B1283 words1:40News Report American AccentPublished Jun 20, 2026 · Updated Jun 20, 2026

Listen to Course

0:00

Comprehension Vocabulary Shadowing Quiz Dictation Writing Practice

Most people keep their wine in a fridge or a cellar to maintain the right temperature.

However, a company in north-east England has found a more creative solution for wine storage.

Lanchester Wines has been using heat from a disused, flooded coalmine for the last eight winters.

This renewable energy source helps the company keep its warehouses at the ideal temperature for storing thousands of bottles.

The water inside the flooded mine near the company's warehouses in Gateshead stays at about 19 degrees Celsius all year round.

The system works by pumping some of this warm water out of the mine.

Then, a portion of the heat is extracted and boosted by a heat pump before it is distributed through pipes.

For wine, the target temperature is between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius, which prevents freezing or spoilage.

Veronica Cleary, a director at Lanchester Wines, explained the benefits of this approach.

#10

"For wine, we like it to be 8 to 10 degrees," she says.

#11

"For staff, obviously, a bit higher. We do still encourage them to wear fleeces."

#12

The system has reduced the company's dependence on fossil fuels and has lowered its heating costs significantly.

#13

There are approximately 23,000 flooded mines across the United Kingdom, which means there is huge potential for this kind of business innovation.

#14

Only a handful of similar schemes exist in the UK and Europe, so the technology is still relatively rare.

#15

However, Lanchester Wines hopes that its experience will make things easier for other companies and even homes that want to use this form of sustainability.

#16

Because the warm water is available all year, mine water heating could become an important part of the UK's renewable energy future.

Recommended Courses

Learner Reviews

Write a review

Back to Courses Enroll

From coal to cabernet: the wine seller using a flooded mine to cut heating bills

Listen to Course

Learning Modes

Sentence Analysis

Vocabulary List (13 words)

Phrase List (4 phrases)

Recommended Courses

Learner Reviews

Vocabulary List (13 words)

Phrase List (4 phrases)

Listen to Course

Learning Modes

Sentence Analysis

Vocabulary List (13 words)

Phrase List (4 phrases)

Recommended Courses

Jaguar Land Rover to make more hybrid cars in US sales push

Arm boss in line for billion-dollar payday if chipmaker hits targets

‘It’s been a revelation’: how heat pumps can cool your home as temperatures soar

Ovo Energy to pay more than £10m over prepayment meter monitoring failings

Learner Reviews

Vocabulary List (13 words)

Phrase List (4 phrases)