A PROMISING harvest has been reported at a vineyard near Dorchester.

Sparkling wine producer, Langham Wine Estate began its harvest two weeks earlier than usual, as a result of fine weather in spring and early summer.

The team began picking Pinot Noir at the end of September and the Chardonnay harvest began at the beginning of October.

Winemaker Daniel Ham said: “We were fortunate enough to escape the devastating spring frosts and experienced a fantastic start to the growing season due to the dry, sunny weather in May and June.

"Although August and September were challenging in terms of the amount of rainfall we received, diligent vineyard management combined with an early ripening period has resulted in excellent yields of very good quality fruit.

“After plenty of grape tasting and weather watching we decided to begin picking on September 28, considerably earlier than 2015 and 2016 when we began picking on October 11. As the first fermentations begin to take hold, early indications are that the wines from this year are of exceptional quality."

The prospect of a promising 2017 harvest adds to the excitement of Langham Wine Estate’s recent major investment in the winery.

As the company continues to expand there has been an increase in capacity of both the fermentation tanks and barrels plus the addition of a press pad for initial grape receival and processing.

Langham Wine Estate recently celebrated success in the 2017 South West Vineyard Association (SWVA) annual competition with two trophies. The Ray Palfrey Cup for the Best Sparkling Wine was awarded to Langham Blanc de Blancs 2014, and The Chairman’s Cup for Best Sparkling Rosé to Langham Rosé 2014.

Both of these wines received Gold medals, two of only five awarded throughout the whole competition.

All three cuvées have an ABV of 12% and are available direct from the winery, the online shop: http://langhamwine.co.uk, or via Marks and Spencer.

People are invited to visit Langham Wine Estate before harvest ends, however tours and tastings are available all year round with the Vineyard Café open serving food and drinks in the tasting room.