Britain is heading for its sweetest apple harvest in recent memory thanks to the long, hot summer, according to a leading producer.
Showerings’ Somerset orchard
Bob Wadey, master of the Showerings cider orchard near Shepton Mallet, in Somerset, said weeks of sunshine meant the sugar content of this year’s crop would be particularly high, meaning a harvest of ‘exceptional quality’.
Fine cider brand Showerings, maker of triple vintage cider, is expecting a crop of around 3,000 tonnes of Dabinett apples, compared to just 1,000 last year.
The apple harvest will begin around the third week of September and last until the third week of November.
“When it’s hot and dry, it means the sugar content of the apples becomes concentrated,” said Bob. “This year’s apples are smaller, as we’ve had the driest March, April, June, and July that anyone can remember.
“But they will be sweeter than ever, which is good news for a cider-maker. It’s the sugar in the apples as well as the tannin that creates the flavour, so we are expecting a very special vintage. The taste should be better than ever.
“What we’d really like over the next few weeks is some rain. We’ve seen an inch or so in recent days and we could do with some more, which will swell the apples by three to four millimetres a week.”
Most of England’s apples are grown in Somerset, Herefordshire, and Kent. Growers are having to contend with new conditions thanks to climate change, which is causing the UK to experience hotter, drier summers, and warmer, wetter autumns, along with an increase in extreme weather events like heatwaves and heavy rainfall.
For producers like Showerings, which works exclusively with bittersweet cider apples, this presents both challenges and opportunities, from navigating dry soils to contending with waterlogged soil thanks to heavy autumn rainfall.
After two consecutive years of difficult harvests, growers agree that this summer will mark a dramatic recovery and a potential ‘monster crop’. All eyes are now on the weather, with rainfall levels in late summer due to determine the final size of this year’s harvest.
Nick Showering, director of Showerings, said: “Last year was a perfect storm, thanks to the wet, cool summer, and our most challenging harvest as a brand, but this summer tells a very different story. The combination of weeks of intense sunlight and recent rainfall means we are looking at one of the sweetest and potentially most abundant crops in recent memory.
“The high sugar content in this year’s Dabinett apples is exactly what we want for our fine cider, as it brings out the full expression of flavour, depth, and balance that defines our triple vintage style.
“It is a remarkable turnaround, with a crop that looks set to be three times the size of last year’s. The quality of the fruit so far is incredibly exciting. For Showerings, and for fans of fine cider, this looks like being a vintage to remember.”
According to new figures, British consumers are increasingly opting for premium and fine ciders, while cheaper traditional brands stagnate. The overall cider market in the UK is broadly flat, in fact showing a small decline, but emerging premium and fine categories are experiencing strong growth.
Showerings is outperforming the sector, reporting a year-on-year increase in volume growth of 51%.
