- The main English soft drink producer, Nyetimber, affirms that this year will be the largest harvest
- The lack of winter frosts and the warm, sunny spring weather are responsible
Corks are popping for Britain’s sparkling wine producers, who have claimed the biggest grape harvest in their history.
Nyetimber, a leading producer of English fizz, said this year will be its biggest ever harvest.
About 865 acres (350 hectares) will be harvested, he said, up 7.7 percent from last year’s 325 hectares.
And Nyetimber is not alone: the UK wine industry as a whole has had an excellent year.
The lack of winter frost and warm, sunny spring weather during the flowering period have resulted in an excellent crop, growers said.
Corks are being popped for Britain’s sparkling wine producers, who have claimed the biggest grape harvest in their history.
Britain’s biggest wine producer, Chapel Down, said this week that its 2023 vintage would be of “exceptional quality and record volume and yield”.
It said sales rose 21 per cent to £8.4m in the six months to June 30 this year.
Vineyards are booming, according to industry body Wine GB.
Its latest report says vineyard area in Britain has increased by 74 per cent since 2017, with almost 4,000 hectares currently under cultivation.
And it is expected to reach 7,600 hectares in 2032.
The main grape varieties grown are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
The majority of wine growing occurs in England, with only 70.3 hectares in Wales and 1.9 in Scotland.
Kent, West Sussex and East Sussex are the counties that produce the most grapes.
The calcareous soil of the south allows for conditions similar to those of the French Champagne region, and warmer temperatures in recent years have meant higher sugar content in the grapes, allowing for higher alcohol content.
Nyetimber, a leading producer of English fizz, said this year will be its biggest ever harvest.
One hectare can produce around 4.8 tons of wine.
English wine production has increased by 130 per cent in just five years, with 12.2 million bottles produced in 2022, 68 per cent of which were English sparkling wine.
Brad Greatrix, senior winemaker at Nyetimber, said: “There are always some hurdles to overcome before we can understand the final volume and, most importantly, the quality of the grapes.”
‘In the current season we have only had minor and localized frosts, and the weather was favorable during the flowering period.
“This year we will harvest a larger vineyard area, 350 hectares, compared to 325 hectares in 2022.”
