The 2026 grape harvest has commenced at one of Britain’s most prominent sparkling wine producers as exceptional summer conditions prompted an unprecedented early start to the season.
Operations began on Monday, September 14, at the West Sussex-based estate, marking the earliest commencement in the winery’s history and surpassing the previous record set in 2018 by five days.
The full harvest is scheduled to get underway on September 21.
Nyetimber, which cultivates 425 hectares across vineyards in West Sussex, Hampshire and Kent, anticipates processing approximately 2,500 tonnes of fruit, yielding sufficient production for over 1.5 million bottles of sparkling wine from the upcoming vintage.
This milestone coincides with a notable anniversary for the winemaking team.
Cherie Spriggs, head winemaker, and her colleague Brad Greatrix are overseeing their twentieth harvest together, a period during which the estate has built its reputation for premium English sparkling wines.
Spriggs described the current season as presenting unique circumstances.
She noted that late spring frosts impacted roughly 30 per cent of crops, while summer drought conditions reduced the size of certain berries.
However, prolonged heat and abundant sunshine during the growing period compensated for these difficulties, creating favourable conditions for developing exceptional fruit quality.
The winemaking team expressed enthusiasm about evaluating the results of their sustained efforts.
Record-breaking summer temperatures accelerated the ripening process across all vineyard parcels, prompting the decision to begin picking earlier than anticipated.
Approximately 500 seasonal workers have been engaged to support the intensive harvesting operation, with daily targets set at around 400 kilograms per picker.
A comprehensive hand-harvesting approach ensures optimal fruit condition.
Grapes are collected by hand across individual parcels, allowing pickers to select only those bunches meeting precise quality standards before pressing commences.
Industry observers have suggested this year’s conditions could produce what is commonly termed a vintage year.
If conditions continue favourably, Nyetimber may designate certain parcels for vintage-dated releases, potentially including expressions from the Blanc de Blancs range, the Tillington Single Vineyard programme, and both the 1086 by Nyetimber and 1086 by Nyetimber Rosé variants.
Eric Heerema, chief executive and proprietor of Nyetimber, reflected on his two decades of ownership.
He acknowledged that each growing season presents its own combination of favourable and challenging circumstances.
The dedicated vineyard team has worked diligently throughout the year to safeguard the vines against environmental pressures.
With harvesting now underway, the winemaking staff will begin assessing the characteristics of this year’s fruit, which initial indicators suggest could yield outstanding quality worthy of recognition in future competitions.