Across vineyards in England and Wales, secateurs are being sharpened and buckets are at the ready as owners prepare for harvest. October is usually the month commercial vines give up their fruit before being whisked away to the winemaker–cum–alchemist who turns the juice into wine.
As a former vineyard owner (I sold up in January) harvest was always a nervy time of year, enough to drive you to drink. It represents nine months of pruning, de-leafing, weeding, replacing vines, and chemical spraying (yes, pesticides), all assisted by the right amount of rain and sun at the right times. By October, the grapes have, hopefully, the optimum balance of acid and sugar to allow the winemaker to make a balanced, palatable wine with good body.
Next time you’re wandering down the booze aisle, have a look for some English and Welsh still wine
Being a small vineyard, we had to take our place in the queue behind the bigger players in our corner of East Anglia, so timing was all-important. We relied on friends and villagers to bring in the crop, in exchange for tea and cakes plus a bottle of the previous year’s Copdock Hall wine.
The actual moment of snipping the vine, holding the bunches, feeling them fall into your palm before placing the grapes in a bucket and then loading into collection trays or boxes is weirdly sensual and deeply satisfying. A lot of work has gone into those bulbous green and red grapes piling up. And no, we didn’t roll our trousers up, take our socks off, and help trample the grapes. Dirt and flaky skin in your wine, anyone? But as relatively inexperienced vineyard owners, we did OK. We normally sold out of our white and rosé wines – usually around 2,000 bottles a year – and last year we even won Rosé of the Year in East Anglia. Cheers to that.
Indeed, English and Welsh wine has improved immeasurably over the past ten years with greater professionalism and investment, with our vino offering a huge variety of flavours. Rarely does a month go by when our fizz doesn’t outperform that of our French competitors in blind tasting competitions. But if there’s one year I’m glad I avoided growing grapes, it was this year. The weather has been dreadful. Too much rain and not enough sun has proved to be a major challenge, say old colleagues. The winemakers’ old enemy, mildew, has been on the rampage, and there’s only so much spraying you can do.
An old industry colleague agreed that this year has hardly been a vintage weather-wise. Nick Watson, who owns Coopers Croft Vineyard near Bury St Edmunds, planted his vines the same year as me, in 2013. We’ve celebrated, commiserated, exchanged titbits, and toasted each other’s wines over the past decade, but this year is different.
‘I bet you’re glad you’re out of it after the year we’ve had,’ he lamented. ‘I can’t think of a worse year since we planted – the weather has been very unkind. I’m just glad I’ve got something to harvest because there are plenty of vineyards out there struggling with yields, including vineyards in northern France.’ From the comfort of my armchair, glass of wine in hand, it’s a reminder that grape-growing is still at the whims of Mother Nature. While the sector can debate ways to combat lethal late frosts, different chemicals to deal with mildew or other pests, and new hybrid varieties, there isn’t much you can do if the sun doesn’t shine and there’s too much rainwater.
Away from this year’s poor climate, Chateau Blighty Plc also has to weather poor support from the government and the main supermarkets, despite its big growth. From the first reliable figures in 1989, the hectarage of ground under vine has risen from 876 hectares to 3,928 in 2022; production has increased from 2.9 million bottles in 1989 to 22 million in 2023.
Around a third of sales are sparkling wine, and then there’s tourism, which is undergoing serious growth. Around 2,300 people are directly employed in the sector. The number of vineyards in England and Wales also passed the 1,000 mark in 2023, with 1,030 now registered with the Food Standards Agency Wine Team – yes, there is such a bureaucratic body.
And what’s been good for landowners, farmers, and one-time keen amateurs like myself and Nick is also good for the landed establishment. Blenheim Palace, no less, has announced plans to establish a 60-hectare vineyard on its estate, seeking a partner to plant ‘world-class,’ co-branded English wine. While Sir Winston was noted for drinking whisky and brandy, he was also partial to wine and champagne.
And how has the government supported the fastest-growing sector in agriculture? Despite the UK wine industry fizzing, its response has been decidedly flat. They’ve ignored appeals for tax relief via cellar door sales – a sensible suggestion to boost visitor numbers in rural areas – while still increasing duty rates at Budget time. The Small Producer Relief Scheme provided a shot in the arm for small brewers and cider makers, and as a result, the burgeoning wine industry feels it has been ignored. Maybe the sector should get Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper to plant a few vines.
But like a lot of farmers, my biggest gripe is with the supermarkets. Next time you’re wandering down the booze aisle at your local Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, or Aldi, have a look for some English and Welsh still wine. Rows upon rows of bottles from different corners of the wine-making world, but very few, if any, English and Welsh wines. You may see the odd bottle of fizz from the big guys like Chapel Down, but otherwise the cupboard is bare.
Honourable exceptions go to Waitrose and the Co-op, but the supermarkets are not so super when it comes to selling domestic plonk. ‘Too expensive and not enough capacity,’ they cry, but they are not averse to promoting the best of British farming with pictures of grinning tractor drivers and loving cow herders standing alongside British cheeses, meat, vegetables, and fruit. Despite this year’s poor weather, the mood in the wine sector is buoyant with much to raise a glass to. But when it comes to levels of support from the government and our supermarkets, the glass is decidedly half empty.
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