Vagabond has started its inaugural grape pressing at its new Urban Winery, based in London’s Canada Water.

According to the company, the brand-new tanks will be pressing approximately 16 tonnes of grapes from across the south of England.

Among them are two tonnes of Ortega from Black Bourn Vineyard in Suffolk, as well as Bacchus grapes from Hidden Spring in Sussex and Pinot Noir Précoce grown by Yew Tree Vineyard in Oxfordshire.

Elsewhere, grapes from nine other producers from Sussex, Kent, Oxfordshire and Essex are set to follow, as Vagabond increases production.

The winery said that the largest processing day so far came last week, with eight tonnes of grapes, more than double the previous record at its former Urban Winery, located in Battersea.

It continued that the venue had the capacity to produce up to 100,000 bottles every year, many of which will be available at Vagabond wine bars across the country.

Jose Quintana, winemaker at Vagabond, said: “The start of harvest is always one of the most exciting moments of the year, but even more so this autumn as we bring grapes grown across the South of England into our new Urban Winery for the first time.

“We’re working with some exceptional fruit again this year and the grapes are really popping with flavour. We can’t wait to create even more incredible wines for our guests to enjoy – not just here in Canada Water, but across all of our Vagabond bars.”

John Colley, CEO of Majestic Wine Group, added: “The first harvest in our new Urban Winery is a major milestone for Vagabond and shows exactly why we have invested so significantly in the brand and this incredible venue.

“There is a huge amount of passion and expertise that goes into making our award-winning Vagabond wines, and we’re excited to be able to grow that on a totally different scale this year in the UK’s largest Urban Winery.”