Winemaker made merry by record batch of grapes

A LONG, hot summer punctuated with heavy rain at the start of autumn created the perfect environment for a record-breaking batch of red wine grapes in Essex, it has been announced.

Lyme Bay Winery, which grows its grapes in the Crouch Valley, Maldon, says that this year’s harvest has potential alcohol levels of 14.7 per cent – a record for pinot noir produced in the UK. The previous potential alcohol level for pinot noir in the UK was 13.4 per cent, again in a batch from the Crouch Valley, but the latest harvest has “crossed a threshold”, according to experts who say that the company is likely to make “world-class” wine, ready for tasting in 2021 and 2022.

Potential alcohol level is not a guarantee of world-class wine, but it is a key indicator, and Duncan Mcneill, who grew the vines, said it may be a “significant” moment for the British industry.

He told The Guardian that in excellent “new world” pinot noir regions, such as Otago in New Zealand and Oregon in the US, a potential alcohol level such as Crouch Valley’s 14.7 per cent was seen as the “benchmark” to make a “truly outstanding” wine.

Lyme Bay Winery is based in Axminster, Devon. James Lambert, managing director of LBW Drinks, told Winegb: “We are jubilant about this incredible news. For grapes to achieve this level of ripeness in the UK is unheard of. It means we can really go to town on the extraction of flavours and colour.”

During this year’s harvest, teams have been working 12-hour shifts to ensure the grapes come directly from the field to be processed straight away, even in the middle of the night.