In Quiet Confidence | Bellingham Wines Harvest Report 2025

The 2025 harvest at Bellingham has proven exceptional, despite - or perhaps because of - its unique challenges. With white grape picking commencing in the second week of February and finishing by March 7th with dryland Sémillon from Darling, followed by red varieties concluding around March 20th with Merlot from Darling, this year's harvest was approximately two weeks shorter than 2024. Overall yields were around 10% below the long-term average but still slightly higher than the previous year.

"This compact harvest window created some logistical challenges, but the quality more than compensates for any difficulties we faced," remarks Richard Duckitt, Bellingham's red winemaker, who together with white winemaker Ricardo Cloete, guided the winery through another successful season.

Weather Patterns: Cool and Dry Delivers the Goods

Good winter rains, particularly in the latter part of the season, set a promising foundation for the 2025 vintage. "We experienced predominantly cool days until late December when we experienced our first real heat," explains Richard. "Even during harvest, we only had a few warm days without any proper heat waves, which is quite rare for us here in the Cape."

The most significant factor influencing quality this year was colder-than-average night temperatures. "These cold nights allowed the vines to rest," Ricardo points out. "This resulted in more even ripening, excellent phenolic ripeness, and maintained good natural acidity in the grapes - all crucial components for premium wine."

With no significant rainfall since late October, irrigation management was essential in certain vineyards. "Water management became crucial during the dry harvest period," notes Richard. "We were careful to avoid over-irrigation, ensuring concentration remained intact."

The White Harvest: Diverse Varieties, Exceptional Quality

The white harvest began in the second week of February with cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc from Phisantekraal in Durbanville for the Homestead range, alongside healthy Chardonnay from Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch. As the harvest progressed, the team brought in a diverse array of white varieties including Albariño from Philadelphia (Wine of Origin Cape Town), Old Vine Chenin Blanc from some of our most prized vineyards, Grenache Blanc from Voor Paardeberg, old vine Sémillon (planted 1936) from Franschhoek, and Viognier from Stellenbosch.

For Ricardo, the 2025 vintage of Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc promises to be outstanding. Grown in distinguished old vine parcels in Stellenbosch (Bottelary Hills), Durbanville (Phisantekraal) and Darling, these vineyards have delivered world-class quality.

The cooler growing conditions particularly benefited Chenin Blanc, with lower pH’s and great acidity that contributes to the freshness of the wines. "The extended hang-time in cool conditions allowed perfect flavour development without rushing sugar accumulation," explains Ricardo. "This translates to wines with ideal ripeness but moderate alcohol levels and lower pH’s - exactly what we aim for."

White wine was approximately 15% less than the previous year, reflecting both naturally restricted yields of old vines and overall growing conditions in 2025.

The Red Harvest: Pinotage Leads the Way

The red harvest began on February 11th with Pinotage from Stellenbosch and concluded around March 20th with Merlot from Darling. Bellingham's 2025 red portfolio is impressively diverse, with Pinotage from Stellenbosch leading the way, followed by Shiraz from Paarl, Malbec from Stellenbosch, Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch, Mourvèdre from Paarl, Shiraz from Stellenbosch and Swartland, Merlot from Darling, and smaller productions of Marselan from Voor Paardeberg, plus Alicante Bouschet, Grenache Noir, and Grenache Gris from Voor Paardeberg.

"I genuinely believe this will be one of our best vintages to date," Richard confidently states. "The Stellenbosch sites were exceptional this year. The cooler conditions resulted in beautiful phenolic ripeness, delivering wines with silky, perfectly ripe tannins."

Richard highlights the advantage of bush vines during this season: "Bush vines, with their naturally lower yields, accentuated the concentration while preserving acidity and balance. The older vines ripened more evenly and reached phenolic ripeness at lower sugar levels, offering ripe flavours with balanced alcohol."

This approach distinguishes Bellingham's Pinotage from many others. "Most Pinotages tend toward rich, ripe, concentrated styles," Richard explains. "But that's not quite Bellingham's style. Our Pinotage grapes have a natural freshness and purity, expressing vibrant red fruit from cool sites rather than the typical black fruit from warmer areas."

Managing a Compressed Harvest

A two-week overlap of red and white harvests created unique challenges for the Bellingham team. "Allocating resources like people, forklifts, and presses became complicated," Richard recalls. "Pinotage needed pressing precisely at dryness or slightly before, yet simultaneously, we were harvesting Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc requiring pressing."

The duo's pragmatic solution typified Bellingham's legacy of winemaking ingenuity: "We worked through the night to press Pinotage, freeing up daytime resources for the incoming whites," Richard explains.

Ricardo and Richard's teamwork proved essential during this intense period."We alternate late-night shifts, ensuring each of us can rest a bit more every second night," Richard shares. "We also alternate working weekends to keep stress manageable. Rest and collaboration are crucial during this intense time."

Cool, Dry, Outstanding

As the last grapes of the 2025 harvest are processed and the fermentations settle into their rhythms, both winemakers share a quiet confidence about all the wines taking shape across Bellingham's three distinctive ranges - The Founders Series, The Bernard Series, and The Homestead Series.

"The ageing potential for these wines is great," Richard states unequivocally. When pressed to summarise the vintage in just three words, his response is immediate and assured: "Cool, dry, outstanding."

For wine enthusiasts and collectors, the message is clear - the 2025 vintage represents a high point across Bellingham's entire range. While the Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc and Bush Vine Pinotage remain standard-bearers, every wine from the complex Chenin Blanc and distinctive Albariño to the nuanced Pinotage and vibrant Shiraz will reward those who seek the authentic expression of South African terroir that has been Bellingham's hallmark since 1693.

At Bellingham Wines, we craft, and you enjoy.