With the final grapes of 2026 safely through the winery doors, we can reflect on what has been an extraordinary growing season. From Spring frosts and prolonged drought to some of the highest summer temperatures we have experienced in English vineyards, this vintage has certainly kept us on our toes. Yet, despite the challenges, 2026 has delivered some of the most exciting fruit we have worked with to date. Across the vineyards in Kent, Essex and beyond, we have seen exceptional ripeness, concentration and balance. More than anything, this vintage has reinforced our belief that thoughtful vineyard management, careful observation and good relationships with our growers are fundamental to making great wine.
The Growing Season: A Year of Extremes
New Beginnings and Familiar Vineyards
This year marked an exciting new chapter with Home Farm, a vineyard under the stewardship of the Selby family and managed by Sarah throughout the growing season. It was Sarah’s first full season overseeing the vineyard, bringing together her experience, technical knowledge and a considered approach to viticulture. From canopy management and soil health to disease prevention and harvest decisions, each intervention was made with the long-term health of the vines and the quality of the fruit in mind.
Elsewhere, established sites such as Higham Vineyard and Brenley Farm continued to develop under a shared direction and philosophy. With Sarah completing her first full year as Grower Liaison, we have been able to work increasingly closely with growers, refining our approach to vineyard management and building consistency across sites.
Frost, Heat and Everything in Between
The 2026 growing season was anything but straightforward. Spring brought both radiation frosts, where cold air settles close to the ground under clear, still conditions, and advective frosts, where larger masses of cold air move across the landscape. Both presented challenges in several of our partner vineyards, requiring careful assessment and management as the season progressed.
Summer then arrived with extraordinary intensity. Temperatures reached 38–39°C in some vineyards, placing vines under considerable heat stress and increasing the risk of sunburn, berry shrivelling and interrupted ripening.
Compounding this was an extended period of drought, with little meaningful rainfall between flowering and August. Young vines were particularly vulnerable, and in some locations we observed vines slowing their physiological activity in response to limited water availability.
Warm, humid conditions also created periods of powdery mildew pressure, particularly in Kent, where susceptible varieties such as Chardonnay required additional attention. Through careful monitoring, timely interventions and effective canopy management, disease pressure was kept under control across all sites. It was a season that demanded flexibility and constant observation rather than a fixed approach.
Farming with Restraint
At Home Farm, Sarah’s first full growing season was an opportunity to put a thoughtful, low-intervention vineyard management philosophy into practice. No insecticides or fertilisers were applied, herbicide use was minimised, and conservation tillage techniques helped limit soil disturbance. Fungicide applications were kept as controlled as possible, favouring biological and organically permitted products where suitable.
Our aim isn’t to avoid intervention altogether, but to make each intervention purposeful. Healthy soils, balanced vines and biodiversity all play important roles in producing resilient vineyards and high-quality fruit. The results this year have given us considerable confidence in this direction.
Harvest 2026: Early, but Not Rushed
This year’s harvest began on 10 September, the earliest picking date of our English winemaking careers, and concluded on 5 October. While much of Europe has become accustomed to increasingly early harvests, picking dates in England have historically extended well into October and sometimes November. At the Home Farm site, we saw over 1500 Growing Degree Days (GDDs), like the Loire and Burgundy not that long ago, demonstrating the progression of England as a growing region and the role of climate change.
What made 2026 particularly exciting was not simply how early we began, but the opportunity to harvest fully ripe fruit before the arrival of the more challenging conditions of late autumn. The warm, dry summer allowed fruit to develop impressive phenolic maturity alongside balanced sugar and acidity.
Across the regions we work in, quality was remarkably consistent. Crucially, we picked for balance of sugar and acidity, phenolic maturity and tension, rather than chasing sugar (and therefore alcohol) ripeness for its own sake. Compared with 2025, we believe the fruit shows greater definition and concentration, with a clarity of varietal character that is already becoming evident in the winery.
In the Winery: Letting the Fruit Speak
With such promising fruit arriving at the winery, our approach has been to build on its natural qualities rather than impose a particular style.
Pinot Noir: A Little More Whole Cluster
One of the most interesting developments this vintage has been our increased use of whole-cluster fermentation in Pinot Noir. With good stem lignification and strong phenolic maturity, we incorporated approximately 15–25% whole clusters into selected fermentations. Whole-cluster fermentation can bring additional aromatic complexity, fine structural elements and a different expression of freshness.
The inclusion of stems also changes the dynamics of fermentation and extraction, offering another way to shape the finished wine. With potential alcohols naturally higher in some parcels this year, we have been particularly attentive to maintaining elegance and balance. Our preference remains for wines that sit at or below approximately 13.5% alcohol, allowing fruit, texture and freshness to take centre stage.
Meunier: A Little More Extraction
With the exceptional quality and ripeness of the fruit this year, we decided to explore a little more extraction in our Meunier, allowing the grapes to spend five days on their skins rather than four like last year. We retained a significant proportion of whole berries, encouraging some semi-carbonic fermentation, where fermentation begins within the intact grape berries themselves. Rather than actively working the pomace through punch-downs or pump-overs, we left it largely undisturbed, allowing the skins to gently infuse into the wine, much like a teabag.
The result is already incredibly exciting: bright, vibrant fruit flavours and aromas, with a little more depth, texture and structure, approaching that of a light red wine. This feels like a natural evolution for our Meunier, perhaps the wine in our range that we most enjoy allowing to find its own identity. Rather than deciding from the outset whether it should be a dark rosé or a light red, we prefer to let the character of the fruit and the vintage guide us.
The First Impressions of 2026
Although the wines are still very much in their infancy, their early development has been incredibly encouraging.
Chardonnay
Quietly expressive at this stage, showing focus, precision and a sense of restraint. There is plenty of promise beneath its rather shy exterior.
Pinot Noir
Beautifully structured, with expressive wild-fruit aromatics and a depth that reflects the quality of the season. The whole-cluster components are already adding interesting dimensions.
Pinot Gris
Delicate, poised and beautifully balanced. A particularly elegant expression this year, with subtle aromatics and a lovely sense of composure.
Meunier
Perhaps one of the most exciting surprises of the vintage. Rich, layered and wonderfully complex, showing real generosity without losing its freshness.
These are only the first impressions. The coming months of élevage will allow the wines to settle, integrate and gradually reveal their character.
Looking Ahead
Every vintage teaches us something different, and 2026 has been a particularly valuable year. The extremes of the growing season have highlighted the importance of resilient vineyards, healthy soils and responsive management. They have also demonstrated just how much potential exists in English still wine when the right fruit, sites and decisions come together. We are immensely grateful to the growers, vineyard teams, families and collaborators who have helped make this vintage possible. There is still a great deal of work ahead in the winery, but we are genuinely excited by what is beginning to emerge.
Here’s to the 2026 vintage, and to all those who helped bring it in.
James & Sarah
Domaine of the Rose & Bear