A family-run vineyard in Radnorshire is facing its worst season yet, as a cold summer and regular rainfall has severely impacted their grape crop.

Susan and James Kinsey-Jones run Whinyard Rocks in Presteigne, starting from scratch on James' family farm in 2017. When it came to harvest, the Kinsey-Joneses realised the vineyard will see a significant reduction in production this year.

“It will definitely mean less wine in our harvest this year,” Ms Kinsey-Jones said.

“Our Solaris and Rondo varieties have been particularly affected. Usually, they are quite reliable, even for our location and altitude, making it quite a bad year.”

The vineyard, which currently has 5,600 vines, was originally planted with just 800 vines, and typically produces around 800 bottles annually. The expansion had raised expectations for future harvests to increase to 7,000 bottles. However, this year’s crop will fall far short, with some varieties seeing losses of up to 95 per cent.

“It’s quite galling as you put all the same effort in as you would usually do across the year, but have no output at the end,” Ms Kinsey-Jones added.

“It’s been a tricky year for a few vineyards across Wales and the UK generally, so not just us, but it’s still not good, especially because we’re small scale.”

The weather has been a particular challenge, with September 2024 breaking rainfall records in parts of the UK. According to a recent post on the vineyard’s Instagram, they received 200 per cent of their usual rainfall this summer, with little sunshine to help the grapes ripen.

This year’s poor growing conditions will also have an impact on next year’s crop, as the health of the vines this season is a reflection of last year’s conditions. As a result, the vineyard won’t have wine from the 2024 harvest to sell until 2026, leaving a significant gap in production.

However, the Kinsey-Joneses are staying positive: “There are always tough times and we don’t like to be downers, but thought it a good idea to share the reality of it all.”