The Hattingley Valley 2025 Vintage: Fast, Fruitful, and Full of Promise

Number of crates delivered: 17,899
Number of crates washed: 35,799
Number of press loads: 81
Number of tanks filled: 79

If the story of a harvest could be told in numbers, these would go some way in offering a glimpse into what unfolded behind the winery gates this year. But however impressive, numbers alone don’t capture the real essence of the 2025 vintage; that story lies in the voices and hands of the people who brought it to life.

Join us as we recount the 2025 harvest through the experiences of our winery team…

Approaching a New Season of Surprises

After two challenging vintages, we began 2025 with cautious optimism, hoping for a break from the extremes of recent years. Looking up at the sky, we hoped for a small miracle. Little did we know, our prayers would soon be answered.

The weather gods smiled kindly on us this year. A relatively warm and dry season offered a welcome contrast to  2023, the wettest year on record, and 2024, which brought cool temperatures and still more rain.

During the 2025 growing season, in the East of England, conditions were particularly dry, which slowed metabolic processes and delayed ripening, while the more westerly vineyards ripened in line with the East. The result was a compressed, fast-moving harvest across the South of England, a truly intense period that tested the team but delivered exceptional fruit.

Early rain at the start of harvest did bring some outbreaks of botrytis, but for the most part, the grapes were remarkably clean, almost as disease-free as one could hope for in an English vintage. Sugar levels were excellent, and acids balanced. All in all, we’re confident these results will lay the solid foundation for a promising vintage.

Reflections on Our Harvest Predictions

Back in early autumn, before the presses began to hum, we gathered as a team to share our predictions on what the 2025 harvest might bring. Spirits were high, coffee cups full, and everyone had their own take on how the vintage would unfold.

Now, with harvest behind us, it’s time to look back on those early forecasts. How close did we get? Which predictions held true? And where did Mother Nature have the last laugh?

The People Behind the Presses

This year’s harvest team brought calm confidence and professionalism to the winery. Ten strong, with more than half hailing from Australia and New Zealand, the group brought valuable experience from larger international wineries and a fresh perspective to our English harvest.

Fraser, our excellent day-shift leader, with seven vintages under his belt, was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this year's fruit: 

 “This vintage certainly makes a strong case for the sugar levels now achievable in England.”

Both the day and night shifts agreed that the success of this harvest was largely a testament to the camaraderie and collaborative spirit across the harvest staff and permanent winery team. As Fraser put it:

“The winery team here is open to others’ experiences and isn’t afraid to listen, consider, and try new approaches — a real strength, especially in a diverse, international crew.”

That sense of teamwork didn’t happen by chance. Will and James from the winery, along with Carol Brown, our Health & Safety and Site Manager, devoted particular care to the recruitment process this year. And as predicted, the experience and personality brought by this year’s recruits made all the difference.

Key Moments from the Team

While the 2025 harvest was defined by speed, quality, and professionalism, it was also the small moments that made it so memorable. We asked the team for some of their highlights:

• Joel: “It has to be the beer delivery!” This year’s choice was Freedom Brewery — our trusted harvest beer for three years running. As the saying goes, “It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine.”
  
  

• James: “We broke the record for the fastest truck unloading — four forklifts cleared a lorry in just five minutes!” Well done to James, Joel, Molly, and Braden, the expert forklifters!
  
  

• Braden: “The great weather! I was told England was supposed to be rainy — but we only had a few light showers.” A welcome change after last year's constant downpours.

Setbacks and Small Victories

A couple of crate drops, a forklift stuck in a drain, a few split pumps, and poor James’s car taking a bump on the drive to work (thankfully, he was unharmed!), these were some of the hiccups of this harvest. As Claudia put it, these small incidents don't equate to much when the team reacts with professionalism and composure:

“When the team works well together, everything else runs much more smoothly.”

Perhaps the greatest challenge of 2025 wasn’t the little mishaps but the sheer pace of the harvest itself.

A Harvest in Fast Forward

Perhaps the most defining feature of the 2025 harvest was its speed. The bulk of the fruit was picked and processed in just 18 days (a Hattingley record!), as Head Winemaker Rob puts it:

“Everything came in at once. The team was pushed to the limit, especially in the first week, when fruit arrived in a rush and equipment was under pressure. But we were ready for it.”

The first fruit arrived on 9th September, and by the time the harvest crew joined on the 15th, two varietals, around ten tonnes, had already been picked. Within a week, nearly a quarter of the harvest was complete.

“The traditional slow start and gentle finish just didn’t happen this year” Rob said. “It was full-on from the off — right through to the end.”

Vintage Overview: Head Winemaker Rob MacCulloch

Early, fast, ripe, and remarkably clean, 2025 is a vintage that will be remembered, perhaps even as one of the greats in English wine. In some ways, it could become England’s equivalent of Bordeaux 1982 or Burgundy 1999, though the real work lies ahead: transforming this exceptional fruit into wine over the coming years.

Sugar levels are excellent, acids well-balanced, and overall fruit quality superb, with only minor botrytis in a few parcels. Multiple varietals ripened simultaneously, making early assessment tricky, yet early signs are especially promising for Rosé, producing flavoursome, vibrant juice has never been easier.

The pace of the harvest tested the team to the limit. Long days and nights were met with focus, resilience, and good humour, and the collaborative spirit on display ensured everything ran smoothly. As Rob observes:

“We had record ripeness, yet still with recognisable English acidity. As long as blending and bottling go to plan, this should be a vintage to treasure. The team can be proud — and are no doubt exhausted!”

With fermentations underway, the next stages, malolactic fermentation, lees work, grading, blending, cold stability, and bottling, will define how this vintage ultimately expresses itself.

Looking Ahead

To the 2025 harvest team: thank you for your dedication, energy, and professionalism. You’ve set this vintage up for success, and we look forward to seeing these quality grapes reach their full potential.

While careful work over the coming months and years will shape the ultimate character of this vintage, the foundations are set: balanced sugars and acids and a team whose skill, resilience, and camaraderie turned a challenging harvest into a triumph.