Wiltshire vineyards report 'bumper' harvest due to weather

Vintners say warm weather and rainfall levels have boosted the grape harvest

Wiltshire vineyards have reported high yield and "very promising quality" and said this year's grape harvest may prove to be their best for years.

Growers said a warm spring and good rainfall over the summer provided ideal growing conditions for the whole of England.

Nathaniel McConnell, from Bluestone Vineyard at Cholderton, near Salisbury, specialises in sparkling wine.

"Like across much of England it's been a bumper year for us," he said.

"A combination of conditions have given us a good harvest with high yield and what looks to be a really good quality. We had no spring frosts and conditions were perfect for flowering so we got lots of fruit.

"The high temperatures in the early summer also helped. We were worried about the poor weather in late summer but the recent late heat wave has made all the difference."

"The only issue now is that the pressing facilities we use are so busy due to volume. We have had to delay some of our picking until we can get a slot for pressing."

Paul Langham said pickers enjoyed the work

Paul Langham, owner of a'Beckett's Vineyard in Littleton Pannell, near Devizes, started picking two weeks ago and also said he was very pleased with this year's harvest.

On picking days, more than a dozen local people flock to the vineyard to pick the crop by hand, using secateurs if needed. Although, ripe bunches will frequently fall off the vine with ease. Mr Langham sends his grapes to Brighton for pressing.

His team will be picking for another couple of weeks until the vine leaves fail, he said. Mr Langham explains: "As long as the leaves remain on the plants and continue to photosynthesise, the grapes continue to improve on the vine. When the leaves fail we have to pick them.

"It's roughly the same process as has been done for hundreds and hundreds of years. Automation is coming into the industry, but you need a lot of money for a grape-picking machine and a vineyard large enough to justify one.

"It's a lot of fun and we pay the national living wage. We don't have any trouble getting pickers."

Trade group WineGB said the British wine industry produced 12.2m bottles in 2022, more than double the 5.3m bottles in 2017.