English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber has said it expects a high-quality 2025 vintage thanks to the warm weather this year.
The producer explained that the warm and sunny spring, followed by a hot and dry June, created optimal flowering conditions in the southeast of England.
Nyetimber added that comparisons were already being made with the harvest of 2018, which is generally regarded as one of the best years for English wine.
In terms of grape quantity, Nyetimber said it expects a modest harvest due to the cold, rainy summer in 2024.
Nonetheless, this will still yield around 1.6–1.8 million bottles of sparkling wine, nearly triple the amount produced in 2015.
The Nyetimber 2025 harvest is expected to begin within the next five to six weeks and will be led by head winemaker Cherie Spriggs and senior winemaker Brad Greatrix.
The process will take two to three weeks and involve 400 seasonal pickers.
Spriggs said: “We’re feeling quietly optimistic about what this year’s harvest will offer. The growing conditions this year have been exceptionally favourable and very reminiscent of 2018 which was a very successful vintage for us. 2025 is definitely looking like it could produce some fantastic vintage wines, so we’re very excited to start exploring each parcel and hopefully discovering some outstanding potential.
“Of course, all of this comes with the caveat that we hope Mother Nature remains on our side. We have an excellent climate for sparkling wine production, but it can still be unpredictable – so we never get ahead of ourselves too early!”
Nyetimber CEO and owner, Eric Heerema added: “The approach of the English grape harvest is always a slightly nervous time; however, this year we have more reasons to feel confident in the quality of our grapes. At Nyetimber, our priority is always producing the absolute best quality sparkling wines that we can, and it is fantastic when we are blessed with conditions that allow us to make our vintage-dated wines as well. I can’t wait to taste what our winemakers will craft.”
