much of the hand work as we possibly can ourselves.”

Their first vintage was limited to 900 bottles, being a small harvest from young vines. In 2013 they picked four tonnes of grapes, which increased to 22 tonnes the following year as the vines matured. As a boutique producer, the wine is made with state of the art contract winemaking facilities at Hattingley Winery.

“We keep up to date with the latest training and research through educators such as Plumpton College, and get advice from consultants from as far as New Zealand,” she says. “Being a new brand to the market we have been delighted by the interest in English wine. The demographic is often young professionals and often those choosing to drink less but better quality, and in general they have a real interest in wine.”

If the findings of a new study commissioned by Laithwaite’s Wine are anything to go by, changing levels of temperature and rainfall in Britain could create opportunities for budding viticulturists in areas farther north, including the east of England and even Edinburgh, potentially becoming leading wine producing regions by 2100.

With time comes experience, and as English wine producers learn what the optimum conditions are for growing vines, they will plant more, produce more and increase their yields.

“English winemakers have more confidence now and it shows,” says wine expert Oz Clarke. “They are producing wines that consumers love, and have even started to create a niche for themselves of low alcohol wines packed with flavour. Red wine sales from particularly the pinot noir grape are reaching levels completely unheard of 10 years ago, which is extremely exciting. The future is very bright for our nation’s winemakers.”

Sign up to become a member of the Guardian Small Business Network here for more advice, insight and best practice direct to your inbox.