English sparkling wine maker Nyetimber has said it expects to harvest 350 hectares of vines in the coming weeks, a 7.7% rise on last year.
The coming harvest will be the West Sussex winemaker’s “biggest ever”, and will take place over a two to three-week period commencing 6 October.
The exact tonnage of grapes harvested is yet to be confirmed, but Nyetimber’s senior winemaker Brad Greatrix said “favourable” weather conditions had played a part in what was set to be a “fruitful” harvest.
“There are always a few hurdles to jump over before we can understand the final volume and, most importantly, the quality of the grapes,” he said. “We had only minor and localised frost events in the current season, and the weather was favourable during the flowering period.
“This year, we will harvest a larger vineyard area of 350 hectares, compared to 325 hectares in 2022, meaning it will be an enormous team effort with over 400 pickers harvesting by hand.”
It comes as production of English wine has increased by 130% in the space of five years. Last year, 12.2 million bottles were produced, 68% of which were English sparkling wine.
The amount of land under vine in the UK has also increased by 74% since 2017, and is predicted to reach 7,600 hectares by 2032, according to Wine GB.
Nyetimber is the second-biggest English sparkling winemaker, with 10% of the market. Chapel Down, the number one producer, said last month it expects to report a similarly record-breaking harvest.
The Kent-based business revealed in a trading update it was predicting the 2023 vintage to be “materially larger” than last year’s 2,050-tonne haul, as well as its previous record of 2,173 tonnes in 2018.
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