Fabric manufacturer Capatex has introduced a new woven polypropylene Weed-Block fabric which it is aiming at grape growers.
The fabric’s woven construction has a combination of light-reflecting and weed suppression properties. The predominately white upper side of Weed-Block reflects the light so that the total amount of light reaching the crop increases significantly. The black under-side blocks the light to a great extent resulting in reduced photo-synthesis and hence weed growth.
The 130g/m2 fabric is strong enough to cope with light to medium mechanical traffic and has a high water permeability of 20L/m2/sec, says the company.. Due to the level of UV stabiliser, the life expectancy is at least five years. Standard widths available are 200 cm, 325 cm and 525 cm.

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Boutique sparkling wine producer, Herbert Hall Wines has been selected to make a special English Sparkling Wine Cuvée for The Prince of Wales’s Highgrove brand. It is available at the Highgrove shops and Fortnum & Mason in London.

Herbert Hall Wines’ founder and winemaker, Nicholas Hall, was asked to make a special Highgrove Cuvée because of his commitment to quality and to the values of The Prince of Wales’s environmental philosophy – to work with Nature than against it. He farms organically, with most of the vineyard work done by hand. The vineyard and the winery are both certified as Organic by the Soil Association.

Nicholas Hall says: “It is a great honour to be making wine for Highgrove. We share a belief in farming organically and our approach to winemaking is based on expressing the quality and integrity of superb English fruit. Our own wines are typically fresh and fruit driven with a delicate yeast aroma. The Highgrove Cuvee is made in this style, but a greater proportion of chardonnay fermented in oak and the use of organic sugar at secondary fermentation and dosage give the wine an individuality and style of its own.”

All profits from the sale of Highgrove products go to The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation.

Photo: mrpbps

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The Oxford Wine Company has been named as winner of the prestigious Regional Wine Merchant of the Year 2012 by the top wine trade body, The International Wine Challenge (IWC) whose judges include many MW and well known wine journalists such as Oz Clarke. The award was presented to Theo Sloot at a glittering ceremony at The London Hilton earlier this month.

IWC co-chairman Charles Metcalfe said: “The fact that the Oxford Wine Company has a great range of wines was shown clearly in this year’s International Wine Challenge, where they won 19 Gold Medals. That’s something very few other companies in the UK managed. They run a great programme of tastings and events, have just opened another shop, in Cirencester, and taken on Marcia Waters, a very respected Master of Wine, to help on the buying side. It’s so good to see a well-run company expanding, making decent profits and giving a cracking service to its customers.”

Ted Sandbach, MD of The Oxford Wine Company said: “We are honoured and proud to receive this award and I am delighted that we are maintaining a consistent level of achievement with our third win in six years. It vindicates the work we are doing in building an interesting and diverse range of wine and spirits which is recognised by both the trade and our customers.”

The IWC success followed two prestigious new awards the retailer won in the Harpers Wine & Spirit Awards Ceremony in London in May, 2012. The Oxford Wine Company beat stiff competition to win the coveted ‘Best Customer Service’ Award and was then named as ‘Best Independent Wholesaler’ as well, making an important dual win for the company.

The retailer currently lists Brightwell Vineyard, Hendred Vineyard, Nyetimber, Ancre Hill and Three Choirs wines.

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Nineteen months after its launch, ukvine is to launch a regular newsletter to expand on the website’s contents and offer advertisers more opportunities to reach the English and Welsh wine industry.
The newsletter will allow ukvine editorial staff to report on matters and news relevant to the industry but which are currently not published on the site, says editorial director James Graham.
He says: “When we launched ukvine.com we were quite specific that it would be a business-focused site, a go-to location for news on the activities and business of those who make, distribute, retail and make income from wine produced from British-grown grapes. There was to be no space for ‘life-style’ elements such as tasting notes and gossip from the industry. This newsletter will allow us to include such material.”
The newsletter, which will be weekly, has been designed by Daniel Manning, founder and digital designer for ukvine owner Media Link and will complement his design for the website.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for a very reasonable investment, says Graham. The first issue will be sent out on Friday, August 31 to relevant email addresses throughout the UK and abroad.

Editorial material for the newsletter can be sent to jg@ukvine.com, Sponsorship and advertising enquires, contact dm@ukvine.com.

To subscribe please go to www.ukvine.com

Photo: isriya

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Redhill-based Platipus has called on all of its 30 years’ experience to develop a range of standard anchoring systems using a superior grade stainless steel solid wire for vineyard use. Its construction and high strength characteristics mean that it can significantly outperform any flexible galvanised wire tendon of equal diameter. The result is a quick to install anchor system, with an ultimate load of up to 2000kg and a 25 year design life, depending on ground conditions, says the company.
Platipus also offers a brand new range of end post kits suitable for metal or wooden posts. The kits come complete with a pre-cut length of flexible galvanised wire tendon suitable for single or double-leg connections, a soft eye end stop termination and a choice of tensioning devices to suit individual requirements and budgets.
Sales and marketing director Darren Cavedaschi says: “We listen to what the customer actually needs and pride ourselves on delivering high quality solutions at the right price. These latest product developments allow us to provide the customer with a complete end post solution from one source.”
Platipus will be demonstrating its anchoring systems and end post kits at Fruit Focus on July 25, 2012.

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