Harvest 2026 Review

Harvest is always the biggest moment of the year at Sandridge Barton and we only get one chance to get it right. It's the point where months of hard graft in the vineyard finally make their way into the winery and we start to get our first real glimpse of the vintage to come.

Following the hottest and driest growing season we've ever recorded, the vines spent much of the summer digging deep in search of water and nutrients. July was the first ever month on record without a single drop of rain and temperatures climbed into the thirties. Whereas a lot of other crops struggled, our vines absolutely thrived in the Mediterranean-like conditions.

We began picking on the 7th September, our earliest start to date and finished on the 3rd October, our earliest finishing date ever. We had to leave a small parcel of Chardonnay on the vine for our community harvest day on the 3rd October and had it not been for that event, harvest would have been completed entirely in September.

While every vintage has its own story, Charlie Brown, our Head Winemaker, made it clear that 2026 stood out.

"This was the most chilled harvest I’ve ever done. Everything ran smoothly, fruit quality was through the roof and the general vibes were high!

The fruit came in with lovely structure, an elevated fruit profile and great energy. Acidity was among the most balanced I’ve experienced at Sandridge Barton, even topping the renowned long, hot summer of 2022."

It wasn't all plain sailing. The quality and concentration of the fruit meant the winery was busier than ever, with tanks filling quickly and precious little breathing room between grapes arriving from the vineyard with little gap between our early and late ripening varieties. But thanks to a brilliant team effort, everything came together smoothly. 

Fermentations are now underway, wines are beginning to take shape, and while there's still a long way ahead before we start to see the true potential, but the early signs are incredibly encouraging.

But it's fair to say that 2026 has all the ingredients of something very special.