On Friday 17 October, The Fifth Trust celebrated a record-breaking harvest at the Elham Valley Vineyard – an impressive 3.5 tonnes of grapes hand-picked in one day! 

This year’s haul included 1.5 tonnes of Pinot Noir and 2 tonnes of Seyval, which will be used to make a still white blend. We can look forward to enjoying this elegant dry white next summer (2026). 

A huge thank you to our corporate volunteers whose support throughout the year made this success possible. 107 volunteers from ten companies – Covea Insurance, Eurotunnel, Givaudan, Hays Recruitment, Kent Library Managers, Mitie (Dover Care and Custody), NFU Mutual, Port of Dover, Saga, and Swiss Re – helped maintain the vineyard. 

Peter Stratton, Director of Strategy, said: “We’re also incredibly grateful to our students, staff, families and friends for their hard work and enthusiasm. This year’s record harvest is a true team achievement – thank you all!” 

You can browse our current range of Elham Valley Vineyard wine on our online shop here.