Black Chalk predicts production could double in boom 2025 harvest

By Hamish Graham

Published: 08 August, 2025

A recent visit to Black Chalk vineyard and winery in Hampshire’s Test Valley highlighted that a bumper harvest could be on the way for the English wine sector.

As whizz winemakers Jacob Leadley (pictured, left) and Zoë Driver (pictured, right) explained, a prodigious growing season has the pair anticipating a potential doubling of bottle production for the 2025 harvest to approximately 150,000 bottles.

The winery itself, sat inside a renovated cow shed, is set to gain an additional fermentation tank to better cope with 2025’s expected exceptional crop yield.

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Finding buyers for this up-scaled production, as Leadley explained, is a key task for Black Chalk’s recently hired sales director, Neil Irvine, over the next few years before the 2025’s sparkling wine hits the market. The winery produces only vintage sparkling wine, while at present 93% of production is dedicated to the producer’s sparkling range.

It has already been a busy year for the nine-strong Black Chalk team, with the winery scooping up the top gong for Best Sparkling Rosé for its Black Chalk Wild Rose 2021. This win was particularly satisfying for Leadley and Driver, as 2021 was a challenging year and to be awarded this prize was a satisfying reflection of their dedication to making the most of 2021’s tricky growing season.

Wild Rose is aged for 22 months on lees and post disgorgement is held on cork for at least six months before release. It is understandable why the resulting fizz won big: a gastronomic wine, with fresh and pure fruit (this latter quality being a clear signature of Black Chalk wines).

To make the Sparkling Rosé the duo blend the wine by nose and palate, as opposed to colour, using approximately 2-4% red wine the final blend.

During Harpers visit, Leadley and Driver presented their entire six-wine range at their tasting room. This included the premium Blanc de Noir and Blanc de Blancs, Inversion 2020 and Paragon 2020, as well as the Black Chalk Classic 2021. As with wineries across the south of England, the Test Valley's chalky soils are near perfect for the production of sophisticated bubbly.

Their still wine selection also highlighted the pair’s winemaking nous. Black Chalk’s still rosé, Dancer in Pink, which performs well through their cellar door at £22, contains 29% Pinot Précoce. This grape variety was not planted by the pair, being among the vines that the Fullerton Estate had planted before the winery’s lease by Leadley and Driver had begun. Deciding what to do with grapes was an initial conundrum, but the pair saw it as an able compliment within a rosé blend. Not having the structure of Pinot Noir (55% Pinot Noir of Dancer in Pink), its upfront fruit was perfect, in the pair's view, for their bright and creamy rosé.

The only wine produced from grapes outside of their Test Valley vineyards, Black Chalk’s Rumour Has It Chardonnay, is produced from grapes sourced from a friend in Kent. Keen to highlight the versatility of the grape, the wine is an aromatic expression aligned to the Burgundian classic.

The tourism potential of the Test Valley wine producer was clear to see too. The region’s tourist numbers are driven by the River Test’s renown in the angling world, but a visit to Black Chalk is an option many choose to add on to their trip. This is illustrated by the roughly 150 patrons visiting Black Chalk on Friday evenings during the summer. Festivities typically involve a selection of food trucks and imbibing on the producer’s award-winning wines.

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