The growth of UK viticulture has been rapid in the past decade. But a large percentage of the new producers don’t come from a traditional farming background, many are from IT or the financial sector. Consequently these new entrants to wine production don’t have the skillset for the day to day tasks in the vineyard. Also, many of these new ventures are large scale commercial acreage (it’s pretty unlikely that any MD’s are going to be out pruning). So vineyard teams are essential to ensure viticultural tasks are completed to a professional standard. In addition, there is also a continuing lack of skilled and experienced domestic workers to keep pace with the increasing acreage of vineyards. Continue reading “The vine post” →

We are a company that establishes vineyards and offers vineyard management services, and while it was never our intention to get into the fruit brokering business, somehow we now find ourselves moving several hundred tons of fruit annually for clients. Continue reading “The vine post – Brokering fruit” →

Harvest 2018 is fast approaching with a bountiful crop promised across the board. The summer has been kind, to say the least. Canopies are lush, berries are plump and it would seem we’ve still got sunshine to spare. Continue reading “The vine post” →

Born and bred into a dairy farming family based in Leeds, Duncan McNeill always knew that he wanted to work in agriculture but struggled to find the right sector for him until moving out to New Zealand in 2000. Continue reading “The only way is Crouch Valley” →

We’ve already extolled the many benefits of using steel posts over wooden, (see our article Understanding Your Steel Vineyard Post in February’s issue of Vineyard magazine) – this month we’re taking a look behind the scenes at the companies producing this vital trellising equipment. Continue reading “The vine post” →

There is a distinct mood of optimism on the Wines of Great Britain (WineGB) website. Last year a million vines were planted, tipped to approach 1.7 million in 2018. Almost three quarters are of the recognised French champagne varieties, foretelling the ambitions to increase English sparkling wine production, and with very ambitious plans for £350 million value in exports by 2040. Continue reading “Save your vineyard from silent killers” →

Visitors to this year’s Fruit Focus show on 25 July were able to tour NIAB EMR’s concept vineyard with Dr Julien Lecourt, who offered a brief introduction to the numerous projects and trials being conducted in the UK’s only vineyard dedicated to research. Continue reading “Exploring the research vineyard” →

From the aluminium industry to Gwinllan Conwy, Wales’ most northern mainland vineyard. Continue reading “Meet the Manager: Colin Bennett” →

Climate change and new technologies mean the fruit sector is constantly evolving, and producers can get ahead of the curve at this year’s Fruit Focus which is being held on Wednesday 25 July at NIAB’s EMR facility in East Malling, Kent. Continue reading “Fruit focus 2018 preview” →