As harvest time approaches, vineyards around the county are bound to be considering whether to take on additional seasonal workers to help lighten the load and get the job done.

Receiving your vines is possibly the most exciting moment for a new vineyard. A moment filled with excitement, anticipation and satisfaction. However, there are many considerations to be made to ensure their safe arrival and to give them the optimum chance of success.

The Jockey Club and Hampshire-based producer Coates & Seely have announced a new three-year exclusive partnership which will see Coates & Seely become the only English sparkling wine served across 14 of the Jockey Club’s 15 racecourses.

Ready for the start of the 2019 spray season, Chapel Down has recently invested in four Booster Rafal sprayers from Italian manufacturer Caffini.

Planting is probably the most critical endeavour in the life of a vineyard, after all you only get to do it once, which is why Agrii has been working alongside East Malling Research on a three-year long trial to enhance vineyard establishment.  These trials have looked at how a variety of products can influence not only plant vigour but also wine quality.

Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) is a ground-breaking product for cold stabilising white and rosé wines. It provides a rapid, inexpensive, and organoleptically neutral alternative for cold stability. It is cost effective, as traditional cold stabilisation is time consuming and energy intensive. CMC reduces energy cost, it is time-efficient when CMC is added to wine immediately after polish filtration, and the wine is stable and ready for bottling in 48 hours.

The degree of frost damage in vines is dependent on growth stage, the duration of temperatures below zero, and to some degree, following day-time temperatures. Site selection is a taken as read, and growers are familiar with mechanised frost mitigation measures, such as frost fans, bougies and heated fruiting wire. 

On 8 March 2019, viticulturists gathered at Hush Heath Estate in Staplehurst, Kent, to battle it out at the UK’s first vine pruning competition.

A new headline sponsor has been unveiled for Viti-Culture 2019, the inaugural show for UK vineyard owners, managers, winemakers and the drinks trade taking place on Thursday 11 July at Plumpton College, Ditchling, Sussex.