Our Fig Tree & Climate Change

The Helme Edge Vineyard visitor experience begins on the steps leading down to our tasting room, where guests are greeted by a thriving fig tree with a remarkable story. Originally bought in a pot from Morrisons, our Brown Turkey fig tree has produced more than 100 ripe figs each year for the past five years.

Growing successfully at around 320 metres above sea level, with sweeping views across the Pennine landscape, the fig tree provides a striking example of how the changing climate is affecting what can be grown in Yorkshire. For us, its success is a powerful local indicator of climate change in the Pennines and the gradual shift in growing conditions across northern England.

The impact of climate change on English viticulture is even more significant. Warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons now make it possible to grow vines and ripen grapes in areas once considered too cool for commercial wine production. At Helme Edge Vineyard, we grow modern hybrid grape varieties such as Solaris, which has been specially developed to ripen early and offer greater resistance to disease. These qualities make it particularly well suited to a high-altitude Yorkshire vineyard.

Further south, warmer conditions have helped create a major new industry producing English sparkling wine from traditional Champagne grape varieties, including Chardonnay. Other crops are also benefiting from the changing climate, with maize and sunflowers becoming more common in the UK, while crops such as soybeans are now being trialled.

As part of a vineyard tour and wine tasting at Helme Edge Vineyard, visitors can learn more about the relationship between climate change, grape growing and English wine production. Our visitor experience includes an accessible overview of how changing weather patterns are influencing viticulture, crop choices and the future of farming in Yorkshire and across the UK.

Around The Vineyard – July 2026

The glorious summer weather has showcased the breathtaking countryside surrounding Helme Edge Vineyard, making every visit a memorable experience in our beautiful corner of Yorkshire. Set amongst rolling hills with stunning panoramic views, our Yorkshire vineyard offers visitors the perfect opportunity to enjoy English wine, relax in picturesque surroundings, and experience one of the region’s most scenic vineyard tours and wine tastings.

The recent spell of warm weather has also encouraged exceptional vine growth, and Tom is already busy trimming the tops and sides of the vines to maintain the neat, well-managed appearance that reflects our boutique vineyard. This important aspect of vineyard management encourages the vines to focus their energy on producing high-quality wine grapes rather than excessive shoots and foliage. Careful canopy management also improves sunlight penetration and air circulation, helping to reduce humidity and minimise the risk of fungal diseases, ensuring healthy vines throughout the growing season.

Following a successful flowering period, the grape clusters are now swelling beautifully and are well on their way to producing what promises to be an excellent Yorkshire wine vintage. While many vineyards across England are beginning to experience the effects of dry conditions, our water-retentive clay subsoil provides a valuable natural reservoir, supplying moisture to the vine roots during periods of warm weather. This unique feature of our terroir helps us produce premium English wines with grapes that continue to develop steadily throughout the summer.

As the vineyard flourishes, it’s a wonderful time to visit Helme Edge Vineyard. Whether you’re joining us for a wine tasting in Yorkshire, exploring the vines on a guided vineyard tour, or simply enjoying the spectacular scenery with a glass of locally produced English wine, summer is a truly special season to discover what makes our vineyard so unique.

Our Wonderful Scenery!

One of the most memorable parts of visiting Helme Edge Vineyard is the opportunity to enjoy some of the most spectacular panoramic views in Yorkshire. Surrounded by the beautiful countryside between Huddersfield and Holmfirth, our Yorkshire vineyard offers visitors much more than exceptional English wine. Every vineyard tour and wine tasting is accompanied by breathtaking scenery that changes with the seasons, making every visit a unique experience.

Dominating the southern skyline is West Nab, a striking 591-metre gritstone tor renowned for its dramatic landscape and more than 200 boulder climbing routes. Sweeping northwards, the Pennine ridge falls away towards Deer Hill Reservoir, whose banks can be glimpsed from the vineyard. Built between 1870 and 1875, the reservoir forms part of the water catchment feeding Blackmoorfoot Reservoir, an important source of drinking water for Huddersfield and the surrounding area.

Beyond the reservoirs, the catchment skirts the base of Meltham Cop, a prominent millstone grit hill with archaeological evidence of both Stone Age and Iron Age settlements. This rich landscape of hills, reservoirs and ancient history provides a remarkable backdrop to our vines and is one of the many reasons visitors return to Helme Edge Vineyard time and again.

The scenery often leaves a lasting impression. During a recent hen party wine tasting at the vineyard, the bride-to-be was led blindfolded into our tasting room. When her blindfold was removed and she saw the magnificent Yorkshire landscape stretching before her, she burst into tears, overwhelmed by the beauty of the view. It’s moments like these that remind us why a visit to Helme Edge Vineyard is about far more than great wine. It’s about creating unforgettable experiences in one of the most beautiful vineyard settings in Yorkshire.

While there is much focus on the three generations who run Helme Edge Vineyard: Alan, Fiona and Tom, there is an unsung hero supporting us. Armies march on their stomachs and that applies equally in the wine tasting room where nibbles are provided to accompany the wine.

That hero(ine) is our baker in chief, Jen (Alan’s wife, Fiona’s mum and Tom’s granny). She provides a daily presentation of savoury biscuits to accompany our both our Helme Edge Vineyard Sparkling Solaris and still Solaris. Her range includes Parmesan biscuits, Jeera(with cumin) and a Cheddar & Rice Krispie biscuit. To accompany our Helme Edge Rosé, things turn sweeter.
Her shortbread recipe was handed down from her mother in the north of Scotland and probably her mother before.

However, chocolate brownies are her speciality. They are much admired and our visitors often ask if they can buy them. It’s very flattering but unfortunately Jen is at full capacity!

If you would like to sample Jen’s baking alongside our beautiful Yorkshire wines, please do come and visit us by booking in via our booking page!

Around the Vineyard – July 2026

Summer is one of the busiest and most exciting times in our Yorkshire vineyard, as the warm weather brings explosive shoot growth across the vines. Every vine must be carefully managed to produce the highest quality English wine, with each shoot tied securely to the support wires to maintain the vine’s shape, improve airflow, maximise sunlight exposure and minimise wind damage. Using our Tapener tying machine, we wrap biodegradable tape around each shoot and secure it with a staple, helping to keep the vineyard healthy throughout the growing season.

Many of the vigorous shoots are now extending well above the top wire and will soon be trimmed as part of our ongoing vineyard management. As we work our way along the rows, we’re greeted by hundreds of tiny bunches of developing wine grapes following a successful flowering period. These young grapes are an exciting sign of the vintage to come and, with a little help from the Yorkshire sunshine over the coming months, will continue to swell into the fruit that will eventually become our award-winning Yorkshire wines.

Once the shoots have all been tied in, we can bring the mower through to keep the grass between the vines neat and tidy. A well-maintained vineyard not only benefits the health of the vines but also provides a beautiful setting for the many guests who visit us for vineyard tours, wine tastings, and to experience one of the most picturesque vineyards in Yorkshire during the summer months.

A Promising Start for Helme Edge Vineyard and Yorkshire Wines

Hen Parties!

Alan’s Blog – Solaris

The end of harvest, with the grapes safely being fermented signals the transition into late autumn
and winter as the clocks change and we pull out coats and scarves. Solaris has led the way, already
losing leaves which have yellowed as the vines approach dormancy having had a good post-harvest period to rebuild carbohydrate reserves in roots and stems. This is important to fuel growth next spring and support good yields.

While an element of relaxation is allowed post-harvest many winter tasks now present themselves.
Structural changes to posts wires etc are best made before the grip of winter and we are adding a
few rows of vines to our existing plantings of Solaris and Cabernet Cortis as well as transplanting
some Rondo vines which did not thrive well in an area that proved to be too wet. The herbicide
strips have been created and posts knocked in manually to pilot holes drilled with an auger. Planting will take place in March and April after which the wires will be added. We’ll also be liming the new strips which were formerly old field pasture where the acidity has already been measured.

With winter in mind we have made the tasting room cosier with sheepskin covers on the benches
and additional seasonal lighting. A TV monitor is being added so that Tom can deliver his
comprehensive vineyard tour experience without leaving the building if the weather or darkness
dictates.

October 2025 – Cabernet Cortis Harvest!

It was another very exciting day for us at Helme Edge Vineyard. Having picked Solaris early in September we left the later ripening Cabernet Cortis (our red grape) as late as possible to develop a good sugar level and ripe skins. A team of 8 of us ended up picking the crop on the morning of Monday 13th October. The following day, we transported the grapes down to our winemakers at Halfpenny Green, and in the spring we will get our Rose back for our lovely visitors to try!

A huge thank you to our amazing team of ladies who gave up their time to come and help us. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Elsewhere in the vineyard the Solaris leaves are turning yellow and will soon fall, indicating the end of a long, warm, sunny summer.