Inside the Ropes: A Week I Won’t Forget

By Ash Harris — Co-Founder, Grapes&Greens & Lead Photographer, Solheim Cup

Some golf weeks are special.

Some are unforgettable.

The Solheim Cup at Bernardus was definitely the latter.

As co-founder of Grapes&Greens, I’ve spent a lot of time around golf, cameras and creative projects. But stepping into the Solheim Cup as lead photographer was a pretty special one.

I went into the week as part of the content team with IMG, and what followed was one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in.

Great people. A brilliant team. Lots of creativity. Plenty of pressure.

And, importantly, a lot of fun.

What made the week really special was getting to experience the Solheim Cup from the inside.

Not just watching the golf, but being inside the ropes, in the rooms, behind the scenes and close enough to the action to feel every swing of momentum.

And when you’re that close, you realise just how much goes into this event.

The golf is obviously the centrepiece, but it’s the personalities, the emotion, the pressure and the little moments in between that make the Solheim Cup what it is.

And there were plenty of those moments.

One of those performances that reminds you why match play is so brilliant.

Momentum can disappear and return in an instant, and suddenly you’re watching something that nobody could have written beforehand.

Trying to capture that kind of moment through a camera is one thing.

Being there while it happens is something else entirely.

There’s something about Carlotta Ciganda and the Solheim Cup.

She just seems to own the occasion.

Watching her embrace the moment yet again was another highlight of the week — and one of those situations where you’re incredibly grateful to have a camera in your hands.

Then there was the bigger picture.

My first Solheim Cup was at Killeen Castle back in 2011, and seeing how much the event has grown since then was pretty remarkable.

The scale.

The crowds.

The atmosphere.

The attention around the players.

And the sheer amount of storytelling happening around the golf.

It has come a long way.

But I also think there’s still plenty more to do.

The Solheim Cup has an enormous opportunity to keep growing, to reach new audiences and to tell even more of the stories that make the event so compelling.

Honestly, what a place.

The venue was the star of the show.

The course was incredible, but it was the way the Bernardus team brought the entire place to life that really stood out.

Every detail, every corner, every atmosphere-filled moment made it feel like an event, rather than simply a golf tournament.

Huge credit to everyone involved.

From a photography perspective, it was also a dream.

There were moments everywhere.

The tension.

The celebrations.

The disappointment.

The crowds.

The little interactions between players and teams.

The moments nobody at home sees.

That’s what I love about photographing golf — trying to find the story within the story.

I left the Netherlands feeling incredibly grateful.

Grateful to have been part of such a brilliant content team.

Grateful to have had a front-row seat to some unforgettable Solheim Cup moments.

Grateful to have been trusted to document the week through my camera.

And grateful to have seen just how big this event can become.

Although, after spending a week inside the ropes without a golf club in my hands, I’ve got one final thought…

I’m going back to Bernardus.

Next time, I’m bringing the clubs.

— Ash

There’s something particularly exciting about harvest time. Months of work in the vineyard finally come down to a few crucial weeks — and at Gusbourne in Kent, the 2026 harvest has already given the winemaking team plenty to be excited about.

This year marked Gusbourne’s 21st harvest and its earliest on record, following a long, sun-filled summer that helped produce ripe, expressive fruit across the estate.

With the final grapes now picked and the presses quiet, the first young wines are beginning to take shape. Early indications from the winery suggest that 2026 could be a vintage packed with personality and power, with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier looking particularly impressive.

That could also mean an exciting year for Gusbourne’s still wines, as the quality and character of the fruit begin to show themselves in tank and barrel.

Harvest may be finished, but for the winemaking team the next chapter has only just begun.

Over the coming months, each parcel will continue its journey through fermentation and maturation, allowing the team to understand exactly what the 2026 vintage has delivered.

It is one of the most fascinating stages of the winemaking process: the moment where the promise of the vineyard starts becoming the personality of the finished wine.

For those who want to see that process firsthand, Gusbourne is holding its Winemaker’s Harvest Lunch on Saturday 7 November.

Guests will be able to taste young 2026 wines directly from tank or barrel before moving on to a guided tasting of mature Gusbourne wines and a seasonal three-course lunch.

Gusbourne has also released its new Reserve Rosé 2024, a Pinot Noir rosé designed with a little more depth than your typical summer bottle.

Expect ripe raspberry, red cherry and plum, alongside orange citrus and gentle notes of toast and spice from oak ageing.

Rather than saving it for sunshine, this is the sort of rosé that works particularly well at the dinner table — Gusbourne recommends dishes such as bouillabaisse or crispy pork belly with pineapple, ginger and soy.

As the evenings get colder, it’s a useful reminder that rosé doesn’t have to disappear when summer does.

There are also several interesting releases on the horizon from Gusbourne, including late-disgorged Blanc de Blancs 2015, Brut Reserve 2017, Joe Tarca’s Winemakers’ Edition, and a limited artist collaboration of just 500 bottles of Blanc de Blancs 2016.

For now, though, all eyes are on the new vintage.

The grapes are safely in the winery. The first wines are taking shape. And if those early reports are anything to go by, 2026 could be a very interesting year for English wine.