Harvest 2026 - Our Earliest Ever

The 2026 grape harvest at Albury Vineyard is now complete, and it's been quite a remarkable year. Following one of the hottest Summers in recent years, we began picking earlier than ever before and brought in over 51 tonnes of grapes across our Albury and Lansdowne vineyards in the Surrey Hills.

Despite some challenging Spring frosts, 2026 has turned out to be our second biggest harvest on record, with enough grapes to produce an estimated 40,000 bottles of wine. And there's something particularly exciting on the horizon - for the first time, we'll be making a still red Pinot Noir.

Our Earliest Grape Harvest Ever

We knew the hot Summer would bring harvest forward, but even we were surprised by just how early picking began.

Our first grapes were picked on 27th August at our Lansdowne vineyard, where we harvested 4.5 tonnes of Pinot Précoce. Harvest at Albury began on 6th September, with 2.5 tonnes of Seyval Blanc and nearly 4 tonnes of Pinot Meunier.

By the end of September, the main harvest at both vineyards was complete, a full four weeks earlier than our historical picking dates.

It's certainly been a busy few weeks for the vineyard team, but we're delighted with the results.

From Spring Frosts to a Bumper Harvest

As an organic and biodynamic vineyard, we're used to working closely with nature, although the weather can certainly keep us on our toes and the 2026 growing season didn't get off to the easiest start. Spring frosts caused damage in parts of the vineyards, with losses of up to 30% in some areas. At the time, we were understandably concerned about how this might affect the year's crop.

Thankfully, the exceptionally hot Summer more than compensated for those early setbacks. The long spell of sunshine helped our grapes ripen beautifully, and the resulting harvest exceeded our expectations.

In total, we picked over 51 tonnes of grapes across Albury and Lansdowne, making 2026 our second biggest harvest ever. Only the exceptional 2018 vintage, when we harvested 68 tonnes, has produced more.

We're expecting this year's grapes to produce around 40,000 bottles of wine, so there's plenty to look forward to over the coming years.

A First for Albury - Still Red Pinot Noir

One of the most exciting developments from the 2026 harvest is that, for the first time, we'll be producing a still red wine from Pinot Noir grapes.

Although we're best known for our English sparkling wines, we've long been interested in the possibility of making a still red. The challenge has always been getting the grapes ripe enough in the English climate.

This year's exceptionally hot Summer gave us the ideal conditions, but we also had some help from a new addition to the vineyard.

Thanks to a government grant, we installed a laser bird scarer system earlier this year. Birds can cause significant damage to grapes as they ripen, and our new system has helped protect the fruit, allowing us to leave the Pinot Noir on the vines for longer.

The combination of the Summer heat and improved bird protection has made something possible that we've never been able to achieve before.

We'll be producing a limited release of just 1,000 bottles of still red Pinot Noir, which we expect to be ready in 2028 or 2029.

We're particularly looking forward to seeing how this wine develops, and of course to sharing it with you when it's ready. As always, Albury Wine Club members will have the first opportunity to buy the new release.

Thank You to Our Wonderful Harvest Volunteers

Harvest is always a special time at Albury, and one of the things that makes it so enjoyable is the wonderful group of volunteers who come along to help us pick the grapes.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us this year. Whether you're a familiar face who's been helping for years or someone who picked grapes with us for the first time, your hard work and enthusiasm are very much appreciated.

Bringing in over 51 tonnes of grapes is no small task, and we're incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this year's harvest such a success.

Looking Ahead to the 2026 Vintage

With the grapes safely harvested, attention now turns to the wine-making process.

It's been quite a year, from the worries of Spring frost damage to the excitement of our earliest harvest, our second biggest crop and the prospect of producing our first still red Pinot Noir.

Every vintage tells a different story, and we have a feeling 2026 will be one we'll remember for a long time. We look forward to sharing the results with you in the years ahead.