TANHURST ESTATE 2025 HARVEST
A VINTAGE YEAR FOR WINEMAKING
This has been an exceptionally good year in the vineyard. The consistently warm, dry weather provided excellent ripening conditions, producing high sugar levels in the grapes which has contributed to their rich, complex fruit flavours.
This is exciting as it allows our talented winemaker, Salvatore Leone, to make a red wine from our red grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Précoce, and Pinot Meunier. Pinot is typically challenging to grow, but it seems to like the climate and soil here at Tanhurst Estate. The grapes are currently fermenting on the skins before being transferred to oak barrels to age. Leaving the skins on gives red wine its colour and structure; and the longer the skins are in contact with the juice, the more intense the colour, flavour and tannins become.
A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME
A homegrown red wine is a thrilling prospect as high-quality English red wines are still relatively rare compared to white wines, as our climate tends to better suit white wine grapes. Only about 10% of wine produced in England is red, with most vineyards focusing on white wine.
We will use the remaining Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes to make our first Blanc de Noirs. This is a type of sparkling white wine with great depth of flavour made exclusively from black-skinned grapes. The term Blanc de Noirs translates from French as “white from black.” We have also picked a super crop of Chardonnay grapes this year, which will be used to make Chardonnay.
Our wines of 2025 will be released in the coming years, with each bottle showcasing the unique story of this special harvest.