British winemakers predict a record-breaking grape harvest

Britain’s winemakers are expecting to harvest their biggest ever crop over the next few weeks as a combination of favourable weather conditions and expansion has boosted production.

Gusbourne, the Kent-based producer and one of the first big wineries to complete its harvest, said it had gathered its largest ever crop, up 25% on last year.

The company, controlled by the former Conservative party chairman Michael Ashcroft, said the warm growing season last year meant vines emerged from winter in healthy condition and then enjoyed good weather during the flowering period.

Big brands such as Nyetimber, Chapel Down and Ridgeview have all said they are expecting their largest ever crop.

Most production goes to sparkling wines, which will not be available for at least two years, but still wines made this year could be on shelves in the spring.

Ned Awty, the interim chief executive of the trade body WineGB, said: “This year is shaping up to be a highvolume and high-quality harvest. We’ve had reports about impressive bunch size and weight and ripe fruit from all across the country.”

Andrew Carter, the chief executive of Chapel Down, which is two-thirds of the way through its harvest, said he was expecting its output to be “materially larger” than last year and the brand’s previous record in 2018.

The group, based near Tenterden in Kent, has expanded by 200 acres. Carter said the weather had also been a factor in delivering high-quality grapes.

He said the wet July and August had helped vines stay healthy and had not led to problems with disease because the weather had remained cool. Then the warm, sunny September helped ripen grapes. “The balance of sugars and concentration of flavours in the grapes is a joy to behold,” he said.

Britain’s winemaking industry is concentrated in Kent, but vineyards in Essex, Hampshire and Sussex also supply independent retailers and UK supermarkets. English wine is also sold overseas and the industry has estimated that exports could be worth as much as £350m by 2040.

Winemakers have been expanding – more than doubling in the past decade – as financial investors bet on a market that has been helped by the changing climate and the professionalisation of production.

Michael Spencer, the former Conservative party treasurer and founder of the financial group NEX, previously known as Icap, owns almost 30% of Chapel Down. Eric Heerema, a former lawyer and asset manager, owns its biggest rival, Nyetimber, while the ex-banker Nicholas Coates cofounded Coates & Seely.

There are now 943 vineyards across Great Britain, according to WineGB. The industry produced 12.2m bottles in 2022, a big increase on the 5.3m bottles in 2017.

Production is expected to reach 25m bottles by 2032, with 7,600 hectares (18,800 acres) of vines planted – almost double the 4,000 hectares under production at present.