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British wine producers celebrate ‘small but good quality crop’ after difficult vintage

These were the key takeaways from WineGB's Harvest Yield Survey, compiled by Stephen Skelton MW in collaboration with leading winegrowers.

“2024 wine production had a challenging year, but the figures show that when faced with climatic adversity, skilled growers are able to rise to the challenge and employ the resources available to them to produce reasonable yields,” said Skelton.

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“It also shows that our four major varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier and Bacchus – can produce good yields, even in testing years.”

According to WineGB, the vintage is expected to produce “between 6 to 7 million bottles, corresponding to a 30%-40% reduction on the 10-year production average”, which is approximately 10 million bottles of still and sparkling wine.

“Vintage 2024 has been challenging due to a mix of adverse weather conditions and low levels of light and temperature. However, these challenges are not universal, and some regions have managed to get past the bad weather (Essex). Careful vineyard management and early interventions prevented crop loss,” reported Travis Salisbury, vineyard manager at Wiston Estate (pictured).

“Downy mildew pressure was high and managers that chose to take their foot off the gas pedal paid the price in no fruit by the time October came. While the overall vintage may be seen as challenging, there are still pockets where quality wine production is expected and yield of course lower but quality in berry mighty.”

In terms of overall yield, the east of the country fared better due to prevailing weather patterns. According to WineGB: “The South-East (East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex) achieved the highest average yield, followed by the Thames and Chilterns (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire), and the East (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire).”

Nicola Bates, WineGB CEO, commented: “In a tough year, producers have shown huge resilience and expertise in harvesting a small, but high-quality crop. While overall yields are down this year, stock levels are high and there remains consistency in the supply of wine for sale. This year is both a reminder of the unpredictability of British weather and the skill of our workforce, which is well-versed in dealing with our variable climate.”

Top photo shows Wiston Harvest 2023 Pinot Noir grapes, Credit Josie Veale

• English wine
• production
• wine production
• yields
• Wine GB
• winegrowers
• challenging harvest
• Stephen Skelton MW