Harvest 2025: Sunshine, Showers & Secateurs
Harvest came earlier than expected this year. With a brief period of unsettled weather - including a hail storm, we decided to start picking sooner than planned, and the vineyard has been busy ever since.
Progress so far...
So far we’ve picked Pinot Blanc, Rondo, Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine and we’ve also received fruit from our growers: Rondo, Bacchus, and Acolon. Each variety brings something different, and it’s exciting to see it all coming together.
Picking is due to start on our sister Vineyard in Depden in the next couple of days.
Next stage - pressing
Once the grapes are harvested, the next step is pressing. This is when the juice is gently extracted from the fruit, separating it from the skins, stems, and seeds. The process needs to be carefully controlled to preserve the freshness, flavour, and aroma of the grapes.
For some wines, like white and sparkling varieties, the juice is pressed immediately to capture delicate fruit characters, while for others, like reds, some skin contact may be left before pressing to add colour and structure.
New Oak from France - so exciting!
We’ve just taken delivery of six new barrels from François Frères in Burgundy, France. Five are made from French oak and one is from acacia, giving a slightly different texture and subtle aromatic lift.
One of the French oak barrels is LX – Light Long Toast, which will add gentle spice and complexity while letting the fruit shine.
Each barrel also has the Giffords Hall Vineyard name on the head, which makes them feel truly part of our vineyard family.
Some of our Pinot Blanc and Madeleine Angevine is already fermenting in the barrels.
New oak barrels are an important part of winemaking because they add flavour, texture, and character to the wine. Fresh barrels give subtle notes of vanilla, spice, or toast, while also helping to round out the wine and give it a smoother, richer mouthfeel.
They also allow a little oxygen to interact with the wine, which helps it develop complexity and stay stable over time. Using new oak is a careful, hands-on choice — it’s one of the ways we give our wines their distinctive style and quality.
Where is the Suffolk Pink Sparkling?
We've recently been carrying out colour trials for our Suffolk Pink Sparkling wine. This is very exciting and we are glad to announce that more is being disgorged shortly after harvest! We very much hope to have it available for our annual Christmas Fayre on Saturday 15th November.