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Our pick of the latest news, videos and podcast links to keep you up to date on all things wine!
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Contents:- Four English wines to be served on British Airways flights
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Black Chalk secures distribution in US
- Chapel Down to produce record 3m bottles of English wine a year by 2028
- Black Chalk ‘keeping the door open’ to English still wine with launch of Kent Chardonnay
- Senay Ozdemir: uniting women with Women in Wine Expo
- Justin Howard-Sneyd MW teaches on two UK-based courses about Regenerative Viticulture
- Roebuck Estates Launches Its ‘Viticulture Academy’
- F&V: “Collaborative spirit” and open-book mindset essential for future-proofing wine sector
- F&V: Coventry University helps eco-friendly weed control business scale up
- F&V: Prettyfields Vineyard: Great wine “starts with the vine”
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VIGO: Full Temperature Control System - Case Study
- The English & Welsh Wine Fair at Viti-Culture 2023
- The art of R.D. (‘Recently Disgorged')
- Chris Wilson: How English 2022 harvest is affecting Gutter & Stars
- English Sparkling Wine Classifications
- Nitrogen and its impact on aromas
- Is Wine Gluten-Free? The Answer May Not Be So Simple
- LISTEN: The English Wine Diaries episode 44 – Dermot Sugrue
- WATCH: MASTER OF WINE Redefining English Wine | Tim Wildman MW | Spittin Sips
- PLUMPTON COLLEGE: Wine Business student wins International Tasting Competition
- WINEGB NEWS
- CLASSIFIEDS: Pick of the jobs and properties
- Viti-Culture Event: Exhibitor and ticket links
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Four English wines to be served on British Airways flights
From April, English wine will be served alongside Champagne on British Airways Business Class flights for the first time, as part of a one year trial of British fizz.
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British Airways has announced it will be introducing four English sparkling wines into its drinks roster as part of a year-long rotation, with the wine on offer changing every three months. The airline’s sparkling offering will therefore consist of BA’s current Champagne resident Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Silver Top Non-Vintage Champagne, and now an exclusive English Sparkling wine option. The wines themselves have been chosen by British Airways in-house Master of Wine Tim Jackson.
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Black Chalk secures distribution in US
Five years on from its launch, Hampshire-based wine estate Black Chalk, has announced another significant milestone in its expansion. From April, Black Chalk will be distributed in the US market for the first time, via Sera Wine Imports.
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The focus will initially be on the two sparkling wines: Classic and Wild Rose. The new 2020 vintages will be available to the on-premise and independent retail sectors.
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Chapel Down to produce record 3m bottles of English wine a year by 2028
Chapel Down already holds the title of England’s largest wine producer, but CEO Andrew Carter revealed to The Drinks Business that the company plans to extend plantings to 1,023 acres (414 ha) by 2024 as part of a “long term enterprise”.
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Chapel Down announced a strong financial performance in the year ended 31 December 2022, with growth in revenue, margin expansion and a full year adjusted EBITDA up 30% to £2.8m. CEO Andrew Carter told the drinks business he was “delighted” with the results, which saw full year Net Sales Revenue (NSR), which excludes duty, grow by 10% year-on-year to £15.6m. The Kent-based wine company planted an additional 38 acres of vines at our Boarley Farm site in 2022. It plans to plant an additional 118 acres there in spring 2023, taking the company’s total to 906 acres under vine, of which 750 will be fully productive in 2023. All 906 acres will be fully productive by 2027. Chapel Down announced today that expansion will not stop there. The company has signed a new long term leasehold agreement for 117 plantable acres at Boughton Corner Farm for a future vineyard. Vines will be planted in spring 2024, taking the total planted vineyards to 1,023 acres (414 ha).
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Black Chalk ‘keeping the door open’ to English still wine with launch of Kent Chardonnay
Hampshire-based winery Black Chalk launched its first still Chardonnay recently despite its confidence in the future of English sparkling wine, with winemaker and CEO Jacob Leadley telling The Drinks Business “we’ve never closed the door on wanting to experiment”. Little White Lie, Black Chalk’s first still Chardonnay, marks a departure for the Hampshire-based winery, with grapes from the inaugural 2022 vintage grown in Kent. “We’ve called it Little White Lie because it comes from Kent, and up until 10 minutes ago we were all about Hampshire,” Leadley joked.
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Senay Ozdemir: uniting women with Women in Wine Expo
“The idea is to inspire, connect and support women in in educational and fun setting. The focus is to bring women in wine together to lesser known wine regions and get them to discover or re-discover these regions.” That is how Senay Ozdemir describes the Women in Wine Expo she founded which is due to hold its next event in the UK with three days of talks, debates, tastings and trips.
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Justin Howard-Sneyd MW teaches on two UK-based courses about Regenerative Viticulture
Justin is a well known wine communicator and expert on a range of topics in the world of wine. He has spent 15 years as a commercial wine buyer including 5 years spent as the Head of Wine at Waitrose, and now consults to a wide range of wine producers, restaurants and wine businesses, as well as directing the program of wine events and courses at Dartington.
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Regenerative Viticulture Course at Dartington, Devon - 7th-9th May - last 5 places! The second edition of Dartington’s Regenerative Viticulture course is due to run from Sunday 7th to Tuesday 9th May. This two day/ two night residential course in the stunning surroundings of Dartington Hall in Devon will cover all aspects of Regenerative farming in vineyards, and is aimed at vineyard owners, viticulturists, and viticulture students who want a comprehensive grounding in this emerging form of viticulture. £450 per person, residential and full board. For more information, and booking, please click HERE One Day Regenerative Viticulture Workshop at Itasca / Penn Croft Vineyard - Wednesday 31st May - 09.00 - 17.30. The day will comprise, talks, vineyard walks, presentations and machinery demonstrations designed to inform and inspire attendees interested in and/or practicing RV, led and hosted by experts of the Regenerative movement. May’s event is still in its programming stage with further information of speakers and demonstrations to be released in late March. £85 per person Student rate (Plumpton, WSET, MW) £75 For more information, and booking, please click HERE
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Source: Justin Howard-Sneyd MW 9 March 2023
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Roebuck Estates Launches Its ‘Viticulture Academy’
Sussex’s Roebuck Estates, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, has launched its Roebuck Viticulture Academy, a three-day vineyard training programme available exclusively to its trade partners.
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Established in 2013, the multi-site vineyard owner released its first sparkling wine in 2019, crafted from its estate-grown fruit. Roebuck owns and manages 60 ha of vineyards throughout Sussex and Kent, and is now offering partners the chance to gain hands-on experience at the most important stages of the viticultural calendar. Head viticulturalist Jake Wicks and his vineyard team have devised a programme consisting of three one-day workshops focusing on the technical aspects of pruning, canopy management, grape berry analysis and harvesting.
Michael Kennedy, CEO at Roebuck Estates, said, “We believe the quality of the wine in your glass starts with viticulture and for the past decade we have invested heavily in our vineyards, ensuring that we have established the finest sites which are producing the very best fruit for our vintage sparkling wines. We are also incredibly fortunate to have a vineyard team made up of highly qualified viticulturalists who have worked all over the world. “By sharing our expertise, we aim to provide our partners with an in-depth insight into the skill, craftsmanship and technical knowledge needed to produce wonderfully individual sparkling wines, every single year,” Kennedy added.
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“Collaborative spirit” and open-book mindset essential for future-proofing wine sector
In response to ongoing increases in dry goods, packing and supply chain costs and extreme glass shortages experienced by the wine sector, an international panel of producers, suppliers and buyers discussed new ways of working together on a zoom session hosted by The Buyer and the Wine & Spirit Trade Association.
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Coventry University helps eco-friendly weed control business scale up
An eco-friendly weed-killing system which uses electricity instead of harmful chemicals to treat orchards and vineyards is set to go to market after support from Coventry University.
RootWave, founded by Andy Diprose and based in Kineton in South Warwickshire, applies an electrical current to weeds which causes their roots to heat up and die.
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Prettyfields Vineyard: Great wine “starts with the vine”
Rooted firmly in the Essex countryside, owner Robert Blyth says Prettyfields Vineyard harnesses the local microclimate to “grow the finest grapes and put the very best into our bottles”. Fruit & Vine Editor Rachel Hicks chatted with him this month.
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FULL TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM - CASE STUDY |
We were delighted to supply, configure and install a full temperature control system at product and cellar level, including Speidel tanks, at award winning Sandridge Barton, the home of Sharpham Wine. You can read the full Case Study and our interview with Sandridge Barton's CEO and Head Winemaker HERE. For more information about chilling and temperature control setups, please see our Temperature Control blog HERE. Quantor-Kreyer's chilling / temperature control units include energy efficient design features and can include reversible chillers with heat-recovery for an ample supply of hot water for you to use where you wish. These, in addition to a site-specific thermal site calculation, will provide proportional energy-saving to help save on power consumption and reduce your carbon footprint. Our engineers install complete chilling and/or temperature control systems via bespoke ringmains for controlling product and/or air temperature. If you are thinking of a chilling or temperature control system for your winery whether at product and/or cellar level, please call us on 01404 892 100 to discuss your requirements. Now is also the ideal time to discuss Speidel tanks with us if you require them for harvest time. We look forward to hearing from you. Best regards,
Andy, Tom B, Chris & Tom W
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Follow Vigo Ltd on social media using the links below:
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The English & Welsh Wine Fair at Viti-Culture 2023 |
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For 2023 we have extended the event into the late afternoon incorporating an English Wine Fair and ticketed Wine Tasting Masterclass with the Three Wine Men’s Tom Surgey and Oz Clarke OBE, also our Show Patron. This supporter, buyer and consumer English Wine tasting evening encouraging wine-lovers and students of Plumpton College to attend. As the Patron and an extremely high-profile wine expert Oz Clarke will co-host the event. He will be joined by Tom Surgey, also well-known as an expert wine presenter and lives locally in Lewes and has a good network of wine-loving followers in this area. Oz and Tom will welcome guests to the tasting and give a brief introductory speech at the beginning of the tasting. They will then mingle among the guests introducing them to the range of wines available at stands and endeavour to visit all stands and introduce visitors to as many producers and wines as possible during the event.
We will also be supplying a shuttle minibus to Lewes town centre and station to encourage attendance from the locality and out of area visitors.
Notes for Wine Producers We have a limited number of free stands available in the marquee to promote our producers. If you are interested in exhibiting, download the information pack for more details. These are offered on a first-come, first served basis. WE ARE NOW 50% FULL PLEASE APPLY BY RETURN TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
Cheese and Wine Pairing Masterclass In addition to the English and Welsh Wine Fair there will be a paid for ticketed Masterclass Wine and Cheese pairing session led by Oz and Tom. Please ensure you pre-book your tickets for this session tickets are available to book up until one week before the event; or until they are sold out.
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Interested in showcasing your wines at the English & Welsh Wine Fair?
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The art of R.D. (‘Recently Disgorged')
Denis Bunner, new chef de cave at Bollinger, discusses the techniques behind the newly released R.D. 2008...
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An old, acclaimed vintage, with a very low dosage, disgorged just prior to release – after more than 13 years on lees. This is the thinking behind Maison Bollinger’s R.D. wine.
R.D. stands for ‘Recently Disgorged’ and declares the sparkling wine has been disgorged less than a year before its release – and after ageing for more than twice as long as most vintage wines. It’s what makes Bollinger’s iconic Champagne so extraordinarily complex and aromatic.
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Chris Wilson: How English 2022 harvest is affecting Gutter & StarsThe 2022 harvest was a good one for English winemakers and so it proved for Cambridge-based Gutter & Stars, whose winemaker Chris Wilson is also a writer for The Buyer (when he finds time!). He managed to source almost three times the fruit that he did the year previous year which has meant the wine portfolio is now eight wines strong, and the quality of the 2022 fruit has led to some stylistic changes in the Pinot Noir.“As well as bottling the new wines this month, we are also launching the Gutter & Stars Wine Club,” writes Wilson.
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English Sparkling Wine can only be made in the Traditional Method, (the way they make Champagne), if an English Winery wanted to make their Sparkling Wine in the Charmat/Tank Method (the way they make Prosecco) they can’t label themselves as English Sparkling Wine, instead, they must state something different, like Sparkling Wine Made In England.
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The classifications of English Sparkling Wine are constantly evolving, it’s still fairly new, and as of right now, they are yet to find the perfect wording or to find the best areas for growing grapes, it’s unknown if they will decide to create a region like Champagne or Prosecco, or if they will continue to allow English Sparkling Wine to be produced anywhere in the country.
There are some new classifications on the rise in England, but the very important thing to note is that they are all optional and not required to follow.
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Source: www.glassofbubbly.com 23 March 2023
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Nitrogen and its impact on aromas
To improve a wine’s aromas, is it better to boost nitrogen in the vineyard or winery – or not at all? This is the question examined by ‘the best oenology paper’ of 2022…
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What results in better wine quality: maintaining low nitrogen status throughout the wine production process or boosting it in the vineyard, or in the winery? It’s a tough but fascinating question.Fortunately, for us, it has been answered in a research paper. And not just any old research paper.
The American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) has selected this paper, which compares the effects of vineyard nitrogen fertilization to winery nitrogen addition in Chardonnay, as the best oenology paper published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture.
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Is Wine Gluten-Free? The Answer May Not Be So Simple
Adhering to a strict gluten-free diet can be stressful and time-consuming. Whether driven by celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, the ability to read labels is an indispensable skill. But although most food products are required to include detailed nutritional and ingredient information on their labels, many alcoholic beverages are a different story.
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Adhering to a strict gluten-free diet can be stressful and time-consuming. Whether driven by celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, the ability to read labels is an indispensable skill. But although most food products are required to include detailed nutritional and ingredient information on their labels, many alcoholic beverages are a different story. Sure, we know beer—famously a cereal grain-based beverage—is off the table for gluten-free folk, but what about wine? Wine Enthusiast asked industry experts if wine is gluten-free, so those with dietary restrictions can imbibe worry-free.
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Source: www.winemag.com 21 March 2023
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LISTEN: The English Wine Diaries episode 44 – Dermot Sugrue
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The Sugrue South Downs founder talks about his 20-year career producing the country’s most celebrated wines
After studying viticulture at Plumpton College Dermot joined Nyetimber in 2003 and oversaw the West Sussex vineyard’s emergence as one of the world’s greatest sparkling wine producers.
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He went on to help Harry and Pip Goring establish Wiston Estate a few miles down the road and for the next 16 years was responsible for making some of England’s most celebrated wines. Somehow, he also found time to make his own wine, setting up Sugrue South Downs in 2006 and releasing his first own-brand sparkling, The Trouble with Dreams, in 2013 to critical acclaim. Last year Dermot left Wiston to focus full time on Sugrue South Downs with his wife Ana, who is also a winemaker, and the couple have received investment from none other than hotelier, Robin Hutson, who was in fact the first ever guest on this podcast.We talk about his first introduction to wine, why he decided to take the leap and focus full time on Sugrue and lets us in on some exciting news about what’s on the agenda for the Sugrue family this summer. Keep up to date with Sugrue South Downs’ latest news and releases at www.sugruesouthdowns.com or by following @sugruesouthdowns on Instagram.
NB apologies for some sound quality issues in this episode.
This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit www.wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.
THANKS FOR LISTENING TO THE ENGLISH WINE DIARIES Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter.
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WATCH: MASTER OF WINE Redefining English Wine | Tim Wildman MW | Spittin Sips
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On this episode of our new podcast SPITTIN SIPS, we interview the incredibly experienced Master of Wine Tim Wildman.
This episode delves into English Pét-Nat, Heritage Varieties & Aussie Road Trips.
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Tim will be showcasing his Lost in a Field Pét-Nat at Viti-Culture's English and Welsh Wine Fair in June. Lost in a Field is on a mission to rescue rare heritage grape varieties and to craft them into delicious, low intervention pét-nat using natural winemaking methods. This is our Great British old vine story, seen through the technicolour prism of the German crosses planted in the last century by eccentric amateurs.
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Wine Business student wins International Tasting Competition
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Plumpton Wine Division are delighted to announce one of their first-year international wine business students has won the annual Concours des Jeunes Professionnels du Vin (CJPV) Wine Tasting Competition for Young Professionals in Paris, and in doing so set a new points record!
The annual contest, sponsored by the French Government’s Department of Agriculture, pits young professionals from all over Europe against each other in a three-day long wine tasting competition.
Every year Plumpton College sends two students over to France for this competition. This year Alex Finn and Charlotte Bradbury, both International Wine Business students, were selected and went up against nearly 100 competitors. 23-year-old Alex was one of the three finalists going head-to-head against professionals from Italy and Croatia before winning triumphantly with a score of 92, the highest points ever recorded in the history of the European competition. Charlotte was placed a very respectable 11th.
The three-day rigorous process sees competitors compete in three rounds: Wine Rating, Wine Characterisation and Communication with a Wine Tasting plus Commentary for the three finalists. In addition, both Alex and Charlotte each had to prepare a presentation on the nominated topic. This year's topic was "Viticulture: a living sector that evolves on a daily basis”.
Tim Andrews, International Business lecturer at Plumpton commented “This really is a fantastic achievement. Alex is a highly enthusiastic and engaged Wine Business student and it’s always a pleasure to see our students’ hard work pay off. Both Alex and Charlotte have a very bright future ahead in this international industry.” Alex said “We had a great few days with Charlotte. It was the biggest agricultural show in Europe, so there was plenty to see! It was great to be the first English person to win, and I am very happy! I would like to thank Plumpton for the opportunity. Hopefully, there are more winners in the future to come from Plumpton." Alex will take home a cash prize of €400
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ProWein 2023: We had an exceptionally busy three days at ProWein in Germany this week. A record nine producers exhibited on the WineGB stand, with multiple export deals and successful meetings taking place. This year we were positioned in the New World hall, which benefited from strong footfall throughout the event. Nyetimber and Henners (via Boutinot) were also represented at the show, adding to the reach of GB wine at ProWein 2023. A big thank you to Rathfinny, Gusbourne, Bolney, Chapel Down, Ridgeview, Lyme Bay, Black Chalk, Roebuck, and Hattingley Valley for your support. Duty Update: The Chancellor has announced new excise duty rates in the March 2023 Budget. These changes will come into effect in August this year. The unprecedented rise in rates is very disappointing and will result in a 20% increase on a 75cl bottle of 12.5% ABV still wine. For more information and to view our statement, click here. Bottling Regulations Webinar: Bottlebooks is hosting a webinar today at 2pm covering what producers need to know in order to comply with the new EU bottle labelling regulations coming into force after 8 December 2023. You can register here. The Wine Workers Collective: Dona Frost (Plumpton College) and Megan Rayner-Ward (Wiston Estate) are organising an event for those working in the wine industry on 22 April at Vagabond at Monument in central London. The Wine Workers Collective is an event aimed at those outside leadership positions – it is for those who hold winemaking, cellar, production, vineyard or hospitality roles. It is a chance to meet other industry professionals, develop contacts, share knowledge, and generally have a good old time with like-minded wine lovers. The short-term goal for this project is for those working in the UK wine industry to feel more connected and have the ability to access and share information. The longer-term aim is to establish structured events for workers across the different regions. Tickets and timings are here. Industry Survey: The deadline to complete this year's Industry Survey has been extended to 6 April. This survey is for those that grow grapes and/or produce wine. A poor response rate for this survey will fundamentally affect our ability to produce meaningful insights for you. At the current response rate, we will not be able to produce robust data. Our subsequent economic analysis might be inaccurate, and this will limit our authority when lobbying the government for change. Furthermore, this survey is the only way for us to get accurate sales data for the GB wine sector – there is no other way to get a comprehensive picture. As a result, we ask those who have not yet completed our survey to please do so by next Thursday. Click here to complete the survey.
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VINTAGE WINEMAKER - DEFINED WINE LTD, CANTERBURY, KENT
Defined Wine Ltd is seeking a Vintage Winemaker for the 2023 harvest. Defined Wine Ltd has been set up as a contract-only winery, with no vines or brands of its own. Its focus is therefore solely on supporting clients, whether they be small growers who want a full “crate to case” service, or larger clients who want any part of this: pressing, winemaking, bottling, riddling and disgorging or labelling. We are based at Highland Court Farm, near Canterbury, Kent (CT4 5HL). Given the broad spectrum of our clients and their very different requirements, this is an exciting opportunity to be involved in making a wide range of still and sparkling wines. The Vintage Winemaker will report to the Operations Winemaker and the Head Winemaker.
Dates and hours Dates: Start of September to end of November (accommodation within driving distance of the winery is provided for this period). Hours: Forty hours per week outside harvest, up to 70 hours per week during the peak of harvest (roughly a four-week period from middle of September to middle of October).
Tasks will include: - Support pre-harvest preparations including tank movements and cleaning - Responsible for running the night shift during the main harvest period - Preparation and supervision of work orders - Use of winery software (VinTrace) - Laboratory management and analysis interpretation - Managing a small team of people on the night-shift, involved in pressing, cellar and lab operations - Cap management including pump-overs / punch-downs - Barrel handling - Maintaining accurate records of all winery work - Maintaining a safe work environment at all times and actively participating in Health & Safety policy and procedures - Lead post-harvest clean down Candidates must have: - A winemaking qualification and/or experience as an Assistant Winemaker - Competence in a broad range of winery duties - Good organizational and interpersonal skills and the ability to lead a team - Hold a driving license and a proficiency certificate for forklift operation - Computer skills to manage winery records, stock management and all winemaking administration - Flexibility to work extended hours when necessary - Eligibility to work in the UK - The ability to lift up to 20kg In addition, candidates should ideally have: - Lab experience - Experience of working in a winery with contract clients - Experience of making English and Welsh or cool climate wines - Experience of working with winery software e.g.VinTrace - Experience of working with an OenoFoss in the lab - Own transport Competitive salary, reflective of previous experience.
For further details and to apply for the post, please email: winery@definedwine.com
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Kingscote Estate Vineyard |
A well positioned commercial vineyard in the heart of the Sussex Weald, situated between the historic Bluebell Railway and Weir Wood Reservoir.
Key features:
- Approx. 60 acres of vines
- Fully equipped winery
- Traditional barn for visitors and events
- 2 Bedroom holiday cottage
- Substantial additional farm buildings
- Fishing lakes
- Further pasture and woodland, in all about 151 acres
Guide price £4,750,000
Agent: Savills
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