Golden Days at Bolney: Inside England’s Earliest Wine Harvest Yet

As September rolls into its final days, the Sussex landscape starts to shimmer in golden hues. After nine months of dedicated care for the vines, the moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived at Bolney Estate. The 2025 grape harvest has produced results that are truly worth celebrating: it’s one of the earliest and
most promising harvests we’ve seen in UK history.

The quality of this year’s harvest is the sweet reward for all the hard work put in throughout the year.

A Harvest to Remember

In our cool climate, growing grapes in an English vineyard is a careful dance with nature. We hope for the warmth to stay and the rain to pay a fleeting visit, allowing the fruit to reach that exact moment of balance, a delightful blend of sweetness and acidity. The 2025 harvest truly delivered on this wish. The season brought an unusual stretch of uninterrupted sunshine and low humidity, a pleasant change from the challenges of the British weather.

High Spirits on the Estate

Our Vineyard Manager, Phil Grant, captures the excitement across the estate:

“It’s been a fantastic year at Bolney, and there’s a real buzz across the estate as we complete what has been one of the earliest harvests in UK history — finishing before the end of September.”

While yields have come in around average, the quality of the fruit is exceptional. The warm, dry weather throughout the growing season played a huge part in helping us produce some of the best fruit we’ve seen in recent years. We used a combination of hand and machine harvesting this year, allowing us to bring in the fruit quickly and at peak ripeness. The atmosphere across the estate is full of energy and enthusiasm, and we’re really excited about the wines that will come from the 2025 vintage.”

Phil’s confidence comes from seeing the fruit firsthand. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes we picked were in great shape. There was no need to worry about late rains making them watery, and no threat of rot or disease. The grapes were simply allowed to fulfil their potential and ripen with intense, concentrated flavour.

Securing the Crop at Peak Ripeness

The speed at which the grapes ripen creates a particular and narrow window for harvesting. For the grapes that will become Bolney’s premier sparkling wines, our team carefully hand-picks each bunch, so only the finest fruit enters the future vintage.

Make Room in Your Wine Cellar

The early harvest signals exciting wines to come. The grapes from the 2025 vintage are now resting in the cellar, beginning their transformation. Expect bold flavours and excellent structure that echo the warm summer. These wines will truly reflect the unique flavours of the Bolney Estate’s terroir.

In the meantime, you can already enjoy the quality of previous vintages by tasting our celebrated Cuvée Noir or Bolney Bubbly, which showcase the high standards we strive for.

Book a Vineyard Tour at Bolney Estate

We invite you to experience the very ground where the UK’s earliest wine harvest took place. Book a Bolney Estate vineyard tour to stroll the vines that yielded this spectacular 2025 fruit, and taste the English wines that our cool climate has already brought to life.