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Wet summer leads to bumper harvest for English wine

14 August 2023 By Sarah Neish

English growers are expecting their “highest yields to date” after a dry June was followed by plentiful rain in July, creating near perfect conditions.

While many Brits have lamented the summer wash-out, English grape growers are celebrating a potential record harvest.

July saw more than 140mm of rain fall on English soils (the sixth highest total for July since records began in 1836), though thankfully the preceding drier month meant that grapes had developed enough to withstand Storm Antoni when it blew in.

“The dry, warm June resulted in an early and strong fruit set, with plenty of good sizeable bunches,” Ned Awty, interim CEO for WineGB, told the drinks business.

Awty also confirmed that the English wine industry has the infrastructure required to cope with the greater anticipated volumes — some producers are expecting almost double the volume of grapes compared with last year.

“Since the bumper crop of 2018, and in anticipation of higher volumes from ongoing new plantings, producers have invested in their wineries so there should be plenty of tank space for harvest,” he told db.

Sandridge Barton Wines in Devon is one producer expecting a bumper crop this year.

“We usually harvest 60 tonnes of grapes from our 25-acre site but this year the number will possibly be up to 100 tonnes,” said head winemaker Duncan Schwab, who also revealed that his grapes are turning in colour almost two weeks earlier than usual.

“The red Pinots are getting pigmentation in their skins and that is happening two weeks earlier than we have seen before.”

Meanwhile, Andy Hares, vineyard manager of New Hall Vineyards in Essex, said that 2023 “has the potential to be one of the best years for the last 10 to 15 for us, both in terms of the grape quality and yield.”

However, despite the positive outlook growers can’t rest on their laurels as disease pressure remains with the wet and humid weather, making good air flow through the canopy vital to prevent mildew setting in.

“The wet July has swelled bunches but also brought disease pressure so vineyards have been working hard to mitigate this,” Awty told db.

“How the harvest ultimately shapes up depends on the weather from here, grapes are now going through veraison (the onset of ripening) so we are entering the critical phase and hoping now for lots of sun and little rain.”

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