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SHROPSHIRE VINEYARDS
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Celebrating the winemakers of Shropshire and beyond

There's a green eruption all around...

16/5/2022

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Left: A different view of the vista at Hencote, north of Shrewsbury, looking not south but east towards the Wrekin in the distance. Above: The Pinot Noir is waking up at the top of the Glamping Block hill.

It's all go in the vineyards of Shropshire as a combination of warm, then wet weather has seen the whole county start to green up in an eruption of new life.
I've been helping out with tours and tasting at Hencote over recent weeks and it's been noticeable from weekend to weekend how much the vines have progressed in a relatively short time. I swear you can almost hear them breathing.
Hencote have just launched their new Vivienne estate white, which is a blend of 83% Solaris and 17% Chardonnay. It's a little more alcohol heavy than Hencote's usual offerings, coming in at 12.5% ABV, and it's definitely going down well in the tastings.
Congrats to Hencote, too, on the IWC Silver Medal for their 2019 Evolution Sparkling, which leads the wines available in the tastings and gets the the sessions underway in a light and bubbly fashion.
I'm really enjoying meeting people on the tours. Most are there for a good time and happy to be informed and entertained. Surprising where they come from, too. In recent weeks we've had groups from as far away as Essex and Yorkshire.
I know from my sister-in-law, Sam, and her wife Suzy, who went to Kerry Vale for a birthday treat on Sunday, that Russ and Jan Cooke provide a really informative tour and tasting, too. I was interested to compare presentations between the two venues. Sam and Suzy really enjoyed their visit - especially the cheeseboard which made them a little late for lunch in Ludlow - and they even saw the Rondo vine my wife, Cal and I sponsored a while back. I haven't seen it yet, so we'll have to head back soon.
Rob and Laura Windsor have just launched their tour season at Colemere. I was hoping to pay them a visit sometime soon, too and I wish them well. Of course, the Haywoods are in full flow at Astley, too.
No update would be complete, however, without a word or two about the vin-twins, the fabulous Evans sisters Mel and Zoe, who continue to innovate at Rowton. They held their first in-vineyard event on Sunday. I was hoping to be there but family took precedence on this occasion. The twins have recently launched their 2021 Solaris, which I'm also hoping to try soon.
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Haywoods hard at work at Astley

9/4/2022

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On the left, Astley's PNK sparkling, a blend of Pinot Noir and Kerner, and on the right, their Old Vine Kerner
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Something a bit different... Saint Vincent is what Chris Haywood describes as a kind of fermented grape water - here with Madeleine Angevine. It's only 4% ABV and Chris says the guy on the bottle is showing exactly how it should be drunk.
I've been meaning to drop by Astley Vineyard between Stourport-on-Severn and Worcester for a while now. I know it's technically not a Shropshire vineyard, but it's really close and there's no harm in remaining on good terms with the neighbours.
So, I finally made it yesterday, just at a key moment in the life of the vineyard this year, when the whole Haywood family (and Otso the dog) were hard at work blending their 2021 wines.
Everyone seems to multi-task at the vineyard, which is owned by Tim, and Bev Haywood. They're joined by their son, Chris and his wife Matleena. The Haywood will soon be augmented with a third generation, as Matleena is expecting a baby shortly.
Bouncy fur ball Otso, a Finnish Lapphund does a very good meet and greet at the shop door, by the way.
By the time I'd driven back home to Shrewsbury, they had posted abut the blending on their Facebook page, so take a look here: https://fb.watch/ch1OMkd3Ee/
On their website at https://astleyvineyard.co.uk, Chris is described as 'tirelessly passionate and enthusiastic' and that came across in spades as he talked me through what remains of Astley's stocks before the new wines are bottled in the next month or so.
I was really grateful to him for taking time out from the important work of blending to give me the lowdown.
While the family carried on working, I'd was directed across the valley to the vineyard opposite the shop and winery.
It's a pretty approach because you drop into a deepish 'singly-dell' cut made by what now looks like a smallish stream to climb the slope at the other side, where the vineyard opens up in front of you.
As with a number of our local vineyards (Hencote up and running, Kerry Vale and Colemere shortly) Astley are starting their 2021 tours.
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Astley has around 5,000 vines, producing 7,500 bottles of wine in a good season.
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What gnarly old vine Kerner looks like... Astley is thought to be the fourth oldest vineyard in the country.
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Shropshire's really starting to fizz!

29/3/2022

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You probably didn't realise it, but there is an enormous range of sparkling wine produced in Shropshire and close by - and most of it is in that range that you might consider 'affordable'.
Below is a table that I've brought together and I'm not even sure I've got everything covered yet.
From my own experience, I've tasted the Carden Park Estate Reserve, Hencote's Evolution Sparkling, Kerry Vale's Sparkling Red, Rodington's Sparkling White, and Rowton's Pink Fizz and they're all very palatable.
I've been doing tours and tasting at Hencote recently and I know from the feedback, that the Evolution is going down very nicely with the customers there.
All of the fizz below is available on the vineyards' individual websites or, in most cases, a personal visit.
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Vineyard

Wine

Type

Style

Vintage

Price

Grapes

Astley

PNK

Rose

Dry

2018

--

Pinot Noir, Kerner

Carden Park

Estate Reserve

White

Dry

2017

--

Seyval Blanc

Colemere

Sparkling Red

Red

Dry

2018

£35

--

Colemere

Sparkling Rose

Rose

Dry

2017

£35

--

Colemere

Sparkling White

White

Dry

2017

£35

Seyval Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

Grove Estate

Sparkling Red

Red

Dry

2018

£28

--

Grove Estate

Sparkling Rose

Rose

Dry

2018

£25

--

Grove Estate

Sparkling White

White

Dry

2019

£22

--

Halfpenny Green

Red Sparkling

Red

Dry

2018

£20.50

Rondo, Pinot Noir

Halfpenny Green

Rose Sparkling

Rose

Dry

2018

£20.50

Pinot Noir, Seyval Blanc

Halfpenny Green

Brut Sparkling

White

Dry

2018

£20.50

Seyval Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

Hencote

Isadora Sparkling

Rose

 

2018

£35

Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay

Hencote

Evolution Sparkling

White

 

2019

£25

Seyval Blanc, Pinot Noir

Kerry Vale

Sparkling Red

Red

Dry

 

£25

Rondo

Kerry Vale

Sparkling Rose

Rose

Dry

 

£25

Phoenix, Rondo

Kerry Vale

Sparkling White

White

Dry

 

£25

Phoenix

Ludlow

Sparkling White

White

Dry

--

£21

Seyval Blanc, Solaris

Montgomery

Montgomery Pink Sparkling

Rose

Dry

2018

£36

Rondo

Montgomery

Sparkling Rose

Rose

Dry

2018

£45

Pinot Noir Precoce, Seyval Blanc

Montgomery

Demi Sec

White

Dry

--

£41.50

Seyval Blanc

Montgomery

Montgomery Sparkling White

White

Dry

2017

£45

Seyval Blanc

Rodington

Pink Sparkling Brut

Rose

Dry

2015

£28

 

Rodington

Sparkling White Brut

White

Dry

2015

£28

Seyval Blanc

Rowton

Pink Fizz

Rose

Dry

2018

£25

 Pinot Noir Precoce, Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc
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New life for Tern Valley vineyard?

16/3/2022

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Some interesting news about Hall Farm, Tern Hill, home of the derelict Tern Valley Vineyard near Market Drayton.
I noticed the farm had been up for sale with James Du Pavey estate agents, but now it is appearing on their website as 'sold subject to contract'.
I did give the estate agents a call to confirm, and I was told the sale was very near completion, with the vineyard included.
The asking price was £535,000 for the 4.5 acres of the land and buildings with planning permission for them to be rebuilt on their current footprints.
No clue as to who has bought the site or what their intentions are towards the vines.
As soon as I know, I'll let you know, but it strikes me the riverside site could make a really attractive addition to Shropshire's active viticulture scene.
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Can worms help your vineyard?

9/3/2022

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One of the fascinating things about the Good2Great programme (see below) is the people you get to meet as part of the networking process.
One of those is Bridgnorth-based Luke Boxall from a company called Worm Soil, which specialises in Vermicast - the nutrient rich product of worms munching through organic material.
In fact, Worm Soil is soon to become Soil Nurture as a co-operation between himself and worm farmers in Austria and North America, who apparently have more than 20 years' experience of selling Vermicast products into vineyards.
If you don't think you know what Vermicast is, you're bound to have seen it. It's those little pyramids of soil you find on the lawn.
And, apparently, it's pretty potent stuff.
Says Luke: "The science behind it is all to do with the micro-organisms in the worm casts. Those are what provide the minerals and nutrients that plants need.
"Worms will eat anything that’s organic. There are limitations, such as if it’s too acidic - lemons or onions for instance. But they'll eat anything you can think of putting in compost, pretty much."
Luke describes it as like us eating a healthy yoghurt.
"
When worms eat an apple in compost, they are eating the microbiology around the compost - so they’re not actually eating the apple, they’re eating the micro-organisms that are composting that apple. When they pass that through, it comes with all dirt and all the organic material and basically they fill that organic material with microbiology."
The micro organisms in the worm's gut break down minerals and nutrients into a form that plants can absorb.

Says Luke: "Humic and fulvic acids are highly present in Vermicast. They allow the plants to absorb minerals easier, and allow them to transport through their systems easier as well. So, therefore, not only are the micro organisms providing the right minerals and nutrients, they’re also providing an easier way for the plants to absorb it."
​Luke is keen to explore the possible benefits of combining Vermicast with Viticulture.
He's already run a trial with Rob and Laura Windsor, at Colemere and is hoping to garner interest from other vineyards in the Shropshire area.

He tells me he was recently down in the south east of England, where he met with a number of vineyard owners and bumped into Shropshire-based viticultural agronomist John Buchan, who looks like someone I definitely need to speak to for Shropshirevineyards.com.
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Luke and Steph Boxall
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    Roy Williams is a former journalist, systems editor and has his name in small letters as the editor of a book about big data. You can see where the wine comes in...

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