English vineyard’s earliest harvest yet

An English vineyard has started its earliest ever harvest and is confident of a “very high quality” vintage following the joint hottest summer on record.

The Nyetimber estate in West Sussex has started harvesting more than three weeks earlier than usual and is hoping for enough grapes to produce a record one million bottles of its sparkling wine – 20 per cent to 30 per cent more than in a normal year.

The long, hot summer combined with ideal rainfall created the perfect conditions.