Nyetimber expects Top Quality 2025 Vintage following Warm UK Weather

With the UK wine harvest expected to begin next month, leading English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber is expecting a top quality 2025 vintage.

Following a very warm and sunny spring for the UK, then a hot and dry June, flowering conditions in the southeast of England have been optimal for the region’s winemakers. Although the next few weeks will still prove crucial to determining the quality of Nyetimber’s wines, the outlook is positive; with comparisons being drawn to the record-breaking harvest of 2018, which provided outstanding grape ripeness and yields.

The forecast also suggests the probability of 2025 also being a vintage year. Nyetimber produces seven styles of sparkling wine, with four of these being vintage-dated. This year, they expect to be able to craft a Blanc de Blancs (made from 100% Chardonnay grapes), Tillington Single Vineyard (the first single-vineyard wine to have ever been released in the UK), and 1086 by Nyetimber. The 1086 by Nyetimber wines were the first prestige cuvées ever to be released in the UK and are Nyetimber’s endorsement of a great English vintage – only made from the best parcels of grapes in years when the quality is at its peak.

In terms of quantity, Nyetimber expects this to be modest due to the repercussions of a cold, rainy summer in 2024. However, even a modest harvest is still likely to yield around 1.6 – 1.8 million bottles of sparkling wine – nearly triple the number produced in 2015. These projections follow the recent report from Wine GB showing that English wine achieved 3% sales growth in 2024.

The Nyetimber 2025 harvest is expected to begin within the next 5-6 weeks. It will be headed up by Nyetimber’s Head Winemaker, Cherie Spriggs and Senior Winemaker, Brad Greatrix; both of whom have led the winemaking at Nyetimber for almost two decades. Picking will take between 2-3 weeks and will involve 400 seasonal pickers, many of whom travel from abroad to take part in the English wine harvest.

Cherie Spriggs, Head Winemaker at Nyetimber said, “We’re feeling quietly optimistic about what this year’s harvest will offer. The growing conditions this year have been exceptionally favourable and very reminiscent of 2018 which was a very successful vintage for us. 2025 is definitely looking like it could produce some fantastic vintage wines, so we’re very excited to start exploring each parcel and hopefully discovering some outstanding potential.

“Of course, all of this comes with the caveat that we hope Mother Nature remains on our side. We have an excellent climate for sparkling wine production, but it can still be unpredictable – so we never get ahead of ourselves too early!”

Nyetimber CEO and Owner, Eric Heerema said, “The approach of the English grape harvest is always a slightly nervous time; however, this year we have more reasons to feel confident in the quality of our grapes. At Nyetimber, our priority is always producing the absolute best quality sparkling wines that we can, and it is fantastic when we are blessed with conditions that allow us to make our vintage-dated wines as well. I can’t wait to taste what our winemakers will craft.”

Nyetimber has won a plethora of awards this year, with 1086 by Nyetimber 2010 having been crowned top scoring Global sparkling and top scoring wine overall at London Wine Fair’s ‘Battle of the Bubbles’ in June 2025 (pipping renowned prestige Champagnes such as Dom Perignon and Krug to reach top spot). Head winemaker, Cherie Spriggs is also nominated for Sparkling Winemaker of the Year at this year’s International Wine Challenge – a title that she already won in 2018, having been the first woman and the first person from outside of Champagne to do so.

A true pioneer, Nyetimber was the first producer of English sparkling wine to exclusively grow the three celebrated grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. With 11 vineyards spanning 425 hectares in West Sussex, Hampshire, and Kent, all Nyetimber wines are made from one hundred percent estate-grown grapes – allowing for complete control over every step of the winemaking process from vine to bottle.

Wine GB Industry Report – July 2025