Autumn at Nutbourne: Harvest Time

September: A Changing Season

The start of September is always a busy time at the vineyard, with guided tours, tastings at the cellar door and fine dining events in the wine lodge making the most of the lovely weather. Visitors wandering in the vines are invited to taste the grapes from our ripening crop as they sweeten – it is beautiful to watch as the eight different varietals start to go through veraison. The Pinot Noir in the windmill vines are particularly striking as they take on a deeper colour from the sugars coming in – the black bunches of hanging grapes a contrast with the lush green canopy.

In the lull that follows, we start looking forward to harvest time. The last wines in tank are bottled to make way for the fresh juice and ferments, as the team clean the tanks, press and winery in preparation. Gregory and Peter Gladwin sit down with the winemaking consultant, Emma Rice, to make a plan about when to pick and press each parcel of grapes, and the wines we would like to make, which all then depends on the sugars, acidity and weather. Taking stock, we check the yeasts in the lab and lay out the snips, gloves, buckets and crates on the forecourt, cleaning and counting as we go. The local pickers are briefed on when we plan to start, then we all hope for a final burst of sun and success for the 2024 vintage.