Meg Price hadn't planned to grow grapes. But her first harvest is imminent and
she's already picturing herself wandering through her vines with a glass of
wine made from her very own grapes.
The dermatologist originally wanted a wild flower meadow in the acre of land
that she and her lawyer husband Gwyn leased from a neighbouring farmer
adjoining their Georgian home in the village of Albourne, ten miles north of
Brighton. “But it didn't work out and my daughter was getting married so we
thought it might be fun to grow champagne grapes instead - then serve our
own champagne at her wedding!” recalls Price, gleefully.
Sure. Just plant a few rows of chardonnay, some pinot noir, maybe some pinot
meunier to give it some youthful fruitiness - and away you go. Actually it's
not as absurd as it sounds. Bubbly is the best wine the UK currently
produces (says me, and a fair few other professional wine tasters). And the
top producers making it are constantly complaining that they don't have
enough grapes. So, if you have a spare acre or four, why not grow your own
grapes? The English Wine Producers association predicts that with further
acreage being planted, by 2015 English wine production will rise to 5.6
million bottles, of which 3.7 million will be sparkling wine, from a total
of 2.1 million bottles today. Though if you're reading this in Carlisle and
thinking, hey, there's an idea, you can forget it. You need to be in the
South of the country to make good English bubbly, somewhere between Kent and
Cornwall, on a nice chalky spot, with a south-facing slope. It's the quality
of chalk, of course, that defines Champagne - remember only 88 miles away as
the crow flies.
There are other grapes you could grow of course, the likes of Ortega,
Auxerrois and Bacchus, which are thriving in our 1,900 hectares (4,695
acres) of UK vineyards. But apart from Bacchus, they're not worth getting
too excited about (and never will, in my view). No, the real interest lies
in our ability to make decent sparkling wine; yes, as good as some
champagne.
But the Prices didn't just wake up one day and think, let's grow grapes
instead. They got an expert in; Mike Roberts of the renowned sparkling wine
producer Ridgeview, based near by. He checked out the land, called in the
soil experts and suggested that Gwyn take himself to wine school.
Plumpton College, near Lewes, is still the only place in the country where you
can learn how to grow vines and make wine. “We have similar soils to
Champagne and our climate is getting closer to theirs, so the potential is
evident,” says Plumpton's director, Chris Foss, who has seen a huge uptake
in his courses by people who see grape growing both as a hobby and as a
profitable sideline. Price enrolled on Foss's intensive course and a few
weeks later was planting his own vines. “We're not doing this for profit; we
haven't got enough land. It's a weekend vineyard for us,” explains Meg.
They subcontracted the heavy work to a local farmer with a tractor and called
in Roberts to assist with the rest, managing the less technical side of the
vineyard themselves, with a little help from their now fascinated gardener,
Steve.
What does Roberts get out of it? A few more grapes for his blends, which have
won 80 medals and 15 trophies, including Best Sparkling Wine in the World in
the International Wine and Spirit Competition. In fact, demand is such that
visitors to the winery are limited to one bottle, with the rest snapped up
by the Sunday Times Wine Club and Waitrose.
Roberts sold his computer company in 1993 to start Ridgeview. “I used to take
my sales staff off to the Champagne region to show them how it's done. You
can't help admiring their marketing ideas - and I couldn't help getting
interested,” he explains.
He found the perfect spot for sparkling wine production in chalky Ditchling,
near the South Downs, seven miles from Brighton. He has seven hectares of
vineyards, with another 36 hectares of grapes from “partners” such as the
Prices.
The Prices are the smallest of his nine partners. The rest are mostly farmers
with land to spare, which Roberts plants and manages for them. “If you're
going to make it commercially viable, it can't really be done as a hobby.
Assuming that you already own the land, you would need a minimum of between
six and ten acres, and someone working on the vineyard full time,” he
explains.
The Prices reckon they will have just enough grapes to enable Roberts to
vinify them separately (ie: fill one tank), with some left over to add to
Ridgeview's blends. “While we want people to think about this more seriously
I should warn that it's extraordinarily hard work,” adds Roberts. That's not
to mention the long-term investment; it takes five years before you'll see
any wine from your grapes.
Most of Roberts's partners have come on board since 2003. “We won lots of
medals that year. It wasn't a brilliant harvest . . . conditions were far
too dry, but it was wonderful for publicity. Suddenly the press decided that
we can actually grow decent grapes,” he says.
The French have started to take notice
And it was enough to make the Champenois sit up and take notice; they've been
sniffing around ever since (land is a lot cheaper here). In fact, one grower
from Avize, Didier Pierson, has already hooked up with a farmer in the Meon
Valley, Hampshire, and just completed his first vintage. “There's certainly
enough to make 5,000 bottles,” reports his wine consultant, Dermot Sugrue.
Up until last year Sugrue was winemaker at Nyetimber, our most coveted bubbly,
based in West Chiltington, West Sussex. He's now managing a new (chalk)
vineyard not far away for large landowners, Harry and Pip Goring, and
advising others who are planning to do the same.
“There's loads of potentially excellent vineyards in the South of England. But
there's more to establishing a vineyard than having the right soil and
aspect. Growing grapes is a painstaking business and you must be fastidious
or you will fail,” repeats Sugrue. In fact, he doesn't advise growing grapes
at all unless you are considering it professionally. “That said, I think
we'll see many more new wineries being established and they'll need grapes,
lots of them.”
Matthew and Jo Bernstein have their own winery. The pair opened Kenton
Vineyard to the public in May last year and have planted four hectares of
vineyards on their Devon plot, a former dairy farm in the Exe Valley.
Matthew is also a former lawyer. He says he “experienced an epiphany” while
attending a part-time course at Plumpton to learn more about how to make
wine for his hobby vineyard in his back garden at his former home in
Chiswick, West London.
He moved with the family (he has two children) to a less time-consuming law
practice in Bristol while he set about finding, then planting a vineyard,
near to where his psychiatrist wife Jo was brought up. “It wasn't a midlife
crisis; I was only 30. It just came at a time when I realised that either
I'm going to be doing those kinds of hours for the rest of my life, or not.
So being a winemaker became a more attractive option,” he says.
Of course the life change has had its ups and downs. “There's a big gap
between the theory and practice. Vines never quite grow as they are supposed
to and you are crazy to go into it expecting a good year every year. You
must budget for the bad years. I can't believe anyone goes into it to make a
fortune. But I'm doing something I love. It's endlessly interesting. And I
look forward to every day; apart from the spraying,” he adds, with a grin.
In an average year he would expect to produce about 12,000 bottles, hopefully
rising to 20,000 bottles in 2011 when new vines start bearing fruit. Last
year's harvest wasn't so good, and this year's is likely to prove tricky
too, after another soggy, unpredictable English summer. But their first two
years went “spectacularly well”, selling out of everything.
“2006 was as near to the perfect year as you can get but the past two years
have been more difficult. The farmers here say they have never seen weather
like this,” he says. “The fact is England remains a marginal climate for
grapes.”
Giving up career was worth it
Jo, meanwhile, walked away from her hospital psychiatrist post to look after
the marketing and events side of the business, the high point of which is
their popular volunteer harvest parties, which attract pickers from 17 to 82
years old. “Have we made the right decision? I'm looking over the beautiful
Exe Valley as I'm talking to you now, feeling totally tranquil,” she
replies. That's a yes, then.
I'm sure Frazer Thompson must be thinking the same thing as he looks out over
the sweep of hills called Kit's Coty, in Kent. As the managing director of
the country's largest wine producer, Chapel Down, which has a total annual
production of about 600,000 bottles.
Founded in 1977, but floated on the Stock Exchange a little over five years
ago (a first for an English vineyard), Chapel Down made a profit for the
first time this year, with its flagship bubblies and single varietal Bacchus
leading the way. The estate itself, based in Tenterden, Kent, comprises 25
acres of vineyard, but with its 23 partner growers, owning four to 15 acres
each, and spread over three counties from Essex to Sussex, you can add an
extra 230 acres. “But even with Kit's Coty that's still not enough,”
declares Thompson. “We've been sitting here for the last six years waiting
for the snowball to start rolling and it's rolling now.”
Thompson gets a couple of inquiries a week from people interested in growing
grapes for the company and is thrashing out a deal with nearby Hadlow
College to offer a winemaking course to encourage even more. “We have to
grow our own talent, otherwise who is going to manage all these vineyards?
We can't keep relying on passing Kiwis and Aussies.”
Thanks must go, in part, to the food miles debate. It's great to be able to
glug a decent wine (Chapel Down is also a regular on many top London wine
lists) made hardly 65 miles from the capital. Plus, they are relatively low
in alcohol, another buzzword for the industry. Then there's the story
itself, which is great, eh? And one in the eye to the French - always fun.
Haven't got a spare four acres? Then you could always rent a row of vines.
Chapel Down offers a vine lease scheme, starting at £140 for one year. You
can pick your own grapes, get your own label and quaff them over lunch with
other fellow lessees. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.
On the grapevine:
Ridgeview Vineyards 0845 3457292; www.ridgeview.co.uk
Plumpton College 01273 890454; www.plumpton.ac.uk
Chapel Down 01580 763033; www.englishwinesgroup.com
Dermot Sugrue 07941 284134; Dermot.sugrue@gmail.com
Kenton Vineyard 01626 891091, www.kentonvineyard.co.uk
English Wine Producers 01536 772264; www.englishwineproducers.com
The Kenton vineyard is really something and marries nature with art ( Jo is a highly talented artist) it is wonderful to visit and soak up the culture, art and good company.
David Bickerton, Exeter, Devon
I would recommend the guided vineyard tour which Matthew runs at Kenton Vineyard on Sundays. It is extremely informative and explains the whole wine making process. We were able to ask as many questions as we liked! a very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Doreen, Exeter,, Devon