THE record hot weather has given a ray of hope to Oxfordshire winemakers as they bring in this year’s harvest.

Not only has the sunshine helped ripen the grapes, it has been an added bonus for scores of volunteers who have given up their time to labour in the county’s vineyards.

But the wet summer has meant yields will be down, although the quality of the wine should be better than last year.

Phil Rossi, who runs the Oaken Grove vineyard in Fawley, near Wallingford, has transformed its production in the past five years and anticipates generating 5,000 bottles from this year’s harvest.

He said: “It looks like it is going to be a good year. It started very well with the warm spring and although August was very wet, the past week was lovely and the quality of the grapes is up. You can’t tell until the wine is in the bottle, but I’m quietly optimistic.”

With this year’s harvest Mr Rossi is looking to produce a sparkling rose wine.

With that he is hoping to follow in the footsteps of other English winemakers who have had considerable international success when put up against Champagnes in blind tastings.

Mr Rossi, 32, works full-time for John Lewis in London as a space planning manager and enjoys tending his vines in his spare time, having studied viticulture in Tasmania as a 16-year-old.

Now he has managed to have his wines stocked on the shelves of Waitrose across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

He said: “You can never look past the weather, but in England we are growing much better at winemaking.”

Meanwhile, at the Bothy Vineyard at Frilford Heath, near Abingdon, owner Richard Liwicki is predicting 4,000 bottles will be produced from the 2011 vintage, about half of last year’s total.

He said: “The quality is good but the quantity is well down. But the good weather is really helping with ripening – it has been remarkable.”