English sparkling winemakers are anticipating their earliest-ever grape harvest and a potential "vintage year" after this summer's record-breaking heat rapidly ripened crops. Nyetimber, one of England's leading producers, will begin picking on 14 September, its earliest start since planting its first vines in 1988, as intense sunshine concentrated sugar levels in the grapes despite some frost and drought damage reducing berry size. The news is far less welcome for beer producers, who face a poor barley harvest caused by the same extreme conditions.

Nyetimber, which farms 11 vineyards across West Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, has recruited 500 pickers and expects to harvest almost 2,500 tonnes of grapes, potentially yielding more than 1.5 million bottles. This summer was confirmed as the UK's hottest on record, with temperatures reaching 38.1C at Kew Gardens on 13 August, while scientists have linked such heatwaves to climate change. Barley farmers have fared worse, with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board reporting yields running 19% below the five-year average, prompting Hawkstone Lager's Lisa Hogan to warn of "less beer all around" and higher costs for producers.