London urban winery, Blackbook Winery, has this month released the first London-grown, London-made wine since Roman times.

A lively and informative seminar programme has been announced for Viti-Culture 2019, the free to attend one day industry event for UK vineyard owners, managers, winemakers and the drinks trade taking place on Thursday 11 July at Plumpton College, Ditchling, Sussex.

Wine is all about discovery, it’s the people involved and the place they are operating in, just as much as it is about sniffing, sipping and swallowing the end product.

Following on from the story ‘sustainable investment opportunity’ which appeared in the February 2019 edition of Vineyard magazine, one of Hampshire’s latest vineyard and winery projects has broken ground.

As the old joke goes, wag one asks, ‘What time is it in New Zealand?’, wag two replies, ‘About 20 years behind Australia’.  I have decided to write about Welsh wines this month and I refuse to adapt this joke as much as I am sorely tempted to. 

The renaissance of home-grown wine is often linked to the industry’s evolution from a small sector mainly driven by hobbyists to one dominated by well-educated professionals. These newcomers, who have often made vast fortunes in other sectors, have made substantial investments into the best parcels of land, the establishment of more vines, and bigger production facilities with state-of-the-art technology, and have acquired talented vineyard managers and winemakers from across the globe. On top of this, no expense is spared on branding, packaging and PR, and with quality wines continuously in the spotlight the whole world is sitting up and looking at what the UK has to offer.

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.