Fortitude in every acre

A sense of calm in urban areas is so unusual that the places that inspire this sensation are to be treasured and protected. Many of these places are well known and internationally recognisable such as Golden Gate Park in San Francisco or Kew Gardens in London.

Among these places of tranquillity juxtaposed against a metropolitan setting is Forty Hall Vineyard. Situated on the Forty Hall Estate Enfield, it is possible to glimpse the top of the Shard and some of the other iconic landmarks of London at the same time as walking the rows of vines in this unique vineyard.

Forty Hall Vineyard is a community vineyard run as a not for profit enterprise and it is London’s only commercial-scale vineyard. It is far more common to hear the term urban winery than urban vineyard. There are ten acres of vines at Forty Hall and volunteers take exceptional care of every one of the 14,000 vines. This means that there is a very noticeable sense of reciprocity at Forty Hall Vineyard; the vines are cared for by volunteers but those very same vines provide a sense of calm and peace to all who spend even a small amount of time in their vicinity.

The vineyard was originally planted on a one acre plot given by Capel Manor College to be used as a community Project. “That original planting consisted of Bacchus vines planted in 2009. The vines had been planted by hand and within a year it became clear that the planting had not been successful. During that first year, it had become apparent that looking after the vines had significant benefits for those who were volunteering to work with them,” said Emma Lundie Head of Operations at Forty Hall Vineyard.

Not deterred by this initial set back the founder of the vineyard Sarah Vaughan Roberts was certain the community vineyard was situated on the right land and would benefit the community long term. The area was replanted and over the following years the vineyard expanded in both size and varieties planted. The vineyard now has Bacchus, Ortega, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and the first wine was released in 2013.

Sarah Vaughan Roberts’ confidence in the vineyard as a beneficial community project was well placed and eco therapy is a central part of the urban vineyard’s role. The benefits are more than connecting with the environment and being outdoors. “Some people are referred here by a medical practitioner but in the vineyard everyone is equal,” explained Emma with an empathy that is rare. There is something unique and refreshing in the idea that all who come here are on the same equal footing, simply working hard to ensure that the crop from these vines is the very best that it can be.

The vineyard is organically certified and regularly visited by the soil association. This organic status is clearly important to all involved with the project and whilst demand for organic wine has seen exponential growth in recent years Emma explained that the motivation for producing organic wine is not commercial. “How can we have a vineyard that is designed to help heal people within our community if we are harming the planet?” she said.

From the very beginning the production of a quality crop has been integral to the operation of the vineyard. Will Davenport of Davenport wines is the winemaker for the crop at Forty Hall. Will has been committed to organic wine production in England for over twenty years and has worked with Forty Hall Vineyard from the outset to produce the London Sparkling Brut from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and the still single varietals. Wine sales are a vital income stream for the continuation of the unique project and working with an organic and community caring vineyard, Will Davenport continues to develop with imagination and his customary flair the wines that are available from Forty Hall Vineyard. A new Pinot Noir still rosé is due to be released from the 2024 harvest.

Surprisingly the emphasis on quality means that the vineyard undertakes green harvesting to control yield. Forty Hall Wines often win awards but Emma pointed out that Forty Hall Vineyard have also sold grapes to other businesses. “The community of volunteers have received very positive feedback from other commercial vineyards about the quality of the fruit they have purchased from Forty Hall Vineyard and this makes us all very proud,” said Emma. I asked if being an urban vineyard, Forty Hall sells grapes to urban wineries? “Yes,” she replied with a very winning smile but she also pointed out that all connected with Forty Hall are very keen to support other organic vineyards that may want to buy grapes from them.

In 2024, Forty Hall appointed Christian Malnig as the Viticulture Manager. Christian grew up in a white wine growing region of Austria south of Vienna and from his teenage years was involved in harvesting. Christian’s enthusiasm for viticulture is contagious. He energetically explains that the soil structure on the site is good but that improvements could be made where the tractor passes have caused compaction issues. “I want to cultivate every second row in blocks that have problems with drainage,” he said. There are some good practices that Christian has seen in Austria that he would like to bring to the vineyard in London. “I want to use cover crops such as Mustard and deep rooting plants to improve and aerate the soil,” he said with enthusiasm.

Christian has more than just the vines under his care. His title as viticulture manager rather than vineyard manager was chosen carefully, he could simply spend all day alone in the vineyard with the vines working on row after row but “it is critical to the ethos of Forty Hall Vineyard that the work is done by the volunteers, so it is my job to help them keep the standards exceptional,” he said. At this point, one of the volunteers who has overheard this comment interjected: “Christian is constructively helpful.” The laughter and the camaraderie are clearly some of the secrets to the success of this entire enterprise and Christian has a unique blend of calm enthusiasm that encourages all those he works with to push themselves beyond what they thought they could achieve. “I really hope Forty Hall can enter a team into the WineGB pruning competition, it would be so good for the volunteers to experience the atmosphere,” he said.

Christian also teaches viticulture courses to students through Capel Manor College at Forty Hall Vineyard. “Yesterday I was teaching the principles of soil analysis,” said Christian. “I love teaching and helping people to become inspired by the vines. I meet so many interesting people on the courses, some are planning to plant their own vineyards and I even had a student who had two vines in his garden but really wanted to understand them and how best to care for them.

“Capel Manor College have been supportive since the very beginning of this project,” said Emma. “With Christian teaching students from the college we are able to give something back.” Such agreeable symmetry is another example of how this community project has long reaching benefits. There are other collaborations with Forty Hall Farm run by Capel Manor College and sheep are run through the vineyard in winter from after the first hard frost until just before lambing begins in January. This helps with the organic and regenerative principles of the vineyard. We had planned to transition the vines to a higher system so that the sheep could be in the vineyard throughout the year but after Covid-19 the rising costs of supplies such as metal made this plan impractical.

The organic ethos means that the vineyard has to be exceptionally aware of the threat of disease. “We are removing some tree cover to try and increase the flow of air in the vineyard,” said Emma. Alongside soil association approved sprays such as potassium bicarbonate the vineyard team has implemented a targeted approach to spot disease early. There are 15 volunteers who have long term experience at the vineyard that have been given the title Block Heads. This group have responsibility for a specific block of vines and it is their job to walk these specific vines and spot any early signs of disease. “The system has been working really well,” said Emma.

The urban community vineyard has faced many challenges over the years. Whilst some of these challenges arise from the unique nature of Forty Hall Vineyard, others such as frost are common to many vineyards across England and Wales.

“The city location does provide a generally higher temperature but icy winds and late frost are a big threat,” said Emma. As an experiment, in parts of the vineyard that are particularly susceptible to icy winds, some bird nets have been left up to see if this will have a positive impact. The vineyard does have a significant bird predation problem.

When asking about the biggest problems in the vineyard the universal response is “ring necked parakeets,” these non-native bright green extremely noisy birds were once a novelty but have established themselves in ever greater numbers across London and other parts of the south east. How these birds that are native to Asia and Africa became established in the UK is the subject of several urban legends but despite their disputed origins their impact on Forty Hall Vineyard has been significant.

The decimation of the Forty Hall harvest in 2017 was mentioned by Nick Hunt and Tim Mitchell in the book The Parakeeting of London. Parakeets naturally form flocks and these communal groups can be extremely large. Their diet is varied but fruit is a particular favourite. “They are difficult to control as they are an invasive species and only peregrine falcons will hunt them. We have to use various methods of control,” said Christian. “Deterrents such as Kites and scarers have to be constantly moved around as the parakeets are not that intimidated by them,” he added. “The absolute ideal solution would be envelope nets but we are a community project and the cost would be prohibitive,” said Emma. (I cheekily suggest that perhaps someone will donate some to the vineyard.)

Finding funding for vital pieces of equipment can be extremely difficult at Forty Hall. In May 2023 the vineyard was in desperate need of a tractor. After three poor harvests the vineyard was faced with the very real threat of closure without finding enough money for this vital piece of equipment. A funding campaign was started and although the vineyard did not reach their goal, they managed to get enough to purchase a tractor that would keep them in business.

“The 2023 harvest was really make or break,” said Emma with a pained expression as if the memory of this difficult time is never far away. The harvest of 2023 however was the biggest in the history of the vineyard with a yield more than double the target figure. The 2023 London Sparkling Brut will be released towards the end of 2025 and the vineyard are currently offering a discount for people to pre order a casae of six. Cashflow is vital to all businesses and this community project has had to be resourceful when it comes to ensuring a steady cashflow in a notoriously changeable industry.

Another good source of revenue for the vineyard is tourism. In 2024 the vineyard hosted a one off picnic in the vines event that included live music. “It was a really successful event and we will definitely be repeating it,” said Emma with a smile that lights up her face.

The wines are sold in the Farm Shop on the Forty Hall Estate and from April to December Forty Hall Farm hosts a Farmers Market on the second Sunday of the month. Between 30 and 35 local artisan producers can be found at this market.

“Support for the market is strong in the local area but we also have visitors from across London. Visitors cover a wide section of society from young professionals to retirees,” said Emma. The vineyard offers tours and tastings on the same day as the market. “The guided tour lasts an hour and a half and finishes in the vineyard with a tasting. The tours are run by a WSET qualified volunteer who is incredibly knowledgeable,” said Emma. There is no official tasting room but there is a seating area at the top of the vineyard, offering visitors a chance to marvel at the vines in the foreground and the city buildings in the distance.

A line from The Wind in the Willows echoes in my mind as I picture these tasting days “beyond the wild wood comes the wide world and that is something that doesn’t matter either to you or me,” at least for a few hours anyway. At £20 the tour price is deliberately reasonable to ensure that as many people as possible can take advantage of this wonderful experience.

Everything about Forty Hall Vineyard is remarkable from the quality of the wines to the organic ethos and I found myself reluctant to leave – lingering perhaps a little longer than usual in this agricultural world situated within a city. Perhaps recognising the almost magnetic pull of this vineyard, as I said goodbye to the vines and the volunteers, Christian said: “This is a very special place to be, and the human element makes it unique and very beautiful.”

Opportunities for volunteers

Conversations with some of the volunteers in the vineyard highlight why the grapes here are of such high quality – everyone has a gratitude for what the vines have given them and the vines get the very best the volunteers can offer.

There are many opportunities for volunteers to get involved. On Monday and Wednesday mornings throughout the year the vineyard regularly has 30-35 volunteers working in amongst the vines. There are also two volunteer Sundays a month. This allows people who may be at work during the weekday sessions to experience the benefits of working with the vines, ensuring the broadest section of the community is able to benefit. This means that there are in excess of 100 willing volunteers at Forty Hall Vineyard.

Ryan has been volunteering at the vineyard since February 2022. As he takes a break from confidently pruning the vines he explained how he feels about the vineyard. “I enjoy the social side of everyone working together and the vineyard is a winter paradise in the frost with the individual crystalline structures showing the beauty in nature,” he said poetically.

Karen has been volunteering at the vineyard for three years. Initially she volunteered to come and help the vineyard at harvest. There are usually about 80 volunteers on a harvest day. Over time Karen has become involved in other tasks in the vineyard “mulching is my least favourite job, it is such hard work,” she said with a smile.

John has been volunteering for one year. Like Karen, John initially became involved with the vineyard during harvest. On the day of the visit John was part of the pruning team. The initial cuts are made by a trained team and then another team go through the vineyard and pull out.

“Pruning is a bit scary because I know that if I get it wrong, I can mess up the vine for two years,” John said with a thoughtful look. Supported by Christian Malnig the Viticulture Manager at Forty Hall Vineyard, John and Karen are able to slowly work through their decisions together before making the decisive cuts and this really embodies everything that Forty Hall Vineyard is trying to achieve – new skills, increased confidence and friendship combined with a perfect winters day.

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