12 minute read
VINEYARD & WINERY SHOW
AN EVENT BUZZING WITH ENTHUSIASM
For the second year running the Vineyard & Winery Show took place at the Kent Showground, Detling. Attended by all aspects of the industry, the event on the 23 November 2022 built on the success of the inaugural event, writesRebecca Farmer, Vineyard editor.
The free to attend event attracted almost 2,000 visitors, a significant increase on the attendees from the first event held in 2021 and even the torrential rain could not dampen the atmosphere for those inside the exhibition halls. Everyone commented on the marvellous energy and buzz that was felt throughout the show and it was great to see the industry get together. Everywhere you looked people were happily chatting to customers, friends and those they had not seen for some time.
Thanks to sponsors Rankin Bros every visitor was greeted with a cork and cotton gift bag containing their beautifully branded complimentary tasting glass that was sponsored and supplied by Urban Bar along with their visitor show guide that outlined all that there was to see during the day. The event included a packed seminar programme, over 100 exhibitor stands to visit as well as a structured wine tasting of six wines hosted by globally recognised wine writer Matthew Jukes. The event showcased some of the latest innovations for both vineyards and wineries and truly targeted the whole industry literally under one roof. The tasting hub, promoting over 100 wines from producers across England and Wales was once again a prominent feature of the show.
SEMINARS
The welcome speech given by Simon Thorpe WineGB CEO was slightly delayed due to significant traffic issues but it was not long before a packed crowd gathered for the welcome breakfast. This was to be the start of things to come as it remained difficult to get a seat in the seminar marquee for most of the day. Indeed, during the first seminar of the afternoon, chaired by Matt Strugnell, titled the great British Varietal debate it was even difficult to achieve standing room close enough to hear the proceedings.
MATTHEW JUKES
The hour long structured tasting from Matthew Jukes was enjoyed by all those who had been able to secure a ticket to the sold out event. The money from the ticket price raising some £2,000 for Matthew’s chosen Charity The Drinks Trust. All the wines were superb but it was heartening to see so many appreciate the red wine of Halfpenny Green. There was audible approval as Matthew talked through the Penny Red and in a poll it was almost universally enjoyed; high praise from a discerning audience.
The wines for the tasting included: ◆ 2021 Penny Red, Halfpenny Green Wine Estate ◆ 2021 Vagabond Rosé, Yew Tree Vineyard ◆ 21 Kin, Kinsbrook
Alongside this selection of still wines were three very special sparkling wines:
◆ 2018 Blanc de Noirs, Gusbourne
◆ 2015 Cuvée Boz, Blanc de Blancs, Sugrue South Downs
◆ 2014 Blancs de Noirs, Wiston.
A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Show President Julian Barnes commented: “How amazing to be a part of the second Vineyard & Winery Show, a day that brought together a part of agriculture that is independently in charge of its journey from vineyard to consumer. A full day of conversation and explanation around everything you would need for viticulture in the UK, plant and machinery, seminars and wine tastings all rounded off with an evening of food and entertainment. It was a pleasure to be joined by so many people, some new and some that have grown up through the industry and become such good friends.”
SPONSORS
The show would of course not be possible without the headline sponsors and Vineyard magazine would like to take this opportunity to thank Core Equipment, berlin packaging, Hutchinsons, Vitifruit and Royston Labels.
EXHIBITORS
On the back of a positive first event, the 2022 show saw an amazing 40% increase in exhibitors, taking the total number of trades on show to 114. As you will see from this review, many reported that much business and interest was generated, with one of the topics of the day focusing on whether the show should be a two day event in future.
It was a pleasure to meet many of the exhibitors who were returning for a second year. Among these were the team at the Rebschule Freytag. Keen to taste wines made from PIWI grapes I visited the stand during the show but found it swamped with people all looking at the possibilities offered by these vines. At the end of the day however Marina Pohl from the Rebschule Freytag team asked me if I would now like to try some of their wines. There are obvious benefits for growing these varieties in a cool climate such as disease resistance ensuring the vines produce clean fruit and the possible reduction in inputs that would be good for regenerative agricultural objectives as well as having cost implications. All the varieties on the stand were suitable for the UK climate and there were some particularly interesting wines. Two that stood out to me were Sauvignac for the white wine and from the red varieties Marina said: “The Cabaret Noir had been popular all day.” It was easy to see why the wine was beautifully balanced, interesting and very drinkable (in fact I wanted to take one home and drink it by the fi re whilst the rain lashed down outside). This thick skinned variety it goes through veraison early and I could certainly see why it proved popular. Those vineyards in the UK who may have already planted some of these vines were able to taste the possibilities and those looking at future planting had plenty of opportunity to approach this area with an open mind. My thanks go to Marina for making sure I did not miss out on the opportunity to try something new.
FROM THE EYES OF AN EXHIBITOR
As a veteran exhibitor and a frequent attender of vineyard trade shows, VineWorks is in a unique position to provide an ‘insider’s view’ of this event.
HOW DO WE THINK THE SHOW WENT?
The event was well organised from start to finish with visitors arriving as soon as the doors opened. Stalls were well spaced, which kept congestion to a minimum, and there was ample space to display large equipment and vehicles.
The range of seminars was excellent. We were particularly pleased with the reception Sam Middleton received for his research exploring PIWI, (disease-resistant) grape varieties, which was sponsored by VineWorks.
WHAT DID WE TALK ABOUT WITH VISITORS?
At the VineWorks stand, we were busy all day fielding lots of enquiries from people thinking about planting or considering using our consultancy packages.
We also had a number of existing clients drop by to initiate discussions around expansion – suggesting that investment within the sector is strong.
Our new VineWorks branding was a big topic of conservation. After 16 years in the business, we decided it was time for a refresh. We worked with leading designers, CookChick, to come up with a new logo inspired by aerial views of vineyards.
WHAT WAS OUR MOST POPULAR FEATURE?
Our fresh coffee, biscuits and comfy chairs went down a treat!
We invited some of our suppliers (Bekaert, Gripple, Mapman, Metos) to join our stand which gave them a chance to speak directly with clients and demonstrate their products.
Our display of trellising materials attracted a number of enquiries about the vineyard supplies available to purchase from our online VineWorks’ shop.
FINAL THOUGHTS
“The Vineyard & Winery Show is the best industry trade show in the UK. Vineyard owners and viticulture professionals can meet face-to-face, hear the latest research, and explore services, all in the space of a day,” enthuses James Dodson, CEO.
This year’s show demonstrated that the UK wine industry remains strong and vibrant with new investment, research, technology and service providers continuously developing.
THOUGHT-PROVOKING SEMINAR PROGRAMME
Once again WineGB’s seminar programme at this year’s Vineyard & Winery Show brought plenty of thought-provoking themes delivered by a top-class line-up of speakers.
Kicking off the seminar programme was Mitchel Fowler of Ferovinum, sponsors of the seminar theatre, setting out some salutary points on ‘weathering the coming storm’ with plenty of thoughtprovoking points for any business, large or small, in the light of the challenging economic climate.
The programme’s key note speaker, Ian Harris MBE was the recently retired Chief Executive of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Ian’s five-decade career in the wine & spirits industry provided plenty of experience to speak fluently about ‘survival of the fittest’. With focus on the English & Welsh wine category, he provided plenty of insight in this emerging industry in the global wine landscape.
These introductions provided a neat segway into the business-focused first session which concentrated on consumer behaviour in a challenging economic environment, with expert perspectives from the wine trade: the retailer, represented by Waitrose, and the on-trade focus was shared by Luke Harbor, head sommelier at The Pig Hotel group. This well-attended session attracted plenty of questions from the wider audience representing all sizes of producer.
The ‘making a career in the GB wine industry’ session was introduced by Dr Greg Dunn, head of the wine division at Plumpton College, and featured four case studies presented by alumni who have each forged very different career paths: Sam Williams, Assistant Winemaker at Henners Vineyard; Daria Ershova, Data analyst at Liv-Ex; Paul Harrison, Vineyard Manager at Saffron Grange Vineyard and Penny Meadmore, Viticultural Consultant for Agrovista UK. Each one delivered so fluently on how they came to find their current careers – illustrating to the audience just some of the scope of opportunities there are in this fast-growing industry.
The viticulture session in the afternoon attracted a full house of attendees (some 150). The Great British Varietal Debate brought in a discussion between three viticulture experts, each making their case for the different varietal options in the UK today: Sam Middleton, Vineyard Assistant at Black Chalk in Hampshire, also the winner of the Vine-Works Vinegrower of the Year Award, outlined the case for PiWis, an area of viticulture that is attracting global interest in the changing climate. Jon Pollard, Chief Vineyard Manager at Gusbourne represented the ‘Classics’ – Chardonnay and Pinots that make up the majority of current plantings. The third speaker presented a convincing case for the ‘Vanguards’ – those varieties that have by and large lost some appeal but nonetheless formed the backbone of the industry and are still proving to deliver in regions around the UK. This is a discussion between all three options that will no doubt continue, but the platform at the Vineyard Show certainly got the conversation started. The session was chaired by Matt Strugnell, Vineyard Manager at Ridgeview and Chair of WineGB’s Viticulture working group.
The final session brought a sustainability focus into the winery of the future – with four different angles for producers to consider. The session was steered by Chair of the winemaking group on Sustainable Wines of Great Britain, Sarah Midgley (Winemaker at Plumpton College), the session comprised four speakers: Tony Milanowski (Rathfinny) who explored improving sustainability in winery practices; Henry Sugden from Defined Wine outlining important areas of consideration in winery design and sustainability; Jack Makin (Ridgeview) provided an all-important focus on community and employee engagement in sustainable practices and Kristina Studzinski of Off The Line Vineyard brought in a focus on sustainable wine production from a boutique producer perspective.
Speakers reported a very positive response from visitors to the content across the day, as well as engaging questions and thought-provoking discussion. In turn some great feedback was given on the quality of the speakers by audience members, and comments were also relayed that visitors found the seminar sessions to be a great initiative. WineGB was out in force this year with their stand positioned near to the seminar tent, allowing visitors to follow up and find out more.
All the presentations are available on the WineGB website. These taster topics will no doubt roll out into wider and more detailed sessions in the fullness of time.
For WineGB’s part it was a pleasure to be part of such a busy and focused show.
