Harvest Draws to a Close at The Weyborne Estate

The harvest countdown is over. Harvest has now come to a close at The Weyborne Estate, with the final grapes gathered last week.

After an incredible summer, the vines have now given us their final fruit of the 2026 growing season, marking our earliest harvest to date and a record-breaking season for the estate.

At the top of the vineyard, our Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier performed particularly strongly. This plot is home to some of our slightly older vines, which are now well established in their surroundings, with roots reaching deep into the chalky soils of the South Downs.

Despite the challenges of this summer’s drought, these established vines were able to access moisture deeper in the soil, helping them through the driest periods. It’s one of the advantages of having vines that are so well rooted in this particular spot.

The position of the vineyard plays its part too. Elevation, slope and the chalky South Downs terroir all contribute to the conditions that make this such a special place to grow grapes for English sparkling wine.

And now, after months of watching the fruit develop and ripen, the final bunches have been picked and pressed, beginning their journey from vine to bottle.

With 2026 already being talked about as potentially one of the best vintages England has seen, we’ll be watching this year’s fruit particularly closely as the wine begins to develop.

It’s one of the busiest times of year at The Weyborne Estate, but also one of the most exciting. There is something quite special about seeing months of work in the vineyard culminate in a record-breaking harvest.

This year’s fruit will now become the foundation for another wine from The Weyborne Estate.

Harvest may be over, but the journey of the 2026 vintage has only just begun.

Every bottle begins in the vineyard.

• 

•