Biddenden Vineyards Harvest Report 2024- A year of Challenge and Opportunity
2024 will certainly go down as a varied year. After a bumper harvest in 2023, 2024 brought us a mild winter and spring followed by an unseasonably wet, but warm, summer- not exactly the ideal conditions for grape growing. But in a year of challenge comes excitement and opportunity- pushing you outside of your comfort zone and exploring the limits of what is possible.
Harvest is always the most exciting time of the year for any vineyard and for Biddenden, with over 55 years of experience under their belts and three generations of winemaking expertise to call upon, the variations and challenges that come with each ever changing season add to the excitement- what will this year bring?
On Tuesday 10th September, the first grapes of the 2024 harvest were picked at Biddenden. After weeks of on and off showers, we seized a sunny opportunity and picking began. After a successful few days in the Ortega, we finished the week on the block of Bacchus planted back in 2003 which always ripens earlier than the new plantings. For our second week of picking we enjoyed mostly sunny and warm weather and continued through the Ortega and Bacchus vines. We finished picking Ortega on the 20th September with the team all treated to a bottle of the previous vintage to celebrate- a harvest tradition at Biddenden.
Unfortunately the dry weather didn’t last and we had a pause in the harvest before our local team returned on the 1st of October to bring in the Huxelrebe- a select crop that was all picked and in the press by 11.30am! On the 2nd of October we brought the first of the reds, Dornfelder and Pinot Noir, into the winery, with Reichensteiner, a variety we use in our blended sparkling wines, following on the 3rd and 4th. With 13 different varieties grown at Biddenden there is a natural spread across harvest as the grapes ripen at different times, and Biddenden is often the first, and sometimes also the last, vineyard to harvest in Kent.
The 8th of October saw the fruit from the oldest vines in the country make the journey (approximately 300m on the back of our 3910 tractor) to the Biddenden winery. Planted in 1972 by Richard and Joyce Barnes, these Pinot Noir vines are still producing high quality grapes that go into our premium Pinot Reserve sparkling wine.
By mid- October, with most of the remaining grapes now ready to come off the vines, the team continued to work through the remaining varieties, including Scheurebe, Gamay Noir and Schönburger until only Riesling remained. A week of sun, enjoyed after the rain and disruption of Storm Ashley the weekend prior, aided final ripening and a team of 4 picked the Riesling on Friday the 1st of November, completing a harvest spanning 7 weeks!
2023 saw harvest records broken across the UK. Here at Biddenden we picked 121 tonnes of grapes, in contrast to the 52 tonnes of the year previously. Tonnage was lower in 2024, at 50.02, closer to more ‘usual’ levels seen in 2022, however this is not necessarily a bad thing with the acid and sugar levels of the fruit, and overall quality, being a more impactful indicator of the success of the crop.
The Barnes family have always worked to the belief that winemaking happens in the vineyard and in a year with more challenging, wetter and less sunny, conditions, this is proven. With a strong focus on agronomy year round, the team have been meticulous about ensuring the vines are maintained and nurtured so they are in optimum health and condition come harvest time, planning 18 months if not further ahead to maximise success. 2024 was a growers year!
Celebrating a milestone 55 year anniversary this year, Biddenden are always pushing the limits of still wine. With our first still wine, Ortega, released in 1973, we have continued to stay at the forefront of the industry and in 2024, launched the first still Gewürztraminer in the UK. A variety that is very particular about soil and climate, the vine is vigorous, even described at times as unruly, and was originally planted here in 2013 to see what sort of ripeness was achievable.
Following the exceptionally long hot summer of 2022, Tom saw the perfect opportunity to create this first vintage and, thanks to Julian’s foresight in planting this variety, and after years of vine care and careful management, we were delighted to see this hard work come to fruition with the release of this very special still wine. This wine, and the resultant 2023 vintage, is a tri-generational triumph and testament to Biddenden’s 55 years of wine making experience and expertise. Learning from and rising to challenges and seizing opportunities.
With lots of exciting plans in the pipeline, the harvest of the 2024 grapes is only the beginning of the next chapter for Biddenden and there is much more to come in this exciting story.
