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Wow. Here it's very uncommon to find seeded grapes in shops. Seedless grapes are ancient though, they're not GM. Most of the genes for it come from Middle Eastern varieties though, so seedless types tend to be more tender and problematic in northern climates (which is why hybridization is useful). When Islam spread it forbade Alcohol, so they switched to growing grapes for eating alone and put a lot of emphasis on eating quality as a result.I don't think I've ever seen seedless grapes in my life.
The English vineyards mostly produce the higher priced, snobbish stuff. Not all of them though, there are smaller producers selling table wine directly to the public. It's still quite an expensive industry here, so they have to sell at higher prices and market it as a premium product.I know. My mother's family's from a place (Southern Limousin) where cider is pretty common, but always home-made. Doesn't compare with industrial cider in any way.
I'm rather defiant of countries producing wines nowadays without having a wine civilization (that is having wine as an essential commodity, not just a drink). They tend to be very willing to make high-standard wine for "snobbish drinking" but they miss on most of what wine actually is. But off course trying to make things by yourself is always a good point for any country (that's how Cognac was invented, as there was a trade bloc on whiskey).
Plus they're buying vineyards in France now, which is a huge problem for that quality of our wines.
I've heard about people buying French vineyards, the English have been doing it forever but even the Chinese are now. I think it's because there's still a move from the countryside to the cities in France. It's strange, here there's the opposite and land prices are greatly inflated.
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