Norfolk's Burn Valley Vineyard bottles up bumper crop

They're hitting the bottle, literally, up in the hills between Stanhoe and the Creakes.

For the Burn Valley Vineyard is hard at work bottling last year's bumper grape harvest.

Last year saw a bumper grape crop at Burn Valley Vineyard (Image: Chris Bishop)

Laura Robinson surveys last October's crop (Image: Chris Bishop)

The harvester brought in to bring home the grapes (Image: Chris Bishop)

Last year the vines yielded 50 tonnes of grapes thanks to the weather, as growers across the region reported record hauls.

Burn Valley Vineyard had to hire a special machine for the first time to bring in the crop ready to be fermented.

A special machine has also been brought in to speed up the process of getting BVV 2023 ready to hit the road. 

Bottling under way at the Burn Valley Vineyard (Image: Chris Bishop)

Laura Robinson, from the family-owned business which planted 12 acres of vines on a chalky slope five years ago, said: "We're going to be producing something like 45 - 50,000 bottles.

"Last year we were doing 2,500 bottles a day. This does 2,500 an hour."

Helpers feed bottles into the machine, which washes and sterilises them before inserting the cork.

Up to 2,500 bottles an hour are being filled with wine made from Norfolk grapes (Image: Chris Bishop)

Laura Robinson from the Burn Valley Vineyard (Image: Chris Bishop)

Mis en bouteille - a Burn Valley Vineyard cork (Image: Chris Bishop)

Miss Robinson said corks were being trialled for the first time, because the traditional stoppers help speed up the process because they are quicker to fix in place than screw caps.

One full, the bottles are carefully stacked on pallets, ready for labelling once the vats and barrels in the winery run dry.

Head winemaker Matthew Abbey, who learned the ropes of his trade during a 12-year stint in New Zealand, said: "The 2023 vintage was difficult with the weather but the final yield was the biggest we've ever had.

Head winemaker Matthew Abbey beside the bottling line (Image: Chris Bishop)

Laura Robinson with the finished wine (Image: Chris Bishop)

"The wines are lighter and lower in alcohol as well, so it's going to be a zippier, zingier style."

This year's reds and whites come in at between £17.99 and £28 a bottle.

The new vintage is being launched at the vineyard on March 29, which is off the Stanhoe to North Creake Road, with tastings from 10am - 4pm.

Tickets (£10) can be booked via burnvalleyvineyard.co.uk.