Vineyard November 2022

www.vineyardmagazine.co.uk

VINEYARD

Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18

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EDITORIAL

Editor: Rebecca Farmer vineyard.ed@kelsey.co.uk

Features: Malcolm Triggs Jo Cowderoy

GRAPHIC DESIGN Jo Legg Flair Creative Design jo.legg@flair-design.co.uk

ADVERTISEMENT SALES Jamie McGrorty 01303 233883 jamie.mcgrorty@kelsey.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHER Martin Apps www.countrywidephotographic.co.uk

MANAGEMENT

CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Steve Wright

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Phil Weeden

MANAGING DIRECTOR: Kevin McCormick

PUBLISHER: Jamie McGrorty RETAIL DIRECTOR: Steve Brown RENEWALS AND PROJECTS MANAGER: Andy Cotton

SENIOR SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER: Nick McIntosh SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING DIRECTOR: Gill Lambert

SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER: Kate Chamberlain

SENIOR PRINT

PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Georgina Harris

PRINT PRODUCTION CONTROLLER: Kelly Orriss

CONTENTS

In conversation...

Mitch Swift purchased a wine shop in 2020 and has been increasing the offering of English wine at the premises in Broadstairs in Kent.

Deep connection

Mountfield in East Sussex is a small village with deep roots. Part of the charm at Mountfield is that the grapes go from vine to bottle without travelling off site.

Features The Vineyard & Winery Show

It’s back – and promises to be bigger and better than ever! This year’s Show on 23 November will again feature great wines and provide unbeatable networking opportunities.

Shaking it up

Is the UK starting to follow in the footsteps of other wine regions around the world who use machine harvesting?

Jo Cowderoy speaks to some of those who have taken the plunge.

•

The leading Vineyard specialists

From the editor Reb

Vineyards across the UK put intense thought into their naming choices. The name chosen to define your product will take centre stage on the labels that sit on the bottles. Repeat customers will see your name and both trust and rely on it to make informed decisions about their purchases.

Despite this the wine terminology surrounding English and Welsh Sparkling has long been debated and there is yet to be found an ideal answer. A description on the label could read Welsh/English sparkling wine produced in the Traditional/ Charmat method. Choosing the correct words certainly completes the phrase and it has meaning, but it definitely lacks power. The use of too many words becomes a dilution.

On this note there has been much attention in recent months to the term Sussex being granted PDO status but it was also good to see an article on the BBC website discussing the name Pefriog being used for Welsh sparkling wine. Both Gwinllan Conwy Vineyard and Ancre Hill Estates use the term which literally translated means ‘sparkling’. This one word term could be used by Welsh producers in the same way as other wine regions around the world use their single word expressions to distinguish their products as unique to them.

Both England and Wales have a lack of tradition in the viticulture sector. This has many added benefits for winemakers they can be brave, experimental and have a freedom that is not seen in other areas. Yet what can be a benefit can also cause issues. History and tradition mean certain names are accepted and widely used. Reaching for comparisons I think perhaps of the Sandwich or perhaps more seasonal my Wellingtons.

Out in the vineyard (this month I visited Mountfield in East Sussex) it is easy to see the passion and creativity that go into making sparkling wines. We need to find names to express such passion and make sure they find their way into common usage internationally (if possible); press coverage is an excellent place to start.

I look forward to seeing how the discussions continue and hopefully I will have the chance to meet many of you at the Vineyard and Winery Show on the 23 November.

Send your thoughts and comments

“Words have meaning and names have power,” said Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr.

Vineyards of Hampshire hosts Festive Fairy Lights and Fizz!

Fizz is a fun festive excursion for friends or even an interesting alternative to the work Christmas party outing this year, held in the Victorian grandeur of Guildhall Winchester’s Bapsy Hall.

Get ready to raise a festive glass or two as Vineyards of Hampshire’s annual Fairy Lights and Fizz returns to Guildhall Winchester on Friday 9 December 6pm-10pm. One of the most popular fixtures in the Winchester Christmas calendar, this is one of only two events a year that offers the opportunity to sample and enjoy the widest range of Hampshire’s finest sparkling and still wines under one roof.

Priced at £25 per person including expert tastings of over 20 wines, early bird tickets are available now. Hosted by The Vineyards of Hampshire (VoH) producers from Black Chalk, Cottonworth, Danebury Vineyards, Exton Park, The Grange, Hambledon, Hattingley and Raimes; this year will also be the first time that newest members, Quob Park and Louis Pommery England, join in with the yuletide merriment.

Proudly sponsored by the NFU Winchester and Wickham – Fairy Lights and

From learning about new grapes and blends and finding that preferred Hampshire fizz for your festive meal, to mingling with the winemakers and getting those Christmas orders in early; Fairy Lights and Fizz is a festive celebration not to be missed.

Festive & Fizz Early Bird general admission tickets are priced £25 each (plus booking fee). Guests will be given a returnable tasting glass on arrival, a tasting note booklet and entitled to tasting samples of all the wines on show.

Tickets are £30 on the door – Early Bird Tickets £25.

Early

New winery at The Grange opens just in time for harvest

The wait is over and The Grange Winery is open… the builders have left just in time for us to process this year’s rather good harvest. The Winery is the fruit of several years of thinking and the meeting of three minds – Zam Baring, Director of The Grange, Timothy Hatton of Timothy Hatton Architects and Harry Pickering, The Grange’s Head Winemaker. With a current capacity of 50,000 bottles a year (rising to 160,000 over time) this is an exciting opportunity to start to refine The Grange’s exquisite house style while developing, in the right year, our own still wines as well

as making wine under contract for growers across the country.

The winery at Burge’s Field will take fruit from the vineyard, just 75m away, at the moment of perfect ripeness, and press and ferment the resulting juice under the exacting eye of Head Winemaker Harry Pickering, who will transform the products of those primary fermentations into precise, full and elegant wines that will perfectly reflect the unique aspect, microclimate and soils of this delightful patch of Hampshire downland.

Harry, the first In-house Winemaker joined The Grange last June from Gusbourne in Kent,

as a result of a three-month global search. Harry has been busy overseeing the outfitting and construction of the building for the last nine months and can’t wait to start doing what he loves most – making something magical from the Burge’s Field grapes.

The winery will provide a new HQ for The Grange, and the whole team, from viticulture to sales, are excited about getting into one space and opening this major new chapter in the company’s life. While Phase 1 focusses on the ability to create and deliver world-class wines, after a brief pause Phase 2 will allow delivery of the consumer-facing side of The Grange.

Showcasing Hampshire’s finest still and sparkling wines, the celebrated Christmas event returns to Winchester taking place at the Guildhall Winchester on Friday 9 December 2022.

Welsh food and drink industry continues to succeed

Welsh food and drink continues to thrive as latest figures show the sector’s supply chain turnover increased to £23 billion in 2021, Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has said.

This represents a growth of 2.9% from the £22.4bn in 2020.

The food and drink manufacturing sector in Wales, producing diverse products, experienced very strong growth in 2021 with turnover increasing by 10.2% from £4.9bn to £5.4bn.

Today’s announcement follows the news earlier this year that Welsh food and drink exports hit a record high in 2021 reaching £640m.

The Welsh Government continues to help businesses in the sector through multiple support schemes providing market insight and intelligence, investment, technical support, export support and strong

emphasis on business networking.

Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths said: “These figures demonstrate the commitment and desire of Welsh food and drink businesses to succeed, despite the tough economic situation they face.

“I am very proud of the resilience and enterprise shown by businesses emerging from the pandemic and overcoming multiple supply chain challenges.

“Wales’ innovative spirit continues to shine brightly in the sector and the proof is in the pudding with Welsh businesses continuing to pick up awards.

“Welsh Government support is also playing an important role and will continue to do so as we help companies reach their full potential.”

Top wineries for Great Britain

Anthony Rose of The Real Review a website dedicated to independent wine reviews has revealed the list of top wineries for Great Britain 2022. The listings for the regions of Australia and New Zealand date back to 2018 but 2022 is only the second time the Top Wineries for Great

Britain have been released by The Real Review. The increasing number of Wineries and the increasing quality of Wines from England and Wales have made this listing a possibility.

Peter Hall of Breaky Bottom listed on the site in first place said: “That the Real Review

now focus on our English/Welsh vineyards is so appropriate as winemaking continues to spread across the UK!” On claiming top spot on the list he added: “It is very flattering…I can’t hide my delight.”

For more details visit The Real Review website.

Wine tasting at local food festival

Broadstairs is a pretty seaside town in Kent, special only to the people who know it. Among its claims to fame are an association with Dickens and it has been widely suggested it was the inspiration for the novel the 39 steps. On a more serious note Broadstairs is the fishing port to which Wellington's dispatch declaring news of the victory at Waterloo was first received. The town has long been home to a catering college associated with the late Gary Rhodes and the college now has a working hotel attached. The town also has Michelin Starred restaurant Stark one of only four Michelin Starred restaurants in the county.

In this environment it was perhaps not unusual to see a wine tasting at the local food festival. Somewhat more unusual and definitely encouraging was that the event had two wine tastings both highlighting quality Kentish wines.

Biddenden Vineyard hosted a wine tasting in conjunction with a local cheese maker and another tasting was hosted by Master of Wine Clive Barlow of Corkk wines.

Clive is Panel Chair for the International Wine Challenge and senior judge for the Decanter wine competition along with his teaching role at the London Wine Academy. It was good to

see the event fully sold out and members of the public being introduced not just to the sparkling wines that Kent produces but also a number of still wines with different grape varieties. For most wine drinkers in the UK it has been very difficult to miss the rising star of English and Welsh sparkling wines. Sporting events all over the UK now showcase sparkling wines from these shores but Clive Barlow introduced the paying audience to a Bacchus, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir Rosé a selection which provided something for everyone.

Clive pointed out that the average wine drinker will consume more still wine than sparkling and with the number of acres under vine increasing year on year events like these that introduce the public to the excellent still wines that are available on their own doorstep will be vital for the continued growth of our industry.

Clive Barlow also announced that in addition to their online store, Corkk will soon be opening their own shop featuring English and Welsh wines in the Cathedral town of Canterbury in Kent. Customers will be able to benefit from the variations found in English wines that are not constrained by tradition and history but are expressive and reflect individual regions, grapes and winemakers.

For continental Europe local produce is highlighted even in supermarkets with titles such as ‘products from here’ on supermarket shelves so it is exciting to see investment in shops that are dedicated to the promotion of English wines both sparkling and still.

> Clive Barlow

British wine producers denied access to small producers’ duty relief

Local vineyards are excluded from Government plans to help small producers.

In the recent mini-budget on 23 September the Government outlined its plans for a revamped alcohol excise duty system, part of which introduces a Small Producers’ Relief Scheme to enable a reduced level of duty for smaller producers of alcoholic beverages which allows them to compete against larger companies. However, the scheme only applies to products of 8.5% ABV or below, which effectively excludes wine. Small cider and beer producers will benefit from these plans and in the case of the smallest cider producers, they will be entirely exempt from paying duty.

WineGB and its 500 producer members are therefore calling on the Treasury to uphold the objective of creating a fair and simple excise duty scheme and grant our small producers access to Small Producer’s Relief.

Simon Thorpe MW, CEO of WineGB, commented: “Despite the Government’s aim of creating a fair and simple alcohol duty taxation system, our wine producers have been inexplicably excluded. This potentially stifles growth in the fastest growing agricultural sector in this country and is fundamentally unfair to our small producers.”

There are now over 900 vineyards in the UK,

they make internationally recognised quality wines, they boost the local economy by providing jobs and are creating a rapidly growing wine tourism industry which has huge potential to attract more domestic and international visitors.

Simon Thorpe added: “The vast majority of our vineyards and producers are small businesses and it is not right that they are being unfairly treated by being denied the support that beer and cider makers are afforded.

“In short, this is a British success story whose benefits stretch well beyond making wine and should be celebrated and supported, not left in the cold.”

WSET education available in more countries than ever

WSET (the Wine & Spirit Education Trust), the largest global provider of wine, spirits and sake qualifications, has reported that in the last academic year (2021-2022) students from a record 75 countries enrolled for a WSET qualification, taking their exams in 15 different languages. While WSET’s wine courses remain the most popular with students, spirits and sake qualifications also continued to grow. 11% of candidates took digital courses through WSET’s Online Classroom.

In total, 117,000 students took a WSET qualification in 2021-2022 – up 8% from last year. The USA remained WSET’s largest market, registering over 23,000 candidates and showing 15% growth. In the EMEA region, the UK was the fastest growing and biggest

market – notching up 36% growth with 20,000 candidates registered. The Netherlands, Germany and Spain also showed significant growth, with the Netherlands making it into WSET’s top ten markets for the first time. In the APAC region, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan (China) and South Korea – all top 10 WSET markets – were the strongest performers. Course providers in the Chinese Mainland were unable to resume business until the middle of July.

WSET Chief Executive Michelle Brampton says, “Despite the challenges of the last academic year, with the ongoing impacts of the

global pandemic and business in the Chinese Mainland suspended, I am delighted that more students than ever before were able to take one of our qualifications thanks to the support of our global network of course providers and the commitment of the WSET team.”

Brampton adds, “In the four months since I have been CEO, I've seen WSET’s incredible potential and the way in which our qualifications empower students and change lives. Our task now is to strengthen the organisation’s foundations, so that we are in a strong position to give more students all over the world access to our learning experiences.”

iTo learn more about WSET’s qualifications or to find a local course provider, visit wsetglobal.com

Students in 75 countries enrolled for a WSET qualification in the last academic year.

& SPARKLING WINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022 Medal results announced

The medal winners of the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships are announced today with a total of 147 Gold & 249 Silver medals awarded in this year’s competition.

This year saw close to 1000 sparkling wines judged over 11 days from 21 different countries with Australia, France and Italy submitting their most entries since the competition began.

Italy once again took the top of the leader board for the most medals triumphing with 53 Gold and 129 Silver medals, but France took home the most Gold medal’s this year with 55 Golds and 48 Silver medals.

For the first time we saw Australia take third place on the medal leader board, Followed by the UK, USA and Spain.

While France and Italy continue to dominate in terms of the number of their entries, the diversity of entries the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships receives from countries and regions around the world is second to none. This year the competition received entries for the first time, from Belgium, and saw Domaine Du Chant D'Eole straight out the starting blocks winning a silver medal for their Domaine du 2019 Brut Rosé. Judge Essi Avellan MW commented “We were thrilled with the quality of the whole range of wines that we tasted this year. What’s terrific is that the medal wins come from both the largest producers and some of the smallest, and from long established to newcomers. Huge congratulations to all the medal winners!”

This year the Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year Trophy goes to Ferrari. This award is not by any arbitrary system but strictly according to the highest number of Gold medals won, Ferrari championed with 11 Gold medals! However, it was great to see, for the first time, a few contenders snapping at their heels for this award – look out 2023!

Tom Stevenson, Founder and Chairman of the CSWWC, commented: “This has been another great year for results, once again demonstrating how exciting the sparkling wine industry is. It is not only our mission to promote world class wines, but also to discover and reward new and exciting wines from established and emerging regions across the

world. Finding exciting quality from unexpected places around the world is one of the reasons why the CSWWC exists, whether that quality is from emerging sparkling wine countries like Belgium, Spain, Bulgaria or Romania or unexpected parts of classic

wine countries, such as Italy, where Sicily continues to baffle us with

extraordinary performance. Another is keeping track of all the established greats, seeing if they continue to come through the totally blind process with Golds, Best in Class and then on to Trophies.”

The Best in Class and Trophy winners will be revealed at this year’s CSWWC Awards Dinner on 3 November in London.

Award-winning Lincolnshire vineyard up for sale

LINCOLNSHIRE GUIDE PRICE: £700,000

The sale of an established vineyard and winery on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds has been described as ‘an incredibly rare investment opportunity’.

Somerby, which stocks its wines in a number of retail stores throughout the UK and has picked up awards at both the UKVA and IWC competitions, is planted with 9,000 vines and includes an established winery that is capable of vinifying 20,000 litres. It has been put up for sale with a guide price of £700,000.

The vineyard is currently planted with Pinot Noir, Solaris and Rondo vines and has the potential to be planted with a further 3,000 vines. As well as the opportunity to invest and expand within its existing boundaries, there is the potential to rent a further 2.5 acres of additional land planted with 1,500 vines, subject to negotiations.

The winery could be expanded to vinify from 20,000 to 150,000 litres, should it be required by an incoming purchaser.

The site offers huge scope for expansion through the growing viticulture tourism industry. Potential opportunities include but are not limited to glamping pods, construction of formal tasting room, picnic within the vines and café. The further development of the site will be subject to securing the necessary planning permissions.

Somerby vineyards under the careful management of the existing owner and previous employees have produced wines that have won numerous

awards over the last few years; including a Gold at the English and Welsh wine of the year awards 2014, The President’s Trophy for the best small production vineyard in the UK in 2014 and a Bronze at the International Wine Challenge 2018. They have produced a variety of different wines including a sparkling wine.

Henry King, farm agent at Savills in Lincoln who is handling the sale, said: “It is very rare that such an established vineyard and winery is brought to the market, let alone one that has such good potential to be expanded and with the ability to produce and bottle on-site. With the future of UK viticulture looking rather exciting, the sale of Somerby represents a fantastic investment opportunity with the potential to further adapt or extend and create a supplementary revenue stream, such as glamping and winery tours, subject to the necessary consents.”

Somerby Vineyard and Winery is being sold by Savills.

For more information, please contact Henry King phone-alt 01522 508951

Talk to us!

@VineyardMagGB

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Sheep grazing concern

Dear editor,

I read with some concern the article in the current issue of Vineyard (October 2022) promoting sheep grazing in vineyards.

I keep sheep and my vet advised that sheep and lambs should not graze in areas such as vineyards where copper pesticides are used because copper accumulates in the liver and causes liver damage in the animal.

There is plenty of farming advice on the internet highlighting the fact that sheep (and to a lesser extent cattle) are highly susceptible to copper toxicity.

My advice would be to check with your vet before putting sheep into a vineyard or be sure that you do not spray copper.

Mark Puckett, Sanden Vineyard, Groombridge

Wildwood Vineyard

@OldingManor

vineyard.ed@kelsey.co.uk

twitter

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers for helping bring in our harvest. We couldn't have done it without you. Harvest video coming soon. #harvest2022 #Englishwine

littlewaddonvineyard

Biddenden Vineyards

@BiddendenVine

We’re thrilled to announce that our Schönburger 2021 has been included in the @timatkin 2022 Special English Wine Report! Thank you to English wine expert Tom Hewson, who awarded our single varietal sweet fruity wine an amazing 88 points. #englishwine #kentwines

Astley Vineyard

@AstleyVineyard

Today we’re picking the first of our Kerner. There’s variation among the crop this year, but the cream of the crop is looking superb. Doing a selective pick today that will make our Old Vine Kerner.

Mannings Heath Golf and Wine Estate

@ManningsHeath

twitter

Great British Wine Tours, thank you for sharing your devine vineyard experience with us. We are looking forward to welcoming you back soon. ‘Tis the season for grape corporate events indeed. #englishwine #winelover

Our youngest helper wanted to get stuck in to the Harvest as well #whatayear #whataharvest #harvest2022 #highyield #englishwine #westdorset #whitewine #englishsparklingwine

#newgranddaughter

Instagram-Square

Vinescapes

It looks like another ‘wow’ vintage for Vinescapes clients, with the potential for some exceptional quality wines – find out what our team had to say: http://ow.ly/TtmA50L9X01 #vintage2022 #viticulture #englishwine

@NewHallWines

“Try this wine, simple as that.”

Thanks to leading wine personality @jollyolly, you can now enjoy our Bacchus 2021 at the Glass House Restaurant on board @pandocruises ‘Britannia’. A wonderful wine on dry land, or a cruise ship #Britannia #EnglishWine #Essex

New Hall Wine Estate

Important part of being a student

Trips to vineyards and wineries in the UK and wine regions overseas have always been an important and fun part of being a student at Plumpton College.

In May and July, three cohorts of MSc students compromising the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 visited Champagne, France. This trip combines two necessary modules; Climate Change & Sustainable Wine Production and The Science of Sparkling Wine.

Students visited a diverse range of wine related businesses, vineyards and wineries to explore approaches to sustainability and technical aspects related to traditional sparkling wine making methods.

The visits included Champagne's Nicolas Feuillatte, Les Cinque Filles, Dom Perignon, Jacquinot et Fils, La Cave Aux Coquillages, Aurelien Lurquin, La Tonnellerie de Champagne and the Institut Oenologique de Champagne.

> Les Cinque Filles

Sustainability beyond the vineyard

Sustainability is the current buzzword across all industries, not least within the agricultural sector. The vital focus on regeneration, soil health and biodiversity etc is vastly important for ensuring longevity and minimising potentially harmful impacts on our fragile environment.

There is a plethora of aspects to consider when analysing your vineyard’s and winery’s environmental standing, but it is also significant to acknowledge the role your wider company plays within this topic.

There are many simple tasks which can be implemented to ensure your business as a whole is more sustainably focused and offers a cohesive environmental profile.

According to Deloitte’s 2022 report “How Consumers are Embracing Sustainability”, the consumers’ top five most important environmentally sustainable or ethical practices are:

◆ Producing sustainable packaging and products

◆ Reducing waste in manufacturing processes

◆ Committing to ethical working practices

◆ Reducing carbon footprint

◆ Respect for human rights

The first hurdle to overcome when introducing new sustainable measures is breaking habits – making sustainability easier is the quickest and most efficient way of ensuring all members of staff adhere to and champion the new procedures. Involving all aspects of your business brings the company together to present a united profile highlighting the importance of sustainability as an integral thread throughout.

Performing an environmental audit and calculating your carbon footprint should not be reserved purely for the vineyard. By acknowledging your company’s current position, you can create a strategy to easily implement some or all of the following considerations.

Within the office, (and winery) you should review the availability of natural light and where this isn’t possible, consider the use of occupancy sensors to ensure lights are turned off when not immediately required. The same can be applied to central heating timers. Turning off appliances, especially laptops/ PCs, can save a huge amount of energy and increases the lifespan of the product. It is possible to set an auto-shutdown function where devices will turn off at a specified time each evening without losing any open documents.

Other methods to consider in the office include turning used coffee grounds into compost, swapping to eco-friendly cleaning products and donating/ disposing of old electronics, (there’s a cupboard of tangled cables in every office). It is widely acknowledged the presence of plants are immensely beneficial for staff wellbeing, both in terms of purifying air quality and enhancing mental health. Creating a green space for staff to eat their lunch or hold meetings is a simple, very effective way to increase productivity and welfare.

Recycled paper consumes up to 50% less energy to produce than virgin paper and is now nearly indistinguishable in quality. Adding a reminder to the bottom of your email signature can help prompt your customers to reconsider before printing. Equally, creating company guidelines for printing can help staff to become aware of their impact and encourage improved methods of working.

VINEWORKS

The last few years have taught us all that flexible working and working from home are viable options for many, (excluding vineyard and winery staff) and offering the opportunity for these discussions with your staff can benefit everyone – improved mental health, work-life balance, productivity and reduced emissions from commuting. Cycle to work schemes and car sharing are other options for staff to make personal contributions towards your company’s environmental agenda. If you have a fleet of company vehicles, you could consider upgrading to electric cars next time you trade them in. Likewise, you could install an electric car charging point for staff and customers.

Conducting meetings virtually is a fantastic resource for time management, significantly reducing the impact of travel not forgetting the financial savings because of the rising cost of fuel.

It will come as no surprise that packaging and products are at the forefront of sustainable concerns. 57% of Deloitte’s respondents cited affordability as the main barrier when choosing sustainable options. 46% want more clarity on disposal and recycling. Carefully choosing your packaging whether for the end product, (wine bottles, labels, closures...) or for transport, (boxes, pallet wrap, tape...) can be a really effective way of promoting your company’s environmental standpoint. Ensuring your customers actively know about your sustainable choices and are aware of disposal options, adds brand value, trust and customer loyalty.

It can be easy to dismiss the everyday little things or to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of revising a company policy, however the aim for us all isn’t to become perfectly sustainable overnight, but to strive to continuously improve and make changes where and when we can. Small changes can have lasting impacts.

In conversation...

Why a wine shop?

My Dad was a wine collector and this has given me an interest in wine. At the age of 16 I was living in Germany and this has given me a life long love of Vintage Reisling. In 2019 I was working in sales in London and then a wine shop came up for sale in my local town. I had always known I would end up working in wine but I always thought of being a sommelier then here was an opportunity to buy a shop.

Why increase the amount of English wine you offer?

There are lots of reasons why I wanted to increase the English wines that we carry in the shop. The first is that I am passionate about local wines. That connection and direct link to the vineyard is amazing and something that is possible because of the proximity of these vineyards.

How do you choose the wines you stock?

The story is definitely a selling point and I feel it is my responsibility to know and be able to know and sell that story. I treat the shop as an extension of my own cellar all the wines I stock I hand pick.

How do you promote English wines in the shop?

Physically I have moved the English wines to the centre of the shop so it is the first thing customers see when they come in. In the summer I always keep some English Rosé in the fridge and on the shelf I place English Rosé in a place where it blends with the Provence Rosé giving me the opportunity to cross sell. Interestingly there is a perception that rosé drinkers are women but in my experience as many men buy Rosé as women.

Do you stock any Welsh wines?

I have done. The quality is great and I could definitely sell it but I am currently looking for a producer who wants to work with an independent.

Could you tell us a little about the demographic of your customers?

My biggest customer base is in the 30-50 age bracket but those between 50 and 65 have the most disposable income. For those in the age bracket of 25-40 they often feel intimidated and are at first reluctant to use an independent wine shop worried they will look or say something silly. I can sympathise with this feeling I am only 28 and can often feel dismissed as too young or inexperienced by the industry. So I try to keep a relaxed atmosphere in the shop; ultimately the customer likes what they like.

I offer a personal service to customers and can advise them and steer them towards wines that will be a good starter for their journey into English wine

Mitch Swift purchased a wine shop in 2020 and has been increasing the offering of English wine at the premises in Broadstairs in Kent. The Bottleneck now stocks wine from 25 Countries but carries 50 English wines.

Of the English wines we offer 80% are from Kent

What could English Wine producers do to help you promote English wine?

Some customers especially older customers are reluctant to buy new wine styles without tasting them first. To do tastings of English wines I have to absorb all the costs myself as it can be difficult to get producers to provide bottles and tasting notes for tastings. It would be good if the producers and the independents could meet half way.

How do you deal with the perception that English Wine is expensive?

If someone comes into the shop and wants to buy a New Zealand white that price point has actually increased to around £13.99 so I can tell them that for not much extra they can try this English wine. With the recent concerns about the cost of living there has been a definite effect on the trade but I think we have built up enough of a following to keep the English brand. We have a significant number of customers who will try something new at the weekend.

Are there any negatives associated with stocking English Wine?

There are downsides for independent wine sellers stocking English wine. As independents we make less margin selling English wine but I am willing to accept that because I really want to support the industry. During Covid-19 many customers switched to supporting local and I feel I should shop local with my producers. Of the English wines we offer 80% are from Kent.

Are there any problems you face specific to the English Wine you stock?

Yes there are two main problems. Firstly I charge my customers £4.99 delivery within the Kent area for up to 24 bottles and £10 outside of Kent but I am quoted significantly more than that for shop deliveries from local wineries sometimes meaning I cannot afford to stock their wines. The second issue I have is that as an independent wine merchant some English producers have a minimum spend before they will supply to me.

What are the advantages of having your wine stocked in independent retailers?

Wine is a personal product, individual and special. I offer a personal service to customers and can advise them and steer them towards wines that will be a good starter for their journey into English wine. Big retailers have more money but they will never have more passion.

What trends have you seen in the English wine trade?

Customers are being exposed more to English wine through the on trade and will come in and ask for some wine they have tried at a restaurant. We are lucky in Broadstairs to have a number of restaurants that include English wine on their wine lists and this has definitely increased interest. Unfortunately some of the big names will not make their wines available to the independents.

Which English wines do you stock in alternative sizes?

We stock Simpsons Rosé in Magnum and Chapel Down in Jeroboam we also have Biddenden in Magnum but as we move through to Christmas I will be increasing the stock of large sized bottles.

What would be your final comment on your Wine journey so far?

I feel that it is my job to put the icing on the cake for my customers whether they are sharing a mid week bottle of wine or if they are buying a large format for a celebration with lots of friends it is a privilege to in a small way help make the occasion special.

My biggest customer base is in the 30-50 age bracket

“There’s gold in them thar hills”

DESKTOP www.matthewjukes.com Envelope vineyard.ed@kelsey.co.uk

Allow me the indulgence of a brief history lesson gleaned from a quick trawl around the dark recesses of the internet. Matthew Fleming Stephenson (1802–1882) was an American miner, geologist and mineralogist based in the US state of Georgia. He was one of the first known specialists in lazulite, rutile, pyrophyllite, and other quartzes, semi-precious gems and minerals. He is credited with the famous expression, “There’s gold in them thar hills”, which he uttered while encouraging people not to leave Georgia for the Californian Gold Rush.

I think I can hear a distant echo of Fleming Stephenson today in our English and Welsh countryside. And while today’s ‘gold’ might refer to the expensive sparkling wines found in our land, Fleming Stephenson’s actual discoveries were every bit as fascinating and commercially relevant. I think that, eschewing sparklers, our hero would have embraced rare and spellbinding still wines such as the trio of headliners (as well as a pair nestling in the notes) I have found for you this month.

Whether these are tried and tested formulas, complete and utter one-offs, made by gut feel and quick reactions or carefully assembled, quirkier potions, there is so much breadth of field and kaleidoscopic choice emerging in our industry, and it offers more choice and more character than ever before.

I wrote up a previous iteration of this wine a couple of years ago. While the world is labouring under impending recession, supply chain torment, sky-rocketing COGs and hosts of other soul-destroying challenges, you can rely on Penny Red to maintain its bonkers price point while continuing to augment its fabulous flavour.

There are no English red wines that dip below ten quid, and even if there were, none would come close to the amazing flavours found here.

This wine is a siren song to on-trade buyers of all shapes and sizes, and it sings, ‘buy me, pour me by the glass, and watch while customers come back for more’. This is a winner: ripe, juicy, black-fruit soaked, seamless and, importantly, English, with its freshness, purity, subtle hedgerow nuances and crisp acidity. It even looks smart!

Our hills are certainly swathed in gold, but they are embellished with many more gems besides, and it is these gems that will populate wine lists beyond the first page and the inevitable collection of sparklers.

Photo: Halfpenny Green ©Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic

More choice and more character than ever before.

2021 Halfpenny Green Wine Estate, Penny Red

£10.50, reduced to £9.75 by the case www.halfpennygreen.co.uk

While I am not a winemaker, I, too, felt the stress of the 2021 harvest. My alcohol-free Jukes drinks use spent Pinot Noir skins, left-over from sparkling wine production, and I need to capture every molecule of flavour, so they must be pristinely clean. It was certainly an uphill challenge last year.

2021 was tricky for Joe Beckett and Rebecca Dancer at Kinsbrook, too. They felt the pressure and reacted like fighter pilots when their expected crop was too small to make their hallmark individual wines.

21 Kin was born, made from Bacchus, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir Précoce, this ‘diffusion line’ is a masterpiece in taking the most exemplary traits of each variety and piecing them together with deft precision.

Here are some descriptors from my tasting notes, ‘punchy, attacking, opinionated, wild, full, layered, textural and fascinating’. This wine takes you on a unique flavour trail, and I would love to think they will make it again, but we shall have to wait and see. 21 Kin is as fine an example of a rare gem as you will find in our hills.

Winemaker Jose Quintana is rightly proud of his 2021s; no fewer than three of them have caught my eye.

First, my headliner is a cunning amalgam of Pinot Noir Précoce and Pinot Noir. Only 1,463 bottles were made, and I feel they will not last long, given the fantastic depth of flavour here. As most summer-special 2021 Provençal rosés fade and die, this rosehip and rooibos-scented beauty is coming into its own with deeply rewarding red apple skin, raspberry and rhubarb stalk tanginess and a pithy, taut finish.

2021 Ortega (£15.00) is carefully barrel-fermented, unfined and unfiltered, and gentle and kindly with surprising volume of flavour and a calm, ripe finish, while 2021 Dios Mío (£18.00) is a zany take on Bacchus.

With 30% spending ten days on skins and 70% fermented in old Burgundy barrels followed by nine months ageing in old barrels, this is a chewy and fascinating shapeshifter. Together these make a trio of jewels in the Vagabond crown.

21 Kin,

2021 Vagabond, Rosé,

Vineyard

Deep connection

Mountfield in East Sussex is a small village with deep roots. On the aptly named Church Road unsurprisingly you will find All Saints Church and a quick glance at the notice board reveals that the Grade II* listed building is celebrating its 900th anniversary. The church has a stained glass window that features a ploughing tractor in the design highlighting that this part of East Sussex has long had agriculture at its heart.

Opposite the entrance to the Church is the driveway that leads to Mountfield Winery which is marked only by a sign holding their label design. Simon and Lucinda Fraser have lived and farmed at Mountfield Court since 1995; the land has been owned by the same family since 1863.

Like many farming enterprises they have had to develop and diversify in order to survive. Redundant farm buildings have been brought back into operation as additional income streams for the arable enterprise and in 2012 Lucinda and Simon took the decision to plant 14,200 vines opting to plant the traditional sparkling varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with 50% of the planting as Chardonnay. Simon hinted that he did perhaps wish that they had planted some other varieties which would lend themselves to the making of still wines but he has no plans to expand the plantings. This is mainly because the vineyard is managed by Simon and he wants to remain hands on. Planting more vines would mean he would need more help; Simon and Lucinda want to keep their deep connection with the vines and wines. Part of the charm of Mountfield is that the whole process is carried out under the careful eye of

arme

rot

Simon and Lucinda all on the same site. The grapes go from vine to bottle without travelling off site. Production is limited to 10,000 bottles, although the winery could make more, and the grapes travel only a few hundred metres to the onsite winery. It is not perhaps unique to have a small vineyard with its own winery but it is a rarity.

Whilst Lucinda has run the farm for many years Simon worked in the city. Eventually he decided that he would like to produce something on farm that included a manufacturing element. The couple looked at various options and together did lots of research. After consulting with the wine merchants Corney and Barrow they settled on the production of traditional method English sparkling wine. There were some old dairy buildings on the farm that were of no use for modern agricultural purposes and they decided to put in a winery to process the grapes from the Vineyard. The vines were imported from Germany with a 41B rootstock. “The soil type

is Greensand and Clay on Sandstone and most vines in the area use SO4 rootstock so at first I was concerned that the vines would be over vigorous but in fact they have been brilliant. Generally the vines are very healthy and I only tend to call John Buchan the agronomist when I am in a panic,” said Simon.

During a tour of the vineyard Simon explained that there is usually disease pressure from downy mildew but this has not been a problem this season. On the other hand Botrytis has been a problem this year especially with the Chardonnay. “This is probably because the harvest has been postponed twice,” explained Simon. “The first time the acidity levels were not dropping and then when the fruit was ready the pickers were unavailable,” he added. Simon is very keen on leaf stripping for canopy management. “Just fruit and a nice canopy that helps on disease pressure, he said.” All the vines are stripped by hand. Simon explained that he had seen results from mechanical stripping which he felt: “Didn’t really look like it had been stripped at all because they were not aggressive enough on it.” The results Simon achieved by hand meant that the canopy remained green this year even with the late harvest date and the fruit was able to make use of any extra sunlight that was available.

The best crop from the vineyard came in 2020 when 32 tonnes were harvested. This year the vines will deliver between 25 and 27 tonnes. These will be harvested over two or three days

with pickers provided by Vineworks. Simon initially thought there would be 22 pickers but during my visit he received a call to say the number has been increased to 30 meaning Simon will need to visit N P Seymour who are just down the road to acquire some more snips. Mountfield sell any extra fruit which is not used in the winery, this year the figure will be in the region of 15 tonnes of fruit.

In ten years the vineyard has never had a frost problem. Simon explained how he has tried to minimise the risk of frost and in the process reveals his deep connection to the landscape he said: “I removed some trees at the bottom which I hated doing but it was necessary to allow the air to flow.” There is now a clear view from the top of the vineyard down the gentle slope to where the Pinot Meunier is planted at the bottom and beyond to a field that is still in arable production (maize this year). Beyond the field there is a pond that Simon has dug out with the intention of removing cold air from the vineyard. This is designed as an extra frost prevention measure but Simon added: “With only the two of us what are we going to do when the frost hits at 3am?”

Photos: www.leejorobinson.com

> Lucinda and Simon Fraser

The best crop from the vineyard came in 2020 when 32 tonnes were harvested

When talking about problems faced in the vineyard the discussion moves from disease to pests. Simon explained: “deer are a massive issue in the area.” Currently to protect the vines there is a substantial deer fence in place but this would cause significant problems if they were forced by a lack of pickers to move to a machine harvesting system. Whilst Simon is very happy with the results he gets by hand picking and whole bunch pressing if labour issues forced them to use machines then they would have to rethink the current deer protection as there is not enough room inside the current fence to manoeuvre a large machine. The other problem that the vineyard has is Starlings. Simon told me: “Surprisingly the Starlings have not shown any interest in the vines this year considering how ripe the fruit is,” literally as he is still speaking we are witness to a display of swooping Starlings right over the ripe Chardonnay grapes – commentators curse with only a few days until the pickers arrive. Both Lucinda and Simon mention that it can be difficult for the small producers to get heard and that they can be overlooked as there are a growing number of large producers entering the English Wine sector. “The booze trade is a pay to play trade and the big guys have lots of money,” said Simon. “So we want to keep it boutique, top end and keep ourselves very much involved. We are really excited to have a product to sell that we believe in,” added Lucinda.

The conversation turns to the protection of the term Sussex and how that

John Buchan AGRONOMY LTD

For independent advice on:

affects them as a vineyard. Simon makes the point that he is concerned about the term Sparkling Wine lacking any clarity for the consumer. It is a subject that has been discussed by the trade for many years. Sparkling as a term can be applied to a vast array of drinks including bottled water but as yet there is no definite solution to the problem.

“Also high quality traditional method sparkling will, because of the cost of production, be more expensive and this could confuse consumers and lead to problems with quality assurance for high end producers,” said Simon. On the other side of the argument Simon stated that there is still more work to be done on the education of the consumer and although the move to protect high end producers is necessary it needs to be done at the right time when English and Welsh wine as a category has grown enough in stature to withstand what could cause fractures across the counties. Simon and Lucinda both agree that “the community was welcoming and friendly when they first planted their vines.”

Mountfield Winery currently have a Rosé Reserve 2017, the Classic Cuvée 2016 and a Blanc de Blancs 2015 which was released the day Vineyard magazine visited as was a Rosé Reserve 2015 Magnum priced at £88. Magnum bottles are always an impressive edition to a celebration and they look good on retailers shelves. During a tour of the wine store which currently holds between 60,000-70,000 bottles

Simon explained: “The 2016 Classic Cuvée will sell out early in 2023 and the Rosé Reserve 2017 is nearly sold out.”

While many buildings around the vineyard have been repurposed (in fact the tasting room used to be the home of Lucinda’s pony) the wine store is a new building. “Rother council were very helpful throughout the planning process,” said Simon. To try and keep costs down Mountfield have invested in a 15kw solar array on top of the wine

We are really excited to have a product to sell that we believe in

of soil and tissue

of nutrient programmes

of tailor-made products

agronomic advice

store. It only came online in October but they are hoping that it reduces the energy costs that have quadrupled recently. “This is a worrying cost for producers to absorb,” he said while he was checking the digital display to see how much electricity the new installation was generating. I asked if they would add money to the bottle price as a consequence of these rising input costs but Simon felt this was not possible.

Lucinda visits food festivals as an exhibitor showcasing their wines to the public. The gift boxes they offer with their wine at these shows are a really nice touch and prove popular with consumers. At these events

Lucinda only offers two wines for tasting because “whilst the public facing events are enjoyable they can be quite busy and frantic,” she said. Since Lucinda is face to face with the public at these events I asked her how she feels people respond to the wines? “The wine people prefer is quite split almost 50/50 between the two wines I offer,” she answered. Twice a year the vineyard hosts an event at the cellar door and Lucinda said it is evident at these events that the people of Mountfield are happy and proud to have a vineyard in their parish. “The local people all come and support the winery which is really lovely,” she said. “Additionally we have had a pop up restaurant and a Christmas fair,” added Simon. During 2021 the vineyard started to offer wine tours which, like everything else at Mountfield, are conducted by Simon and Lucinda themselves. They have hosted international visitors and tours can be arranged by appointment but wine tourism is time consuming and with all the other jobs that need to be done on the vineyard and the farm the couple find it a difficult balancing act.

On the subject of awards Simon explained that: “They are very expensive to enter,” but that the Classic Cuvée was entered into the 2022 Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships (CSWWC) and won a silver medal. For a small producer entering a limited number of competitions this is certainly an achievement, but Simon and Lucinda want to let the wine speak for itself. The competition saw close to 1000 wines entered with 396 Gold and Silver medals awarded. Out of 21 countries that took part England found itself in fourth place in the medal table with the top spots still claimed by France and Italy.

In addition to events around the south east and also on their website (www.mountfieldwinery.com) the wines are also to be found on exclusive menus in the City. It is nice to hear that as small producers they are still finding their way onto wine lists at high end restaurants. As for the future Simon and Lucinda are hoping to distribute their wines internationally possibly looking to Scandinavia as a market that appreciates traditional method English sparkling wine.

In the winery we meet the winemaker Ulrich Hoffmann. Despite

Simon and Lucinda are hoping to distribute their wines internationally

<< About 20 white wine oak barrels are used in the winery but for Ulrich: “It is not about oak aromas or flavours but more about the complexity a barrique ferment can give a wine through the process of micro-oxidation.”

being incredibly busy Ulrich seems very calm. This is not surprising as Ulrich has worked in Sussex since the early 2000’s. It was whilst working at a vineyard as a summer job when he was a student that he first saw the potential for English wine. Ulrich describes his career as starting with “a classic German education as a winemaker encompassing a degree in Oenologie.”

Ulrich saw the opportunity to “make something outstanding” when he was approached by Mountfield Winery to make wines in the Sussex Weald describing the “superb clay soils and protected warmth retaining micro-climate” as the “right ingredients.” Mountfield wines are “based on percentages of reserve base wines aged in barrel going back five years giving the possibility of blending the fresh youthful recent vintage with the extraordinary complexity of mature wines,” he said. “Using reserve base wines as we do at Mountfield brings an extra dimension to the style we are looking to achieve,” he added.

When asked about long lees ageing Ulrich said: “It really depends what you consider as long lees ageing. The key is to achieve the right acidityfruit balance through ageing the wine, changing harsh gripping acidity to mouth-watering. The bottom line is creating a wine that needs little dosage and is balanced in every way.” I ask him what he is looking to achieve with the wines he makes for Mountfield and his response that he wants to put “a smile on the face of the person who drinks it” is a statement that encompasses the whole ethos of Mountfield Winery. From Simon in the vineyard and Ulrich Hoffman as the winemaker to Lucinda who takes the wine to the public the atmosphere at Mountfield Winery is one of enjoying the process of producing high quality wine; a heartfelt passion that is passed on every time a bottle is opened.

Soil mapping addresses inherent variability

Digital mapping could play an increasingly important role in future vineyard agronomy, so in this issue we talk to Kent grower Clive Baxter and his Hutchinsons agronomist Bob Little to hear how they have used such technology.

Farming on Kent’s Greensand Ridge can be very challenging given the undulating topography and varied soils, according to Mr Baxter, managing director at the 120 ha Westerhill Farm.

The business grows mainly tree fruit, including apples, pears, plums, apricots, cherries and quince, but four years ago added 10 ha of vines, predominantly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Alberino, on contrasting parts of the farm.

“We’ve got one block of vines on Weald clay on lower ground, and others growing up on the Greensand where there’s sandy silt, clay silt and considerable variation within a very small area.”

Such variability is the ideal proving ground for Hutchinsons’s Terramap high definition soil scanning. Mr Baxter won a prize to get his whole farm Terramapped in 2019, and believes it has been worthwhile, highlighting several factors that influenced subsequent management decisions.

Mr Baxter’s Terramap package focussed on measuring three key nutrients (P, K, Mg), pH, soil texture properties (clay, sand, silt %) and elevation, with results analysed using Omnia – more detailed Terramap service levels are available (see omniadigital.co.uk/our-services/ terra-map).

Topography mapping

One of the most useful results for the vines was the elevation mapping, said Mr Baxter. This has helped determine where to plant vines in the future, and how to orientate planting patterns on the sloping ground.

“In one 1.5 ha field we’re planting next spring, we’ve decided to orientate rows southwestnortheast, rather than north-south, as this follows

the contours better and should hopefully make tractor work easier on the steep slopes. In the orchard that preceded it, we sometimes used to run into trouble sliding across the slope.”

On another area, elevation mapping is being used to design new planting away from lowerlying areas prone to frost. In one field, altitude contours clearly highlighted a potential frost pocket, despite it being hard to spot visually.

“We’ve increased the size of the reservoir next to it and filled in the hollow to reduce the frost risk.”

Adjusting pH

Another useful aspect is Terramap’s pH mapping, especially given the farm’s variable soils, said Mr Baxter.

“We’ve sometimes got high acid levels where you don’t expect it, i.e. on the Greensand. Our pH range is generally between 5.5 and 8, but you can get 5s in the middle of an 8. That’s where Terramap and Omnia has been really useful for highlighting these anomalies you wouldn’t find with conventional soil sampling.”

Mr Baxter acknowledges that without variable rate technology on his Vicon fertiliser spreader, it is hard to tailor soil amendments as precisely as Terramap and Omnia application plans suggest, so instead, he blocks land into areas of similar pH and manually manages those areas. Low pH is addressed with lime or calcified seaweed according to soil requirements.

“Calcified seaweed is a lot easier for us to address hotspots with because it goes through our fertiliser spreader,” he said.

He has also experimented with planting more vigorous rootstocks in high pH areas, although admits that where there is a mix of rootstocks (e.g. SO4, Fercal, 3309 C), he has not yet seen significant differences in vigour or yield. “These vines are only four years old though, so over a longer time we might see differences appear.”

Nutrient variations

One issue that showed itself when Mr Baxter planted his vines was their sensitivity to magnesium deficiency, something that had not been an issue in fruit trees.

“On the Greensand we have naturally high potassium, which was increased by the green compost applied when planting the vines. Where soil potassium was excessive, we saw magnesium deficiencies occur as potassium was locking up the magnesium.”

He has therefore applied magnesium to some areas to balance the potassium:magnesium ratio and is able to use Terramap to help identify potential problem areas.

“For me as an agronomist, if we’ve got a variety that’s showing leaf issues, with many potential causes, we need every tool we can get to eliminate factors from the equation so we can concentrate on the real causes,” notes Mr Little.

“If you’re going to make a vineyard profitable, you’ve got to get yield conformity over the whole area. The only way to do that on a varied site like Clive’s is with the help of a tool like Terramap. You will never get the same level of accuracy by relying on conventional soil sampling with an auger.”

Hutchinsons will be available to discuss all the potential benefits of Terramap at the Vineyard and Winery Show on the 23 November.

01945 461177

Heartbeat of the viticulture industry

back – and promises to be bigger and better than ever! This year’s Vineyard & Winery Show on 23 November will again feature great wines, unbeatable networking opportunities and a not-to-bemissed chance to catch up with what’s new in the industry.

With trade stands up by a remarkable 40% to an impressive 112, the Vineyard and Winery Show will once again reflect the heartbeat of the growing viticulture industry in the UK, as well as offering a chance to taste 100 expertly chosen wines.

The huge line up of exhibitors will again cater for the expected make-up of show visitors, with lots on offer both for established growers and those who are looking for the support they need before planting their first vines.

“At one of last year’s seminars, the speaker asked the audience how many of them had established vineyards, and half the hands in the room went up,” recalled Jamie McGrorty, publisher of Vineyard Magazine, joint organiser of the show. “Then he asked how many were thinking about entering the industry – and the rest of the audience put their hands up.

“This year’s show will build on the success of last year’s event, which was the first ever, by bringing together a broad range of experts and suppliers who can help established growers improve their product but can also provide early days advice and support for those who are just starting out.”

It may only be year two for The Vineyard

and Winery Show, but the event has already established itself as the must-visit event of the year for long-term growers and those who are hoping to join them in making the most of the ideal conditions in England and Wales for growing grapes and making wines.

The 2021 event, described by Jamie as “unbelievably successful” saw the organisers run out of the special bags and tasting glasses provided to visitors within about three hours of

the doors opening at 8.30am.

The seminars, with seats for 160 people, were all fully subscribed as an estimated 2,000 people attended the show, which – as this year – was organised by Vineyard magazine in association with WineGB and with the support of a generous line-up of sponsors.

Organisers are expecting this year’s event, which takes place at the Kent Event Centre, Detling, from 8.30am to 4pm, to smash last year’s

machinery/equipment

services

services (marketing/PR, legal, insurance)

wholesale or wine trade

and plant health companies

and educational organisations

entrants to the sector

Vitifruit Equipment Sales and Hire

attendance figure, with up to 3,000 expected to take the opportunity to hear from the experts, get the lowdown on industry innovations and chat with like-minded people.

The show will again be based around a central tasting area featuring no fewer than 100 of the country’s top wines. This year’s selection has been especially chosen to include all the grape varieties and styles available to UK growers.

“This has never been done before,” said Jamie. “The idea is that this complete cross section of styles and regions will educate and inspire producers, helping them to decide which varieties and styles to choose while at the same time benchmarking their current vintage.” The wines feature many medal winners from some of the best-known vineyards.

This year’s seminar programme, fully hosted this year by WineGB, once more offers an impressive range of speakers on a variety of relevant topics and is again likely to be ‘standing room only’ for latecomers.

“The beauty of the show is that it brings together a really good mix of people who can share ideas and provide inspiration for newcomers to the industry alongside detailed technical knowledge for those with more experience. Its success, demonstrated by last year’s attendance and the fact that this year’s trade stand allocation is already sold out, highlights the huge potential the industry has here in the UK,” said Jamie.

Another feature of the 2021 show that is returning by popular demand is Matthew Jukes’ unmissable masterclass. The world-renowned wine writer and Vineyard columnist will again be conducting a structured wine tasting starting at 1pm and priced at just £20 per person.

Spaces are limited to 120 people who will enjoy sampling six wines selected by Matthew, who will explain why he feels each one is special and deserves a space on everyone’s wine rack. The six wines chosen are 21 Kin (Kinsbrook Vineyard), 2021 Vagabond Rosé (Yew Tree Vineyard), 2021 Penny Red (Halfpenny Green Wine Estate), 2015 Cuvée Boz (Sugrue South Downs), 2014 Blanc de Noirs (Wiston) and 2018 Blanc de Noirs (Gusbourne).

Matthew, who regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world, is looking forward to this year’s show. “I absolutely love meeting winemakers

Don’t miss out

Network with the key players in the UK wine industry

Meet with industry experts

Learn the cutting-edge technology and see demonstrations of the latest machinery

Take part in the Matthew Jukes tutored wine tasting. The world-renowned wine writer and columnist Matthew Jukes will present 6 still and sparkling wines. Tickets are £20 and the proceeds are donated to the Drinks Trust charity. (Numbers are limited to 120 – so book early!)

◆ Visit the Wine Hub and taste some the UK’s best wines – up to 100 different wines available to try on the day

◆ Attend the WineGB seminars – Expert speakers will cover viticulture, winemaking and marketing topics – aimed at new entrants to the industry as well as those already established

◆ Join some of the biggest names in the industry such as Core Equipment, Hutchinsons, Vitifruit, Berlin Packaging, Royston labels – and many more

and growers at The Vineyard & Winery Show” he said. "Last year’s event was an overwhelming success; it felt like the whole industry was there. I’m glad to be part of it again.”

Main sponsors for this year's Show are Berlin Packaging, Hutchinsons, Royston Labels, Vitifruit Equipment, and new for this year Core Equipment.

Other businesses supporting individual events include seminar sponsors Ferovinum, gift bag suppliers Rankin Bros, wine glass providers Urban Bar and Rainbow Professional, sponsors of Matthew Jukes' masterclass. Free coffee will be on offer throughout the day courtesy of OnePay and AG Recruitment.

This year will see the introduction of trade stand awards, with the winners receiving

wines presented in a special six-bottle wine box created to promote the show by cardboard packaging experts W H Skinner.

Also new for this year is an after-show dinner jointly organised by Vineyard Magazine and WineGB. The Great British Wine Festival will give visitors and exhibitors a chance to catch up and relax after a busy show day. Tickets cost £75 +VAT, with tables of 10 available. The evening will feature live music, a three-course dinner and, of course, excellent UK wine. Tickets can be booked at www.tinyurl.com/VineyardShowDinner

For more information contact Angelina at WineGB on 01858 467792 or email

angelina@winegb.co.uk

Get your free ticket to the show

The Vineyard & Winery show will be an unmissable event for anyone working in viticulture and wine production in the UK. The show takes place on 23 November 2022 at the Kent County Showground, Detling, Kent. Organised by Vineyard magazine and supported

202 by WineGB, it will be an invaluable opportunity for all viticulturalists, winemakers, suppliers and the trade to come together. There will be a packed programme including a series of seminars from WineGB, tastings of the UK’s top wines, lots of machinery and equipment to see – as well the

opportunity to network with peers.

To register for your free ticket go to Eventbrite via the Vineyard & Winery show website ww.vineyardshow.com

100 of the UK’s best wines

Central to the many activities at the show is the 30m long wine tasting hub, sponsored by contract winery Defined Wine, and showcasing 100 of the best wines from across the UK. Around half the wines selected for the tasting hub are from those featured by Vineyard magazine’s wine columnist, Matthew Jukes, along with wines that are top medal winners in the WineGB national and regional competitions. It is a great opportunity for wine producers to benchmark their wines – and taste some of the best examples in the UK. Here is a small selection of some of the wines that will be available to taste on the day.

Take part in Matthew Jukes’ wine tasting

ARE £20 EACH.

World renowned wine writer and monthly Vineyard columnist Matthew Jukes will be conducting a structured wine tasting with his selection of six wines. Starting at 1pm, Matthew will explain why he feels each wine is special and warrants acclaim. This is your opportunity to have an exclusive insight into the very best wines from Great Britain with one of the world’s leading wine writers.

2021 Vagabond Rosé, Yew Tree Vineyard

21 Kin, Kinsbrook

2021 Penny Red, Halfpenny Green Wine Estate

2015 Cuvée Boz, Sugrue South Downs

2014 Blanc de Noirs, Wiston

2018 Blanc de Noirs, Gusbourne

The Mathew Jukes Structured Wine Tasting is sponsored by Urban Bar and Rainbow Professional. Tickets are £20 and the proceeds will be donated to the Drinks Trust charity. Numbers are limited to 120 and only a few places remain so book your ticket now via Eventbrite at www.tinyurl.com/VineyardShow22

The seminars

WineGB seminar sessions.

The seminar programme on 23 November has an exciting line up of presentations from speakers, all experts in their fields, who will share their experiences, communicate their ideas and encourage discussion and networking. The sessions this year have been compiled by WineGB with the aim to provide some bite-sized and thought-provoking and informative topics, shared by a great line up of expert contributors. Each session will incorporate a Q&A session at the end.

Simon Thorpe MW, CEO WineGB

09.00 - 09.15

Simon is CEO of WineGB, the representative body for wine producers in England and Wales. Previously he has held senior positions in businesses across the wine industry, including with Waitrose, Constellation, Negociants and Fells. He is a Master of Wine and ex Trustee of the WSET.

Keynote speaker:

To be announced 09.15 - 09.30

Consumer behaviour in a challenging economic environment

09.30 - 11.00

We have brought together expert speakers from the wider wine trade to give an update and overview on the impact the ever-challenging economic climate is having on consumer trends and behaviour, to help you shape your routes to market and marketing plans over the coming months.

Wine Consumer Research and Insights Company

Overview of consumer trends in UK market – latest research

SEMINAR 2

Making a career in the GB wine industry

11.00 - 12.00

There are a considerable range of career options across all sectors of this everexpanding industry. Whether you are new to the job market or looking for a career change, there are plenty of different routes to consider, coupled with a wide range of training and upskilling options available. This session will scope out some of those routes, illustrated with two case studies presented by those that have made the move in to the wine industry.

The session will then follow with two case studies from the industry to illustrate different career paths achieved.

Intro to career training options across the industry

Chair: Simon Thorpe MW, CEO, WineGB

Chair: Dr Greg Dunn, Head of Wine Division, Plumpton College

Luke Harbor, Head of Wine, The Pig Hotel Group

Overview from the on-trade/ hospitality industry

Waitrose Retailer update

The Great British Varietal Debate

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Our viticultural landscape has seen great change in just a few decades – and continues to make huge strides in innovation and identifying what serves best for our range of vineyards, terroir and styles. Limited regulation enables us to continually experiment and discover, whilst developing what is already established and proven. This session takes the form of a debate to include expert perspectives on the three core representative varietal groups, to encourage discussion and enhance knowledge.

Chair: Matt Strugnell, Ridgeview Wine Estate & Chair of the WineGB Viticulture Group

Sam Middleton, Winner of the Vineworks Vinegrower of the Year Award

‘Life is a Caberet’: The case for PiWis

Sparkling wine producer Classic all the way: The case for the classic varieties

Martin Fowke, Head Winemaker, Three Choirs Vineyards

The Vanguards: The case for the ‘early founders’

SEMINAR 4 – WINEMAKING

Wineries are embracing a more sustainable approach to winemaking, recognising the need to minimise their carbon footprint from grape to glass, their ethics and how they run their businesses. This session includes winemakers from four different winery operations who will each share an aspect of their sustainable practices to show that whatever the size, you can bring a more sustainable approach to your winemaking business.

Chair: Sarah Midgley, Winery Chair on SWGB Committee Winemaker, Plumpton College Intro to SWGB

Tony Milanowski, Winemaker, Rathfinny Estate

Improving sustainability in winery practices

Henry Sugden, CEO, Defined Wines Winery design and sustainability

Jack Mankin, Winemaking team, Ridgeview Wine Estate Community and employee engagement in sustainable practices

Kristina Studzinski, Owner/ Winemaker, Off The Line Vineyard Boutique sustainable wine production

After-show dinner

Join us at a post-harvest celebration after The Vineyard & Winery Show.

Come and join Vineyard Magazine and WineGB at their post-harvest and post-show celebration dinner on the evening of the Vineyard & Winery Show on 23 November.

The celebration event will bring together vineyard owners, managers, winemakers and other representatives with many of the goods and service suppliers to the industry. The timing is perfect to get together and look back on the year and celebrate its successes and the end of Harvest 2022. What better way than to create a festival atmosphere for the evening!

In anticipation of another well-attended day at the Vineyard & Winery Show, it seemed entirely logical to use the occasion to bring the industry community together for a social event as well.

The dinner will take place in the Clive Emson Hall at the Kent County Showground, near the Vineyard & Winery Show exhibition halls. The evening will feature live music, a delicious three-course dinner, a British wine and drinks bar and more!

The menu will reflect a celebration of mouthwatering seasonal Kent produce (we will be in Kent after all), presented beautifully with style and the festival vibe.

If you are travelling down for the Show, why not add the evening’s entertainment to your agenda. There are plenty of places to stay nearby and the venue is well-located.

Tickets cost £75 +VAT per person and some are still available to purchase. Tables seat 10 so why not consider taking a full table and bring some guests?

Information and links are available from Vineyard and WineGB websites.

There are other opportunities to get involved in this event through sponsorship which will put you in front of a host of industry representatives.

Tickets can be booked at www.tinyurl.com/VineyardShowDinner For more information contact Angelina at WineGB on 01858 467792 or email angelina@winegb.co.uk

You are warmly invited to join us for the after-show dinner. Book your table now.

Vines are a core R&D focus

Benjamin Brown, Julian Searle and Emily Dimond explain why Agrii’s R&D distinguishes it from other advisers.

Vines have been a core focus of Agrii’s R&D for nearly a decade. Our research and development work considers every aspect of production. In recent years, this has expanded to consider how technology can support the sustainability ambitions of the sector, such as the use of in-crop sensors to enable an ‘as needed only’ approach to the use of crop protection products.

Our work on vine establishment, grape quality and disease control has been fundamental to helping our customers develop productive vineyards. In many cases this has supported the building of some of the best-known brands in the sector.

As a specialist in crop trials, we work closely with crop protection manufacturers to generate the understanding needed to ensure advisers and growers have the knowledge they need to get the best from a product. This can involve knowing when and how best to apply it for maximum protection, what it can be safely partnered with to improve performance and where best to place it in a strategy to complement other forms of control.

Many of our trials are run in co-operation with

one of Britain’s biggest and most well-respected vineyards. This long-term collaboration has considered every aspect of a commercial vineyard and enabled a sustained improvement in performance.

In parallel to the trials in commercial vineyards, we also have long-term work taking place at the Agrii Fruit iFarm. For the 2022 season our focus is fungicides, including biorationals, such as botanicals, microbials and synthetics, and classic biological fungicides such as those containing live bacteria, for controlling the three principal fungal diseases of vines, namely downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis.

We have separate trials investigating each disease, with conventional treatments included for comparison. Some of the products in trial are new to the market, while others are yet to receive authorisation. Having early sight of pre-market products gives us the insight needed to use these products to their best effect once they are fully available.

Trials are central to supporting our relationship with growers. The trials team conducts detailed assessments at specific crop growth stages to measure disease severity, yield and bunch

Emi Dimo n d

Juli Searl e

quality with the support of laboratory analysis considering sugar and acid levels. We use this information to validate our advice and protect the prosperity of our customers.

> Untreated grapes from a 2022 trial heavily infected with powdery mildew

Game-changing technologies

Inno’vin, the French vine and wine innovation cluster, brings together stakeholders in the wine innovation ecosystem, with 180 members including producers, suppliers, laboratories, and public institutions. Inno’vin intends to foster the competitiveness of companies and consequently contribute to the development of the wine industry through project engineering, business networking and personalized services.

Inno’vin is delighted to present a delegation of seven French experts at the Vineyard & Winery Show, showcasing game-changing technologies to accompany winemakers from the vineyard to the cellar and beyond. They are: ◆ Biopythos: Ceramic containers for wine maturation, highlighting the terroir and the work of the winegrower

◆ Ertus Group: Vineyard and winery production management software allowing winemakers to manage production wherever they are

◆ Naïo Technologies: A pioneer in agricultural robotics solutions, Naïo Technologies’ autonomous robots are developed with farmers

◆ NAOTEC by CoupEcoViti: Manufacturer of a full range of high-quality vineyard equipment, including trimmers and pre-pruners

◆ Onafis: A connected cellar closely following the fermentation and ageing process of wine in real time

◆ RVS Consultants: Vineyard management consultancy services providing global technical support from plantation to harvest

◆ Wax&Grafts: International expert and supplier of waxes, tapes and equipment especially designed for grafting.

Demand for grafted plants is growing

Wax&Grafts is a French company based in Bordeaux which supplies grafting waxes, products and equipment to nurseries. It operates in more than 40 countries on five continents. With its great knowledge of the global grapevine nursery business, W&G offers unique expertise. Since 2013, W&G has developed a large network of 400 customers growing wine and table grape varieties as well as raisins, cocoa, apples and almonds.

W&G works with the most innovative suppliers in the field of grapevine grafting to offer waxes, omega and V-graft machines, wax melters, hot water treatment equipment, disbudding machines, trimmers, digging machines, mulch and other specific supplies. It also works with nursery experts.

The company also offers a range of organic pine tar products for wound protection in the vineyards.

W&G is always trying to expand and seize new business opportunities.

us on stand H3

Exhibiting at the Vineyard & Winery Show, W&G hopes to identify new vine nursery projects in England, where demand for grafted plants is growing. The company is also looking forward to visiting local vineyards and wineries to meet owners and managers.

Wide range of thoughtprovoking topics

WineGB’s Seminar programme at this year’s Vineyard & Winery Show offers wide range of thought-provoking topics, from business and marketing to viticulture and winery management. The aim of each session is to inform and update and appeal to both established industry members and those just making their first steps into the world grape growing and wine production in Britain.

The sessions will kick off with an insightful discussion on consumer behaviour in these challenging economic times, an important topic for many as they plan their sales and marketing strategies. The presentation will include speakers from a retail and on-trade perspective as well as a consumer research expert. The next session will look at some of the many career options available in the UK

industry, led by Plumpton College. Two different career paths in the industry will provide fascinating case studies, giving first-hand experience and useful insight.

The Viticulture session will focus on the varietal options available in the industry today, with speakers discussing the merits of different varietal choices, and the Winemaking session will look at different sustainable options to winery design and practices from large and boutique producers’ perspectives.

The sessions will take several formats to include panel discussions, a debate, and peer-to-peer advice. There is a great line up of expert speakers and specialists in their fields. Each feature will include a Q&A session at the end, to encourage further discussion, and if visitors want to find out more afterwards, the WineGB stand will be located close by (Stand H12).

> Last year's seminar programme was well attended – join us from 9am in the John Hendry Pavilion

Evolution of new filling technology

Evolution BPS is excited to be bringing to The Vineyard and Winery Show the latest innovation from their partner MBF SpA. MBF, already world renowned for developing innovative bottling solutions for medium and large-sized wine and spirits producers, has extended its market to smaller wineries with the creation of the new Miniblock. These are monoblocs dedicated to the wine sector which include rinsers, fillers and cappers that do not exceed 3000 b/h and boast the same advanced technology that characterises the entire MBF range.

To offer a solution for wineries with lower annual production levels, MBF has created a compact, high performance machine combining ease of use with minimum maintenance.

These wineries now have a compact system at their disposal which is capable of respecting their wine as much as possible. With Miniblock, special attention is paid to minimising the increase in dissolved oxygen pick up and maintaining product integrity throughout the filling process.

The MBF Miniblock is equipped with a 316 stainless steel filling valve without a seal at the tip. Inert gas injection into the bottle before filling ensures maximum protection of the product from oxygen absorption.

The turret is equipped with a CIP system for sanitisation with the aid of dummy bottles.

See us on stand H27

At the capping phase, the Miniblock provides both the single-head capping turret for straight corks, equipped with hopper and channel for feeding caps with a centrifugal system aimed at minimising the formation of dust, and the single-head for screw caps (standard or StelvinLux), equipped with vibrating bowl including capsule level sensor and distribution of the caps at the mouth of the channel.

Different bottle formats can be accommodated with standard or adjustable stars, ensuring a quick and easy format change.

The Miniblock, with a solid construction in stainless steel, can also be equipped with a series of options designed to meet the different needs of customers.

www.evolutionbps.co.uk

The next generation of insurance coverage

Descartes Underwriting offers UK grape growers, wine producers, cooperatives, distributors, and investors protection of up to £20 million against financial loss due to poor climate conditions. This includes spring frost, hail, drought, and more.

As climate change drives increased uncertainty and losses in the industry, Descartes Underwriting provides alternative solutions to close gaps in traditional commercial policies. The covers are client customised, taking

into account critical exposures and growing season milestones.

Descartes Underwriting policies are more affordable, with quick, transparent, hassle-free payments and no loss adjustment.

In the UK, France, Italy and other wine growing regions of the world, more than 60 vineyards have already chosen Descartes Underwriting insurance solutions – join them today.

www.descartesunderwriting.com

Soil certified vineyard shelter manufacturer to sponsor wine masterclass

A leading UK vineyard and tree protection supply company that is set to launch a ground-breaking new product has been named as the sponsor of the Matthew Jukes wine masterclass at this year’s Vineyard & Winery Show. Rainbow Professional, which was formed in 1961 and specialises in using recycled and plant-based materials to create landscaping, forestry and vineyard products such as tree ties and shelters, has unveiled the first soil degradable certified biodegradable vine shelter.

While vine growers have little choice but to use shelters to protect newly planted vines from hungry rabbits, herbicides and mechanical weeding machines, they are generally made from plastic, an increasingly unwanted product in a well-kept vineyard and something that society in general is looking to phase out.

Rainbow Professional’s new product is the first to have been awarded Europewide soil degradable certification by the respected TUV organisation, allowing it to be used with confidence by growers who want to highlight their environmental credentials and reduce their reliance on plastic by using non-toxic and marinesafe protection.

The shelter, due to be in full production in time for the 2023 planting season, has all the attributes of a traditional polypropylene tube, including supporting a suitable microclimate for the growing vine, but is made from recycled bio-resin and PEFC-certified wood residue from UK sawmills, giving it an impressively low carbon footprint.

“Light transmission is excellent, we have carried out extensive trials that prove rabbits won’t eat it and it has all the advantages of a traditional shelter but with a natural look and feel,” explained Simon Place, sales director of Rainbow Professional.

“The shelters have a maximum life expectancy of five or six years before breaking down, and when they are no longer needed they can be chipped by the mower in the alley and simply mulched back into the soil, where the resulting natural particles will degrade within two years. We believe this is a breakthrough that the industry will welcome, and we are delighted that it has been certified as soil degradable.” The shelters are also suitable for tree protection.

“We are delighted to be supporting the Vineyard & Winery Show and very excited to be associated with the masterclass being organised by someone with Matthew Jukes’ reputation,” added Simon. www.rainbow.eu.com

Knapsack sprayers to feature on stand

Berthoud professional knapsack sprayers have long found ready application across European viticulture.

Manufactured by sprayer specialists Hozelock-Exel, their robustness, pressure reliability and operator safety benefits make them a popular choice for vineyards and estates managers seeking quality and efficiency. Knapsack, hand-held and compression sprayer manufacturer Berthoud’s Vermorel range offers professional operators the perfect tools to deliver safe, controlled, efficient spraying.

The three premium knapsack models share common features to heighten comfort, ease maintenance, improve upkeep and ensure reliable, directional spray accuracy.

The Vermorel 2000 Pro Comfort comes with fully specified padded harness, 0.6m highly mechanically and chemically resistant composite lance and 15/10 plate swirl, blue flat fan and blue anvil multi-purpose adjustable nozzles.

The Vermorel 1800 also offers ergonomic back frame and padded shoulder harness, plus 0.6m composite lance and 15/10 swirl nozzle. Meeting rising demand for greener spray strategies, the Vermorel 3000 Electric includes features to ensure operators work in optimal comfort and safety.

All Vermorel knapsacks are easy to use and to dismantle for servicing and repair and are available with a host of accessories and spare parts, such as spray shields, seal and nozzle kits and multi-nozzle spray booms. www.berthoud.fr/en/

Increasing processing capacity

Inka Pallets has introduced another shallow harvest palled box for vineyards, this time aimed at supporting wineries that rely on rotating forks rather than clamp attachments or box tippers for emptying grapes into their presses.

The new two-runner version follows the launch of its four feet PB1000-450C shallow plastic pallet box, a robust, stackable, pallet-sized container with an impressive 450-litre capacity and smooth internal surfaces that protect the quality of the grapes being transported.

The new model, which will be on display at this year’s Vineyard & Winery Show, offers the same benefits as the PB1000-450C, which saves on labour time, manual handling, transport costs and packaging waste while improving vehicle fill, increasing processing capacity and preserving fruit quality.

Inka Pallets’ UK sales manager James Tidman said the new two-runner base container would allow more wineries to enjoy the benefits and efficiencies of switching to bins from crates without having to invest in

expensive equipment or infrastructure.

Stacked safely up to four units high in a vehicle, without any additional need for single-use pallet wrap, the bins allow vineyards to increase the fill of each vehicle by more than 50%, taking it from eight tonnes of grapes per vehicle using crates to 12 tonnes of grapes per vehicle using Inka Pallets bins.

Inka supplied nearly 500 of its innovative boxes to leading vineyard Ridgeview, which was delighted with the performance of the bins. Estate manager Matt Strugnell commented: “They are working out really well. We’re extremely pleased with them, and we’re so glad we made the switch over.”

James Tidman added: “It was a privilege to work with Matt and his team on this project, and we’re delighted with the result they’ve enjoyed in their first harvest using our bins. I’m sure it will be the first of many, because although the boxes are delicate with the fruit, they’re also tough and durable.”

www.inkapallets.co.uk

UK’s first Gregoire harvester

Kirkland is excited about this year’s Vineyard & Winery Show. Following last year’s big reveal of the impressive Antonio Carraro Tony V tractor, the company will this year be showcasing the UK’s first Gregoire harvester. Never before seen in the UK, Gregoire machines are available as trailed or self-propelled harvesters which can also be equipped with front canopy management tools and multi-row sprayers. Making harvest quick and efficient, Gregoire harvesters suit all vineyard conditions, from 1.3m row widths on self-propelled models and 1.5m row widths on trailed versions.

Also on display will be some of Kirkland’s most popular Antonio Carraro tractors. Ranging from 26hp to 98hp, the tractors can come with a low-profile cab measuring just 1740mm high, making them especially suitable for use under low canopies and leafy foliage while ensuring complete protection in Cat. 4 spray cabs for driver comfort.

Certain models in the range are available with reverse drive, hydrostatic and CVT transmission, with the ultimate model being the Quad Track Mach 4. These tractors can be as narrow as 1060mm, making them perfect for travelling down tight rows.

Kirkland’s specialist vineyard machinery doesn’t stop at harvesters and tractors but includes Orizzonti pruning and cultivating equipment, Giant multipurpose wheel loaders, Friuli sprayers, Corvus UTV’s and its own Kirkland and Orvin brands.

Kirkland strives to provide vineyards and

growers with a complete package of quality products and solutions that answers all a vineyard’s machinery needs, including specialist builds. Skilled engineers can either alter an existing machine or fabricate something unique and tailored to an individual grower.

www.kirklanduk.com

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Helping growers make plant protection decisions

Landseer Ltd is a crop protection and horticultural advice company. With over 40 years of experience within the industry, our team are regarded as experts within the post-harvest sector and provide advice and solutions for a range of challenges. Landseer’s team consists of BASIS qualified members, researchers and qualified crop protection applicators.

One solution that Landseer provides is Trapview – a remote pest monitoring system that helps growers make plant protection decisions. It can provide a real-time situation overview (with photographic evidence of caught pests), forecast future pest situations and simulate different plant protection measure scenarios. Trapview helps growers comply with the code requirement for: “evidence for the use of plant protection products”.

Landseer is working on two projects it believes will benefit the vine-growing industry. The first is developing non-destructive quality testing using near infra-red light (NIR) to detect fruit content (e.g. brix and acid), while its most recent project involves trialling a new, biological product. This fixes nitrogen from the air in the leaves of the vine, resulting in consistent, continuous nitrogen delivery to the plant.

If any of Landseer’s solutions are of interest, please meet the team at stand S16. www.landseerltd.co.uk

See us on stand S16

First-class recruitment service

The Carling Partnership Ltd (CPL) is the leading international search company working exclusively within the wine, brewing, distilling, cider and soft drinks industries.

The drinks industry is a growing market internationally, and CPL recognises the demand for professional and talented individuals to help clients meet their goals in a competitive marketplace. Providing a firstclass recruitment service for a wide network of clients from global and international wine companies to small producers, CPL sources and recruits the talent for the future, specialising in middle to executive level staff. To meet the highest standards required by employers in the wine sector,

CPL has the right experience and extensive network of contacts necessary to optimise the search process for both candidates and companies. Our clients enjoy the advantages of working with a sector-specialist search company and we help talented and ambitious applicants secure the best opportunities to further their careers.

As a small company, CPL is proud of the professional and dedicated service it offers in a highly competitive market. Julie Carling and Penny Zaloumis look forward to meeting visitors at the Vineyard & Winery Show and can be found at Stand H11.

www.carlingpartnership.com

As a group we are working towards Net-Zero and reducing our carbon footprint. Net-Zero refers to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute towards global warming to zero by balancing the amount released into the atmosphere. This presents a significant challenge, with most of our internal carbon creation being through our team of on the road personnel. By focussing on reducing our direct impact we identify and record ways to help reduce our customers, and indeed the global carbon footprint.

Achieving Net-Zero will require significant changes across all sectors of the economy and whilst there are many barriers to this, there are countless improvements that can be made from ensuring that green technologies are being used. Renewable energy sources and minimising energy consumption of existing systems will have a positive impact on the environment.

Team JD offer turnkey solutions to many fresh produce sectors and combined with our in-house design capability, we can help reduce carbon footprints through employing greener cooling and heating solutions (heat recovery, heat pumps, combined energy schemes and so on), optimising plant operation, maximising yield, and in turn minimising energy costs.

An in-house team of multi-skilled engineers

Vigo supplies grape reception, wine production and packaging equipment from carefully chosen manufacturers including Speidel, Willmes, Enoveneta, Quantor/Kreyer, PMH Vinicole and CIMEC.

The range includes equipment for destemming, pressing, pumping, fermentation, temperature control, filtration, bottling, disgorging/dosage, corking/capping, labelling, canning, carbonation, bag-in-box and KeyKeg filling.

Consumables such as filter sheets and corks along with vineyard sundries including vine supports and vine clips are available to order online.

All the equipment Vigo supplies is backed up and supported by an in-house

team of nine multi-skilled engineers. They install, they commission and they train clients in the use of equipment where necessary as well as servicing, maintaining and repairing equipment. Vigo also has a dedicated technical support line to help with any questions clients have after supply/installation.

To discuss grape processing, wine production and/or packaging equipment, speak to Andy or Tom on stand H8 at the Vineyard & Winery Show in the John Hendry Pavilion. If you are unable to make the show, call 01404 892 100 or email sales@vigoltd.com www.vigoltd.com

Supplying and managing steel-framed building projects

Wealden AM is always excited to be attending the Vineyard & Winery Show. The company has been supplying and managing steelframed building projects in the South East of England for nearly 30 years and has delivered projects to meet a wide range of needs for agricultural, industrial and commercial customers, with a good proportion of them in the viticulture sector.

Wealden AM understands there is more to a

building project than just a building and puts providing a first-rate customer service at the heart of what it does, taking a pride in offering a complete building package, from expertise and advice during the planning and design stages through to the supply and management of the construction itself.

The company’s in-house team provides a variety of skills and enthusiasm to give every project its all. Working alongside

suppliers and contractors, it puts together the team best suited to an individual project, potentially including planning consultancy and groundworks, together with all building elements.

Based in East Sussex, most of Wealden AM’s customers are based in Kent and Sussex. If you have a project in mind with which we may be able to help, please visit us on stand K23. www.wealdenam.com

Outstanding support

Working as a UK agent for Oeno Concept allows WR Services to provide outstanding support and a fast response time for a great deal of winery machinery as well as much-needed knowledge of champagne and less down time.

Wayne Russell and his team are proud of the brands they support and the service they provide to some of the largest wine makers in the UK, together with some of the smallest.

The company offers full winery sets ups, maintenance, routine servicing, machine installs, bespoke walkways and fabrication and break down support. WR Services was so impressed with last year’s inaugural Vineyard & Winery Show and the chance to meet customers old and new that the company is back with a bigger stand for 2022.

WR Services will have a lot of new kit on display, including TDD discorging

UK agent for Oeno Concept, Cazaux Rotorflex, TR equipment, TDD and Mecamarc.

equipment, pumps and Oeno Concept riddling equipment and is looking forward to meeting visitors to the show.

This family run business is determined to build strong, long-lasting relationships with the brands it supports and is committed to providing the best possible service to his broad range of customers. www.wrservices.biz

Supporting the growing UK vineyard sector

The UK vineyard sector has seen incredible growth in recent years, with the hectarage likely to exceed 5,000 ha by 2025 as more growers expand production or venture into viticulture for the first time.

The trend looks likely to continue, given the country’s changing climate, although after the relatively kind 2022 growing season it can be easy to forget the UK remains on the margin of major grape producing regions. With weather events becoming more extreme, growers still face plenty of challenges, as shown by the late frosts in 2020, so we must ensure all production systems – large and small – are as resilient as possible.

This can be challenging, given the limited armoury of crop protection products available, tighter regulations, labour shortages and financial pressures created by rising costs, but Hutchinsons’ agronomists are here to help, offering a wealth of knowledge, experience and technical support to help manage the challenges and drive productivity and quality.

Hutchinsons offers bespoke agronomy advice, crop protection products and vineyard sundry items and equipment, plus novel solutions such as plant defence elicitors, bio-control products and cutting-edge digital services such as Omnia

and TerraMap.

Indeed, as sustainability, carbon footprinting and soil health become increasingly important, so systems like TerraMap and Omnia come into their own. Omnia offers a range of disease forecasting models, while TerraMap allows growers to accurately highlight and manage the inherent variability across many soil parameters, allowing problem areas to be managed and inputs to be used

more efficiently, benefitting productivity and the environment. Its carbon mapping functionality is another area that will gain importance as the political drive towards “net zero” filters down to individual growers. Whether you’re new to the vineyard sector or an experienced grower, visit stand K47 at the Vineyard Show to discover how Hutchinsons can help your business.

www.hlhltd.co.uk

Creative partner

Oak Creative operates as a creative partner to ambitious businesses. Starting life as a graphic design agency over 30 years ago, the professional team uses its brand-building expertise to elevate its clients’ businesses. It is this know-how that has led Oak Creative to deliver stand out food and drinks brands in Kent. Studio director Laura Bevan said: “Our vast experience building websites for the food and drinks industry allowed us to develop our own, unique ecommerce platform – FoodE. We launched the platform at the Vineyard & Winery Show last year, so we’re excited to be back to share it with more people.”

Oak Creative built FoodE to be a reliable ecommerce platform specifically for food and drink retailers, to help them to optimise sales and save time. FoodE uses the best features of some of Oak Creative’s most successful website designs and brings them into one incredible piece of software.

FoodE retailers receive a professional ecommerce website plus a host of analysis tools and integration with other business functions such as accounting and marketing platforms. This one-stop-shop website solution offers a 12-month payment plan and does not take sales commission. FoodE means online retailers can sell more, earn more and save time. www.getfoode.com

Bespoke temperature control systems

The group is reducing its carbon footprint and working towards ‘net zero’ - reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute towards global warming to zero by balancing the amount released into the atmosphere. This presents a significant challenge, with most of the group’s internal carbon being created by its team of on-the-road personnel. By focussing on reducing its direct impact, JD Cooling identifies and records ways to help reduce its customers’, and indeed the global, carbon footprint.

Achieving net zero will require significant changes across all sectors of

the economy, and while there are many barriers to this, there are countless improvements that can be made by ensuring green technologies are being used. Using renewable energy sources and minimising the energy consumption of existing systems has a positive impact on the environment.

Team JD offers turnkey solutions to many fresh produce sectors and, combined with its in-house design capability, can help reduce carbon footprints by employing greener cooling and heating solutions (heat recovery, heat pumps, combined energy schemes for example), optimising plant operation, maximising yield and, in turn, minimising energy costs. www.jdcooling.com / info@jdcoolinggroup.com

Vine Grower of the Year

Back in 2015, Vine-Works and Chris Foss (of Plumpton College fame) came up with the idea of a financial award for viticultural research, as at that time all of the ‘gongs’ were for winemakers. “Why should they have all the glory? What about the folk that do all of the graft in the vineyard?” was the thinking.

Thus it was proposed that Vine-Works sponsor the Vine Grower of the Year award. This was initially administered through the South East Vineyards Association (SEVA) region and the selection of candidates was carried out by an eminent viticulturist. The award was Vine-Works’ contribution to upskilling our side of the industry and inspiring the next

generation of viticulturists.

The second winner of the Vine Grower award was Sam Middleton. He is currently researching Methods for Reducing the Incidence and Impact of Botrytis Cinerea using defoliation and bio-fungicides. This research will take Sam to Germany, Luxembourg and Italy to assess how and when the viticulturists in these regions use these techniques. The aim is to provide UK growers with the most up-to-date information with techniques to reduce Botrytis on local vineyards.

Listen to Sam Middleton in The Great British Varietal Debate 14.00 - 15.00 and find him on VineWorks' Stand K28/K29

JD Cooling Group is the UK’s leading independent supplier of bespoke temperature control systems.

Could your business benefit from custom cardboard packaging?

In Europe, more than 85% of all corrugated cardboard boxes are recycled. Each box contains 76% recovered material, on average, giving the corrugated industry the best recycling rate of all packaging materials.

Combined with its strength-to-weight ratio, printability and low cost, corrugated cardboard is the ideal material for packaging products and ensuring they reach the customer in excellent condition. Everyone knows paper-based materials are more sustainable than plastic, and it has become inherent in UK culture that excessive packaging is no longer acceptable.

Custom-designed cardboard packaging elevates the perception of the product and further reduces waste and the carbon footprint of the company involved. When packaging fits the product perfectly, there is no need for void fillers, which are generally not liked by customers and add cost to the process in terms of financial outlay and space in the packing area.

Custom-designed packaging also helps minimise breakages and customer complaints. Qualified designers will determine the correct level of protection for the product, based on years of experience. Furthermore, custom packaging looks fantastic, with the design – both structural and in terms of the print – able to be kept in line with company branding.

Visit WH Skinner’s website www.whskinner.co.uk for inspiration and to see how the company can help with packaging requirements.

Do point of sale displays work?

Without a doubt. Cardboard point-of-sale displays are a tried and tested, proven, marketing and sales tool used by both multinational companies and small businesses alike. Whether it’s to promote a new product, shift slow moving stock or maximise sales, there is a type of cardboard display that will work effectively.

Counter top cardboard displays are ideal for smaller products, or as a product demonstration. Dump bins are fantastic to clear excess or fastmoving stock, particularly when tied in with quantity offers. Free or floorstanding display units are perfect for introducing new product ranges, where there are different product options per shelf.

Critically, the company’s branding and message are really important for maximum engagement and sales. Point of sale is a disrupter, designed to grab the attention of shoppers, so perhaps a better question to ask here is: which type of point-of-sale display is most effective for your product and brand?

Speak to WH Skinner’s sales team on 01622 749099 to discuss your requirements now. www.whskinner.co.uk

> Vineyard' s Jamie McGrorty presenting the box the Vineyard & Winery Show have had made

YOUR TICKET

The Vineyard & Winery Show is an

The Vineyard & Winery Show will provide vineyard owners, winemakers and growers with a fantastic opportuni to keep up to date with the latest technology, meet with suppliers & allied trades that are supporting the industry as well as having the chance to network with key players in the UK wine marketplace.

FREE TO ALL ATTENDEES

You will be able to meet with industry experts, learn about new technology and view demonstrations of the latest machinery. Come and taste some of the UK’s best wines – up to 100 di erent UK producers are making their wines available for tasting on the day.

FREE SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

Giving you the chance to learn from industry leaders and hear about how they built their businesses. Expert speakers will cover viticulture, winemaking and marketing topics.

Partnership Agreements

A firm handshake or agreed in writing?

Have you ever considered what would happen to your farm business if one of the partners died or was made bankrupt and you did not have a written partnership agreement in place? Legally speaking the Partnership Act 1890 would come into play, requiring all debts to be paid and borrowing returned to banks, with the residue being distributed between the remaining partners. If this isn’t what you had in mind, then read on…

In practice, in the absence of a written partnership agreement then as long as the remaining partners agree, a new partnership agreement can take over all the debts and assets of the old partnership so that a sale does not have to take place.

It’s better not to leave anything to chance. A written partnership agreement will reduce the risk of a dispute taking place as conversations about the tricky issues will have already taken place.

Another area that frequently causes a dispute is how the assets will be valued if the partnership agreement comes to an end, as there can be a significant difference between the book value of assets vs the open market value. Given the rise in land and property values in recent years, it is important to get this right for the long-term success of the farm business.

Other points to include in a written agreement will be which assets are personally owned and which are business assets belonging to the partnership. Property which is owned by a farming partnership will be eligible for full Business Property Relief (BPR), but if it is owned personally

and used by the partnership during the farming activities then only 50% BPR will be available. Agricultural property relief is only applicable to the assets used for agricultural purposes and at their agricultural value, which might not be the true market value.

Finally, it’s important to make sure all partners have Wills which are up to date and accurately reflect the partnership agreement. For example, if land and property is included in the partnership agreement then it cannot be gifted in a Will, although the interest in the partnership can be included.

Talk to us on our stand at The Vineyard & Winery Show or contact Paul Burbidge on 01622 689700 or by emailing p.burbidge@gullands.com www.gullands.com

What to expect

A selection of photos from the 2021 Show.

Looking through glass

Focus on

composition,

colour and lightweight glass.

There is a huge selection of glass packaging available to winemakers and brand owners and options seem vast, wide and endless.

The differing quality and lack of supply of glass bottles on the market throughout 2022 taught a lot of people that consistency of supply and glass quality is an important consideration for winemaking.

Making a choice of what your brand will be bottled in and how it is represented is really important to both the winemaker and brand owner. Sustainable packaging is more and more important to consumers and in turn wine producers and having lightweight glass while

maintaining performance for both still and sparkling is important.

UV protection is also important and there have been some headways in incorporating UV protection into flint/clear glass bottles to maintain the visual appeal for Rosé and white wine. Both quality and branding are important features to the glass packaging – aiming for the wine to taste its best through sensory perception and actual quality of the wine. It’s important the value of the wine is maintained especially considering all the effort and cost to produce it.

In the article I will cover the UV protection

Colour variation and protective abilities

different glass colours offer, the physical and chemical properties of glass as well as a new glass forming technique that maintains both structural integrity but allows for lightweight bottles for both sparkling and still wine.

Glass composition Technical information and chemical characteristics

Glass is obtained by melting a mixture of raw materials. The three main components in the process are:

◆ Silica, which is the vitrifying element (it melts at very high temperatures);

◆ Soda (sodium carbonate), which is the melting agent (it lowers the melting temperature of the silica);

◆ Calcium (calcium carbonate), which is the stabilizing element (it improves the chemical resistance of the glass).

Other ingredients are added to these three components in order to obtain certain properties:

Temperatures (approximate average data)

Melting at 1500°C

Refining at 1300°C

Forming at 900/1000°C

Annealing at 350/550°C

> Light transmission: This varies according to the colour and thickness of the glass; the table above shows the approximate values of glass filtering power

◆ Magnesium, that lowers the speed and temperature of the devitrification and thus enables the working of the material at better temperature conditions;

◆ Aluminium oxide, which lowers the coefficient of thermal expansion, increases the viscosity levels at processing temperatures and improves resistance to water and thermal shocks.

Other additives (nitrates, sulphates) are introduced in order to eliminate gas bubbles and improve the homogeneity of the vitreous paste, as well as colouring or decolouring agents. It is worth underlining that the decolouring of glass is not generally a chemical reaction but the result of a physical process based on the superimposing of complementary colours. With the production of flint glass (clear glass), despite the use of carefully selected raw materials, some impurities continue to be present (such as iron oxide or very small particles of chrome that give a yellow-green colour to the batch).

For this reason, appropriate amounts of other ingredients are added, such as selenium (pink) and/or cobalt (blue) to obtain the typical "colourless-transparent" aspect of glass. Other frequently added colouring agents are chrome (green), pyrite and graphite (dark yellow), copper (red).

Physical characteristics

Because of its distinctive features, glass can be considered both as a solid (because of its hardness, the ability to maintain its shape, etc.) and as a liquid (because of its isotropy, disordered structure, etc.), and it is therefore some-times described as a "high viscosity liquid".

Between its extreme fluidity during the refining phase and the solid state of the finished product, there is the so-called "working range".

◆ Hardness: this is increased by calcium and boron. Only diamond can scratch glass;

◆ Density: this varies according to the type of glass. On average it is 2.5 kg/dm3;

◆ Fragility: this well-known characteristic is partly a result of its viscosity, which may cause internal stresses during the cooling phase; these can be partially eliminated using a particularly careful annealing process;

◆ Tensile and elongation strength: negligible;

◆ Resistance to compression: 40 kg/mm2. This makes it possible to use glass in the construction industry;

◆ Thermal conductivity: 50 times lower than steel and 500 times lower than copper. Glass is not a good heat conductor and this is another cause of its fragility;

◆ Conductivity of electricity: glass is a very bad conductor of electricity in its solid state (the glass used as an electrical insulator is obtained by using specific variations in its composition, since the presence of alkali must be minimised in order to eliminate the surface conductivity, created by the saline solutions that form between the dampness of the external layer and the sodium silicates - the white effect).

Lightweight glass process and technology

Prior to 1970, most glass beverage containers were manufactured by the blow and blow (BB) process. However, it became apparent that to achieve the goal of reduced glass weight, innovations in the forming process were needed for greater control of glass distribution. This led to the innovation of the narrow neck press and blow (NNPB) process. This technology was used to manufacture nonrefillable bottles at reduced glass weights, while continuing to meet conventional minimum thickness requirements. This was

achieved through the ability of the plunger to actively position glass, creating more uniform thickness distributions for a given glass weight. Today, NNPB technology is widely used in the production of non-refillable beverage bottles throughout the worldwide glass container industry. In recent years, the industry has begun to consider the potential use of NNPB technology for refillable beverage containers, which had been historically formed using the BB process. The interest in the NNPB process is the same as the established use for non-refillable bottles – to reduce weight by taking advantage of improved glass thickness distributions inherent in the NNPB process. However, refillable bottles present distinct challenges due to reduced glass surface strengths that are associated with repeated use.

In a recent study, both identical minimum thicknesses and identical average thicknesses for NNPB and BB processes were analysed for internal pressure and vertical load stresses through finite element analysis and concluded that:

◆ When minimum thicknesses were maintained at the same value, bottle weight could be reduced approximately 14% through the use of the NNPB process. This weight reduction can be achieved with manageable increases in the stress index.

◆ When the average thicknesses are held at the same value, both the internal pressure and the vertical load performance can be significantly improved through the use of the NNPB process, while the bottle weight remains unchanged. Based on these results, NNPB would appear to be a viable candidate for refillable bottle production. However, additional work to include the effects of NNPB production on impact resistance is planned using the same approaches that were utilised in this study.

Ideally suited

Waterford Whisky ditches the typical cork closure for a custom glass Vinolok closure.

Unashamedly influenced by the world’s greatest winemakers, Waterford Whisky obsessively brings the same intellectual drive, methodology and rigour to barley –the very source of malt whisky’s complex flavour.

Extolling a hundred exclusive farms of Irishgrown barley, the search for natural flavours was via three paths: the Single Farm Origins pursue the individualism of terroir-derived flavour; they are the building blocks of Cuvées, where the whole is greater than the sum. Finally, the Arcadian Barley expresses the intensity of flavour from exploring the old ways – of Organic, Biodynamic, Heritage and even Irish-peated barley. Indeed, so it is through exploration of the frontiers of natural flavour that Waterford Whisky is the world’s largest producer of organic

and biodynamic whiskies.

Waterford Whisky was initially drawn to Berlin Packaging UK as they’d noticed our collaboration with the Vinolok closures. Waterford Whisky's CEO had seen them in the wine industry and felt they would be ideally suited for their brand. Berlin Packaging UK had the know-how about Vinolok, and the willingness to get involved, along with the fact that we worked effectively with the design teams in mapping out just what was possible from an aesthetic point of view. With an impeccable whisky like no other, they needed a packaging presentation to suit. Waterford Whisky does the right thing in order to make a profound whisky, so that includes doing things the right way rather than the easy way. A lot of the packaging choices could be more cost-effective but this would mean less

sustainable, and it was important the collars and the cuffs of the project all match.

The most notable obstacle was the concerns around the Vinolok closure and the production line – the whisky industry is entirely used to a cork closure, and not at all familiar with glass closures. With this, the team were required to bring a lot of experts together from all areas of the business to reassure and work over any technical challenges.

The Vinolok closures are now a key part of the Waterford Whisky brand because Waterford was the first major whisky brand to ditch the cork and make this custom glass closure part of their core identity. The Vinolok closure is so striking and original that they’re confident they’ve paved the way and now many others may want to follow suit.

Carbon-neutral glass

Berlin Packaging | Bruni Glass presents a journey of discovery in the captivating world of wine. Our journey begins from afar and combines our extraordinary expertise in the glass sector with the desire to give shape and substance to the sector’s most iconic bottle designs.

As a wine bottle designer and glass bottle manufacturing company, Berlin Packaging | Bruni Glass launched a new collection of eight bottles, Itinera. Itinera skilfully blends shapes and details from timeless tradition with innovative and cutting-edge proposals, going beyond national borders to meet the tastes of contemporary brands. The journey takes two different roads, selection, and experience: two product lines with a clear identity presented in eight different designs and colours.

The name of the new collection reflects the very idea of a journey to discover Italian excellence which is essential for our economy. In the same way, the bottles have names that recall the ancient Roman roads that played an important role in the evolution of wine, conveying all the emotion of an eternal thousand-year-old tradition.

Aurelia: is the bottle from the Itinera collection designed for wineries in touch with the issue of sustainability.

The “100% Carbon Neutral” production is achieved by using electricity from renewable sources, biomethane instead of natural gas and a programme dedicated to offsetting residual CO2 emissions.

This Aurelia bottle is available in both ancient green and emerald green, to maximise the recycled glass content and create the perfect vessel for

organic wine growing.

"In light of the historic COP agreement of 2021 to reduce rising global temperatures, the importance of decarbonising many areas of the packaging in the wine and wider industries is essential to achieve these climate change targets. Glass is a superb packaging material for wine and has stood the test of time, it has a strong aesthetic and technical qualities that other materials find hard to match. One of the weakest parts of glass manufacturing is the carbon emissions involved in melting the glass in the furnaces to temperatures above 1000 degrees Celsius. Excitingly Berlin Packaging has been making headway in this area and is now able to achieve 100% carbon neutral glass production," said Mark Crumpton, Business Development Manager, Berlin Packaging UK.

Aurelia

"100% Carbon Neutral”

Berlin Packaging UK is able to make any bottle, in any shape using carbon-neutral glass.

Designed for wineries in touch with the issue of sustainability. The production is achieved by using electricity from renewable sources and a programme dedicated to offset residual CO2 emissions. Available in ancient green and emerald green, in order to maximise the recycled glass content.

model

Representing you

Working in partnership with Vineyard magazine for a developing UK wine industry.

WineGB is the national trade body representing the vine growers and winemakers of Great Britain from the largest producers to small hobbyists. Our members work together with the organisation to develop strategy, expertise and marketing opportunities for long-term, sustainable success.

New website

We have officially unveiled our new, streamlined website. We now have a public-facing site, together with a members’ area that is only available through a login link. The redesign process has focused on simplifying the website and making it more intuitive.

The members’ area now has a searchable ‘knowledge’ section containing useful documents and information on business management, law & taxation, wine production & viticulture, research & development and marketing, as well as the WineGB webinar library.

The main development has been the adoption of a self-service system called My WineGB. This system is intended to make your life easier and give you control of your membership. It allows members to update their details, including those displayed in the online vineyard directory, as well as manage their subscribers and membership payments.

The seminar programme at The Vineyard & Winery Show

We are delighted to be hosting and running the seminar programme at this year’s Vineyard & Winery Show on 23 November.

Starting at 9am the programme will cover four key areas: business & marketing; careers in the industry; viticulture; and winemaking. Each session will include expert speakers in their field and we are sure will provide plenty of thought-provoking content. See pages 38-40 for full details.

The seminars will take place in the first marquee located near to the entrance to the show, providing your first stop at this busy show!

WineGB will also have a stand located prominently at the show (H12). All visitors will have the chance to meet the team and find out more about our many initiatives, conducted on behalf of the whole industry.

Great British Wine Festival

We are holding a post-harvest celebration after the Vineyard & Winery Show, starting from 6:30pm. Taking place at the Clive Emson Conference Centre, a short walk from the main exhibition space, the festival

live music, a three-course dinner and plenty of fun!

Menu details are as follows:

Local bread board: Local artisan bread rolls served warm with nasturtium infused butter, smoked rapeseed oil, dukkha & smoked salt.

To begin: A celebration of Kent produce – Biddenden Dornfelder poached pear, with Kent blue cheese, Moonsgreen charcuterie beer sticks, beetroot grissini with Letts local rocket.

Main: Pulled pork squash – a carnival squash, filled with our vine leaves and Gloucester old spot pork, on a bed of purple mashed potato, with brightly coloured red onion, yellow courgette, red pepper and fennelroasted carrot.

Dessert: Tea in the park – a cup of earl grey panna cotta with a blackberry compote and a sloe gin jammy dodger on the side.

Photography competition

We are running a photography competition to find the best image of this year’s harvest.

Open to all WineGB members, the competition will be judged by a small jury, which will select a shortlist of 10 images. These images will be featured on the WineGB website as well as on its social media channels. The shortlist will then be whittled down to three pictures, and votes will be cast to select the winner. The competition is free to enter, and you can submit as many photos as you wish.

Please email Phoebe (phoebe@winegb.co.uk) for the entry form and guidelines.

Shaking it up

Is the UK starting to follow in the footsteps of other wine regions around the world who use machine harvesting for their quality wines, as well as for bulk production? Maybe machine harvesting is already widespread, and this is a turning point in the sector – but producers are keeping quiet? Jo Cowderoy speaks to some of those who have taken the plunge and are machine harvesting, finding cost and time efficiencies –and are surprised by the quality..

There still exists some snobbery around mechanically harvested fruit associating it with poorer quality bulk wine – but advances in technology mean that latest machine harvesters are better at preserving fruit quality, and tastings of hand-picked verses machine-picked fruit reportedly show little difference.

Taking the plunge

New Hall Wine Estate is a family-owned business, in Essex, which includes 59 hectares of vineyards and a newly built winery with 250hl capacity handling around 180-220 tonnes of fruit each year for their own production and a few contract customers. Although not mentioned in

the Magna Carta, there are reports of vineyards in the area at around 1120 AD, producing wine to be served to royalty in London.

Taking a well calculated and considered investment, Chris Trembath, Partner, has bought the first brand new self-propelled New Holland machine harvester is the country. “I’m excited and have purchased it for all the right reasons – it's financially viable,” commented Chris. “I can see labour shortage and labour costs becoming more of an issue in the future, and this was a factor in the decision making,” Chris added.

“For us the main advantage of a machine harvester is the increased control over our harvest to ensure the quality of the fruit. This includes the speed of harvest, having the flexibility to work around the weather and importantly - harvest when the fruit is at optimum ripeness. With our area we would need 50 people and we would have to harvest when the labour was available –so now harvest is much less stressful,” said Chris.

New Hall is situated near Chelmsford in the Crouch Valley, which is now one of the most rapidly expanding viticulture areas in the country due to its low frost risk, warmer temperature, lower rainfall, and fertile clay soils. The area is gaining a reputation for producing some top-quality Pinot Noir. In fact, the published research work by Dr Alistair Nesbitt identified the potential of the area a few years ago.

The New Holland harvester is supplied by Ernest Doe – a family company headed up by Angus Doe, who is the fifth generation. The company has 19 depots across the south east and eastern England, so service and support for their clients is never far away. In fact, the company were New Holland dealer of the year in 2021. “This is the first machine harvester we have sold to a vineyard, but we now have a number of enquiries from other vineyards,” commented Angus.

New Holland is a well-known name and leading brand of machine harvesters in many wine regions of Europe and worldwide, known for machine harvesters as well as their specialised narrow width tractors and equipment. New Holland are manufacturing around 500 machine harvesters a year, with a usual lead time of around six months. However, Chris Trembath found that his order in June was delivered before harvest started in September.

Tom Wheatly, Viticulture and Fruit Specialist with Ernst Doe, commented: “Although this is the first we have sold in the UK, our mechanics at key depots will receive product training to provide support along with parts and service. Parts are either in stock or sent from New Holland’s UK distribution centre, or from France in about a day.”

Philippe Boisseau, New Holland Worldwide Grape Harvester Specialist explained: “The machine straddles the row, and the suspended picking head uses a shaking system, where the

plastic bars vibrate and it’s their acceleration rather than physical contact that removes the berries. The programme can be adjusted so that the frequency can suit the fruit and harvest conditions. The synchronised noria buckets gently carry the fruit to the tank at the top of the machine. It can carry about 3.2 tonnes of fruit. Blowers and de-stemmers/sorters remove the unwanted stems and leaves. The machine can be multifunctional, for example the picking head can be removed and replaced by a sprayer.”

The task of operating the machine harvester has been given to Andy Hares, New Hall’s Vineyard & Estate Manager, after some training from New Holland technicians. “You need to get the forward speed, vibration speed and width right for each vineyard block. It’s a bit of trial and error, so I do around 10m in the row and then sample the fruit in the tank. You need to consider the ripeness of the fruit, whether the grapes are thick or thin skinned – but the settings can be saved

> Andy Hares, New Hall Wine Estate

> New Holland at New Hall Wine Estate

HARVESTING

for each block. As well as an auto height levelling, there is an auto-steer function – but you need to be brave to use it,” exclaimed Andy.

“Some of the wooden trellis posts in our older vineyards are not ideal, but the suspended picking head is flexible, and the width of the ‘pinch’ can be adjusted. If setting up new vineyards for machine harvesting it would be wise to have a modern metal trellis and headlands of 10m,” commented Andy.

“The machine takes about one and half hours to harvest a hectare, which means about five or six hectares a day. The minimum row width for this model is 2m, but there are other machines in the range, also able to harvest blackcurrant,” added Philippe.

Charles Palmer, owner of Charles Palmer Vineyards, in East Sussex has also taken the plunge and invested in a new trailed Pellenc Grape Line 80 machine harvester. The vineyards cover 14 hectares and make a range of both still and sparkling wines. “In 2020 we had a nightmare getting the number of pickers we needed, mainly because of the Covid-19 pandemic. We never knew how many would turn up – sometimes there were only ten,” explained Charles.

“It was impossible to work like that, so we knew we had to address the problem. I went to see contractor SJ Barnes demonstrating a machine harvester and was very impressed. However, I needed to see how the machine would operate on our own vineyards before I invested, so we used Sam Barnes contract services for some of our crop last year. Again, I was very impressed with the speed and the quality, so straight after last harvest I ordered my own machine harvester,” said Charles.

“There are so many advantages to machine harvesting. We can pick at optimum quality, not too early or too late. We also found that picker’s abilities vary - some are good and stick to the quality parameters given, but many are sub-standard. Managing a picking team has become so frustrating and stressful – and the costs are soaring!

“With a machine you set it up for the block and it harvests with a dependable quality. With the correct settings for the degree of vigour –how hard it shakes the vine – the green berries and botrytis infected berries can be left behind.

It has a grading table at the top of the machine and only clean fruit falls through – all the stems, petioles and leaves are blown away. So, in our view, the machine is better in terms of quality,” added Charles.

“I have calculated that with the annual payments, depreciation, fuel, and a tractor driver I am saving nearly 30% over hand harvesting. When the machine is fully paid for, I expect this saving will increase. Although the decision to purchase the machine harvester was financial, with the quality and control over harvest and the peace of mind, I would now consider switching to a machine even without the savings. If you are late pruning it’s not the end of the world, but if you are late harvesting and you see all your hard work deteriorating on the vine – it is,” said Charles.

Contract services

Sam Barnes, from S.J Barnes Ltd, began offering contract machine harvesting four years ago and due to increased demand, bought a second trailed Pellenc Grape Line machine last

year. “The demand has been incredible. In year one we machine harvested 40 hectares, in year two over 100 hectares. Last year with a second machine we did 170 hectares and this year we will top 200 hectares,” commented Sam. Machine harvesting is usually considered more suitable for fruit destined for still wine production, but in Sam Barnes’ experience a lot of fruit for sparkling, including traditional method, is now being machine harvested.

“Last year about 70% of the fruit we machine harvested was for fizz,” commented Sam. “This year the split is nearer 60:40 for stills – but this is because vineyards are achieving the ripeness needed to make more still wines,” he added.

“I think in previous years the risk of labour shortages pushed the decision to machine harvest for many, but this year we have the challenge of higher volumes as well. There is a growing acceptance of machine harvesting as more vineyards and wineries are experiencing the benefits, seeing cost savings, and appreciating the ease of machine harvesting,” added Sam.

“As a ballpark figure, the cost of hand harvesting - considering labour costs for picking and the time taken handling crates is around £350-400 per tonne. The cost of machine harvesting using contract services is around £100 per tonne,” explained Sam.

Sam Linter, Managing Director, Bolney Wine Estate, in West Sussex, has been using S.J Barnes machine harvesting contract services for a couple of years. “We use a machine harvester for a proportion of our grapes as there are so many advantages and we are happy with the results and quality.

> Pellenc Grape Line 80 machine harvester at Charles Palmer Vineyards

What about quality?

“I was not in favour of a machine harvester at first,” said Lucy Winward, New Hall’s Commercial Manager who oversees winemaking, “but now I am seeing the benefits – for a start we can pick the fruit exactly when we want to, whereas previously when we were dependant on labour, we could have under ripe or over ripe fruit coming into the winery. I am seeing a surprising increase in juice quality, with less unripe fruit, but also it is destemmed in the machine, so the winery operations are more efficient. We mainly produce still wines, but I am planning some trials using machine harvested fruit for our sparkling production,” added Lucy

We did some trials with our 2020 Chardonnay at Bolney, comparing the juice from machine and hand harvested fruit,” commented Sam Linter. “We found the flavours more pronounced with the machine harvested fruit,” she added.

“One advantage, which helps quality, is the speed that we can get the fruit in to the press, and it remains cool. This is particularly important with fruit that is not from our local vineyards. Fruit that is hand-picked can end up sitting in crates for hours, often getting warm. Hand harvesting also brings with it issues such as organising and providing facilities for picking crews, the logistics of transporting, washing crates – all of which can be stressful,” said Sam.

More still wines

Dr Alistair Nesbitt is CEO of Vinescapes Ltd and renowned for his research work in climate change and viticulture. His paper, ‘Climate change projections for UK viticulture to 2040: a focus on improving suitability for Pinot Noir’ was published in Oeno One in July 2022. “The study shows how the climate of a larger area of England and Wales is projected to become suitable for reliably growing sparkling wine grape varieties, and how the potential for high quality still wine production is rapidly emerging,” explained Dr Nesbitt.

Winemaking considerations

David Cowderoy, consultant winemaker and Managing Director of BevTech Ltd, has made wine in over 30 wine regions around the world – and the vast majority has been from machine harvested fruit. “Machine harvesting can offer a lot of advantages in the vineyard, but there are some important winemaking considerations that need to be taken into account,” explained David. “The potential for oxidation is much greater which can have a very negative impact on aromatics. At the very least SO2 should be added as soon as possible. Sometimes drippers with an SO2 solution can be used on the harvester itself – but it is very hard to get the dose just right and yet another thing for the driver of the harvester to control. A simpler method is to add powdered PMS to <<

> Inside view of the Pellenc harvester

> Machine harvested fruit at Charles Palmer Vineyards

Vineyard thrives on agri-tourism

the bins as the grapes are transferred from the harvester – but care needs to be taken to ensure even distribution,” David added.

“On its own SO2 is not a good oxygen scavenger, so using ascorbic acid in addition will have a huge effect of reducing oxidation, but this is something than should only be done with full knowledge of the implications of working with ascorbic acid – in particular maintaining sufficiently high free SO2 levels,” advised David.

“Skin contact is of course another consideration because colour and tannin pickup will increase and so proteinaceous fining agents, PVPP or carbon may be advantageous – particularly if there is a significant time period between harvesting and pressing. Also, the percentage of juice lees post racking will also tend to be higher than hand harvested fruit. This can have important economic implications if there is no facility at the winery to recover juice from lees,” added David.

“The winery team need to adapt to machine harvested fruit,” explained Charles. “The downside is that there is the potential for oxidation in the bins, so the fruit needs to be transported to the winery and into the press as quickly as possible. The timing of winery operations becomes more important as everything must be processed the same day. On the plus side the grapes are arriving at the winery nice and cool, at around 12°C, which slows oxidation.

“We find that the press operations are slightly different with machine harvested fruit compared to whole bunch, as the berries will have broken skin and more juicing. We limit pressure to 1.4 bar and aim for about 60% juice yield before settling and racking off its primary lees. However, we are now using the machine harvester for all our

wine, the red, white, and rose stills as well as the sparkling,” added Charles.

Is this a turning point?

Sam Linter is also Chair of WineGB and sees machine harvesting as a key turning point in the UK wine sector. “As labour becomes more difficult to secure, and more expensive, I can see machine harvesting bringing efficiencies and cost savings. I also think we will see press centres being positioned around the regions so that juice rather than grapes can be transported,” Sam added.

“I’m definitely seeing more interest in machine harvesting,” explained Joel Jorgensen, Viticulturist and Managing Director of Vinescapes Ltd. “This is mainly due to cost savings, and I think they are likely to be the way forward – as seen in the rest of the world, and especially if the focus on stills increases. However, they are a large investment for once-a-year use, so the vineyard needs to be of a certain size with enough work for the machine to pay for itself. Other options are to ‘buddy up’ with a neighbour or use contract services.

“The cost savings on labour are certainly a consideration for many. If a machine harvest can shift about 35 tonnes a day, by my rough

calculations, that would need the equivalent of around 90 pickers, probably earning around £15 an hour. It’s much less complicated to manage one machine than 90 pickers,” exclaimed Joel. “However, I remember seeing some comparative figures a few years back that there is not always such a difference in machine verses hand harvesting costs in certain situations. If the vineyard is easy to pick, the fruit is exposed, and the bunches are large – a good team of pickers can move very quickly and efficiently through a vineyard.

“One challenge we have in the UK is that many of our vineyards are small and situated down tiny winding country lanes. I can’t imagine that a contractor would be keen to negotiate the route for a small volume of fruit –it’s just not feasible. This begs the question that the small boutique vineyards could become disadvantaged, their fruit becoming more expensive to pick, financial margins becoming tighter and the costs gap may make the price point of the wine higher. Another challenge is disease levels; machine harvesters will gather fruit that is infected with powdery mildew or botrytis as well as clean fruit,” added Joel.

> Sam Barnes, from S.J Barnes Ltd, began offering contract machine harvesting four years ago

Mechanical pre pruning

The Provitis MP 122 has been used successfully in UK vineyards for the last three seasons and proved itself to be reliable and easy to use. Its function is to cut away the top 50cm or so of the canopy thus making the following manual pruning and pulling out far easier and therefore cheaper.

The overlapping discs cut the wood into small pieces which then fall away. The machine is relatively expensive to buy however the statistics for hire are significant and reduce the overall winter pruning bill by a healthy margin. Users include Yotes Court, Greyfriars and Hundred Hills where the machine averaged a forward speed of 5.4 kph covering around one hectare per hour or seven per day with an average cost of £70 per hectare.

Subsequent winter handwork is greatly reduced as little effort is required when pulling out. The machine height and tilt is easily set as it has the same in-cab controls as a trimmer which most people are familiar with. The driver sets the bottom blade at a height just below the tendrils so that when pruning with secateurs the branches pretty well fall away with no hand tugging.

Traditional hand pulling accounts for about 50% of the winter canopy management costs so this machine reduces that dramatically. The cutting head sits on a mast and is easily attached and detached in the same way as other tools in the range like the leaf wall trimmer, mechanical de-leafer, pneumatic

VITIFRUIT EQUIPMENT

de-leafer, Multi-Brush strimmer/bud rubber, tucking and tying in tool and cane puller. So for example if you already have a trimmer on a mast for summer work you take it off and fit the pre-pruner head or any of the other tools as needed without having to invest in another mast or control system. Vitifruit Equipment also has most of these tools available for hire.