Blessed with soil similar to France's Champagne region, vineyards in England nevertheless produced decades of low-grade goop that caused nary a Frenchman to tremble. But a Great British fizz boom is under way, with winemakers crediting climate change for the warmer weather that has seemed to improve their bubbly.

Increasingly hospitable temperatures have helped transplanted champagne grapes such as chardonnay and pinot noir thrive in the microclimates of southern England, touching off a wine rush by investors banking on climate change.

Once considered an oxymoron, fine English sparkling wine is now retailing for champagne prices of $45 to $70 a pop. In recent years, dozens of new vineyards have sprouted in Britain's burgeoning wine country, with at least one traditional French Champagne maker doing the once-unthinkable — scooping up land to make sparkling wine in England.