Welsh minister for natural resources and food Alun Davies launches Welsh Wine Week and the new Wine Trail Wales leaflet

Alun Davies, the Welsh minister for natural resources and food, has spearheaded efforts to promote a programme of activities and special promotions, including tours and wine tastings, planned by the vineyards to celebrate Welsh Wine Week from Saturday, May 25.

Supported by the Welsh Government, vineyard owners have produced a Wine Trail Wales leaflet to encourage wine tourism and launched a new website – – and social media pages on Facebook  and Twitter (@WinetrailWales) to raise the profile of the blossoming industry.

Wales now has vineyards spanning from Anglesey in the north to Monmouthshire and Pembrokeshire in the south, as the country is fast gaining international recognition for the quality of its wines. Wales produces around 100,000 bottles of wine a year.

Welsh Vineyard Association

To maintain the growing momentum behind the industry and increase consumer awareness, the wine producers are now banding together to re-form a Welsh Vineyards Association.

Davies says: “It is encouraging to see producers working together collectively to form a Welsh Vineyard Association. In terms of quality and potential, Welsh wine is certainly making a name for itself at home and abroad. I would encourage consumers to visit their local Vineyard during Welsh Wine Week and enjoy the fantastic produce they have to offer.”

Events and vineyard tours in Welsh Wine Week are available here.

One of the standard bearers for the industry is the multi-award winning Ancre Hill Estates at Monmouth, which is owned by Richard and Joy Morris. Last November, the vineyard won the coveted award for best white sparkling wine in the world at the Bollicine del Mondo International competition in Italy, where they were up against the best champagnes.

“It was a massive plus for Wales and the Welsh wine industry to win the award,” said Morris. “It proves that quality vineyards exist in Wales capable of growing the best quality fruit, which can be made in to world class wine.”

Decanter World Wine Awards

In this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards and the International Wine and Spirit Competition, announced at the London International Wine Fair on Tuesday, the vineyard also won four silver and two bronze medals.

Morris says: “We are particularly pleased with the performance of our Pinot Noir, with these results making it the best performing red wine from England and Wales in 2013. This was our first accredited biodynamic wine.”

The Morris family planted the first phase of the vineyard in April 2006, with a further plantation in April 2007 and this year. Ancre Hill Estates, which produces 15,000 bottles of wine annually, is the only UK vineyard to grow Albariño, which originate in Galicia, Northern Spain, and further planting this month extends the vines to three acres.

Work is also due to start this summer on a commercial winery, which will be fully sustainable, as it will have straw bale walls, a sedum grass roof and an ecological water treatment system.

Ancre Hill Estate visits

Ancre Hill Estates, which produces sparkling whites blanc de blanc and blanc de noir, sparkling rose, still white and rosé and Pinot Noir red, will be holding vineyard tours twice daily at 11.30am and 3pm and, during Welsh Wine Week, is offering free wine tastings.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Wales, preparations are being made for the first wine making crop of grapes at the only vineyard in Carmarthenshire. Vines were planted at Jabajak Vineyard near Llanboidy in 2008 but the grape crop has yet to be harvested for wine.

“We’re hoping that 2013 will be the year and we are going for it,” said Amanda Stuart-Robson, who owns the vineyard and a five star restaurant with 10 en-suite rooms in partnership with her sister Lorraine Lloyd and their husbands, Julian and John respectively. They have appointed viticulturist Alex Wilson to run the one hectare vineyard with its 2,000 Seyval, Phoenix, Pinot Noir, Rondo, Huxlebe and Reichensteiner vines, from which they aim to produce still white and sparkling white and rosé wines.

Stuart-Robson says: “It was my husband, Julian, who came up with the idea of a vineyard to give the business a unique selling point here in rural Carmarthenshire. We have potential to expand the vineyard in the future.

“I am told that sparkling wine originally came from this region but the Normans drove out the monks that were producing it. It would be great to bring sparkling wine back here. Our first wine will be still white and we are hoping to produce a small amount of sparkling, but it will be a while before that’s available to drink.”

The Jabajak restaurant and rooms, which overlooks the vineyard, have been converted from a traditional smallholding farmhouse and outbuildings. Originally named Banc y Llain, the smallholding was part of an estate owned by the grandparents of sixth American president John Quincy Adams and remained in the family’s ownership until 1997.

Other new vineyards under development include Llaethliw close to the National Trust’s Llanerchaeron Estate near Aberaeron and Kerry Vale Vineyard near the Welsh border at Churchstoke.

Picture: Minister for Natural Resources and Food Alun Davies launches Welsh Wine Week and the new Wine Trail Wales leaflet with Judith and Colin Dudley from Parva Farm Vineyard, Nicola and Robb Merchant from Whitecastle Vineyard, Joy and Richard Morris, from Ancre Hill Estates and Louise Ryan and Simon Bloor from Sugarloaf Vineyard.

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Vines to Wines, partnered by English Wine Producers (EWP) and the United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA), will host a seminar looking at planning for a profitable vineyard operation with well-known Australian viticulturalist Dr Richard Smart at Fruit Focus 2013 on July 24.

The session is aimed at new growers looking to join this fast-growing and exciting sector, says a spokesperson.

In addition, Fruit Focus has again teamed up with Wine Skills, Plumpton College’s knowledge transfer initiative, to provide two practical workshops to help growers manage their vines to best advantage.

East Malling Research centenary

The show’s host, East Malling Research (EMR) is celebrating its centenary this year. As well as the popular and highly informative fruit research tours, which highlight the latest trials work being undertaken at the venue, EMR will be re-creating a laboratory as it would have looked in 1913, complete with researchers in period dress.

“We hope it will be a bit of fun as well as being informative,” says Peter Gregory, chief executive of EMR. “We will be comparing this piece of history with today’s labs and the type of work we are doing in them. We will also be giving an account of the East Malling Collection – all the varieties of fruits and ornamentals that have been released from East Malling over the past 25 years.”

Visitors will also be able to view machinery and equipment being put through its paces in the centrally located demonstration arena.

The Fruit Focus forums, sponsored by NFU, include a session on labour and employment offering the latest updates and advice from specialist NFU advisers. In addition, Christine Tacon, Groceries Code Adjudicator and Guy Poskitt, NFU Horticulture Board acting chairman will be headlining a supply chain panel session.

The technical session will examine prospects for addressing the pollination issue – looking at the pressures that are affecting native pollinators and hives on which the UK’s fruit sector depends, and how these problems might be overcome.

More than 100 exhibitors have already signed up for stand space at Fruit Focus 2013, which returns to East Malling Research, Kent on 24^th July. Tickets for Fruit Focus 2013 cost £10 (inc VAT) and are available online or on the day.

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With a record number of vineyards in Devon, Bickleigh-based grower Roger White at Yearlstone Vineyard is inviting county residents and visitors to enjoy the 8th Devon Wine Week which starts next Saturday and runs in tandem with the national English Wine Week.

White says: “With more vineyards in Devon than ever before in its history, there are plenty of opportunities to join in the 8th Devon Wine Week which starts on Saturday. Devon wines have had some spectacular successes in international competitions and reviews in the world’s leading wine magazines over the past year so there are lots of fantastic wines to sample.”

Yearlstone, Sharpham, Pebblebed and Eastcott vineyards have all featured strongly in the English wine boom – Yearlstone alone has had glowing reviews in La Revue du Vin, Decanter and the German language Vinum over the past 18 months, as well as picking up a medal at the prestigous Lyons International Wine Competition in April.

He adds: “So get out there and enjoy the spectacular views of Devon’s fabulous vineyards this week – and if you can’t get along at least order a few glasses from one of the many cafes, restaurants and delis listed at www.yearlstone.co.uk.”

Yearlstone vineyard is located on a steep southerly slope on a hillside above the lower valley of the river Exe at the picturesque village of Bickleigh in mid Devon. It is 200 feet above sea level and has natural protection from the west, north and east. The soil is a silty clay loam over fragmented Devon red sandstone with excellent drainage and is perfect for vines – red soils are the most sought after for vineyards all around the world. In all, Yearlstone’s position is perfect for growing vines and ripening grapes.

The vineyard was started in 1976 by pioneering English viticulturist Gillian Pearkes. She planted many different wine varieties collected on her worldwide travels and experimented with wine growing techniques for the English climate. The vineyard had an international reputation thanks to Gillian’s pioneering efforts. After Gillian died in 1993, Roger and Juliet White bought the vineyard in 1994.

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Wine producers in Wales have taken the first steps towards re-forming a Welsh Vineyard Association (WVA) to promote the blossoming industry in Wales. Producers from ten of the 17 vineyards in Wales attended a marketing workshop organised by the Welsh Government at Llanerch Vineyard in the Vale of Glamorgan to discuss plans for the annual Welsh Wine Week from May 25 to June 2.

For details of Welsh Wine Week 2013, click here

Delegates attended from Ancre Hill Estates, Monmouth; Bryn Ceiliog Vineyard, Leckwith; Llanerch Vineyard, Hensol; Glyndwr Vineyard, Cowbridge; Jabajak Vineyard, Llanboidy; Llaethlliw Vineyard, near Aberaeron; Parva Farm, Tintern; Sugarloaf Vineyard, Abergavenny; White Castle Vineyard, near Abergavenny and Cwm-Deri Vineyard, Narberth.

They and four other wine producers, who were unable to attend the workshop, all supported a proposal by Richard Morris, from the multi-award winning Ancre Hill Estates at Monmouth, to reform a WVA to raise the profile of wine producers in Wales by working together collectively.

Welsh Vineyard Association

He suggested that an association would have a positive impact on Wales becoming recognised within the UK and worldwide as a quality wine producing area and would encourage cross-fertilisation of ideas between the businesses. The WVA would seek to be affiliated to the United Kingdom Vineyards Association.

Morris says: “I think a Welsh Vineyard Association is very important to promote our industry. There is a general public perception in the UK that we cannot make quality wines in Wales. That is incorrect because the quality of a lot of Welsh wines is very good, but we need much better promotion.

“There is no question about it, we are going to be much stronger by working together to create a reputation for quality wine in Wales. We need help with promoting our businesses.”

Amanda Stuart-Robson, from Jabajak Vineyard at Llanboidy, which is producing grapes for the first time this year, gave her full support to a WVA. She says: “This is like manna from heaven,” she said. “We can do a phenomenal job of putting Welsh wine on the map by working together, rather than in isolation.”

Deiniol ap Dafydd, managing director of Llanrwst-based Welsh food and drink wholesaler Blas as Fwyd, said Wales should be proud of the quality of its wines.

ap Dafydd  says: “There is a market out there for your products. It’s a matter of identifying that market and working together to build a platform for yourselves. There has been a tradition of making Welsh wine for 2,000 years and you are now the flagbearers.”

In a message to consumers both within and outside Wales, he said: “If the last time you tasted Welsh wine was a decade or so ago, you now owe it to yourself to try some world beating wines from Wales.

“I have been in the food and drink industry for 25 years and I know that Welsh wine can now compete with the best in the world.”

Presentations on marketing and the power of social media were given by experienced marketer Russell Ferguson and journalist-cum baking entrepreneur Elizabeth Mahoney, of One Mile Bakery, Cardiff, respectively.

Free delivery

Blas ar Fwyd is offering free delivery anywhere in Wales, until the end of June, for customers buying mixed half a case – six bottles – of Welsh wine.

The wine producers have produced a Wine Trail Wales leaflet to promote wine tourism and launched a website to promote all the country’s vineyards, which span from Anglesey to Monmouthshire.

Many of the vineyards will be open to the public for tours and other events and a series of national promotions is planned to raise awareness of the quality and breadth of the wine industry in Wales.

Picture caption: Welsh wine producers pictured with Dilys Parker (back left) from the Welsh Government’s Food and Market Development Division, at Llanerch Vineyard.

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Some 10,000 visitors attended the recent Plumpton College open day where they received tutored sessions in wine tasting. Sales of Plumpton Estate wines and Alumni wines attracted brisk business, say collage bosses.

The Wine Department offers unique wine degree courses within Europe, with an on-site winery. It has a well-established Wineskills programme offering viticulture training for the UK wine industry.

As this is a working agricultural and horticulture establishment, the event offered “an ideal opportunity to meet staff and students and find out more about courses, career opportunities, fees, funding and student accommodation,” say organisers.

As a great family day out, popular attractions included horse riding displays, forestry demonstrations, shearing, tours of the extensive estate by tractor/trailer, the large College farm, children’s activities, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Services, floristry, forges and engineering facilities, the animal care unit and the fun dog show.
A craft and trade fair featured pottery, ceramics, stained glass, vintage steam model engines, machinery, Sussex trugs, wood skills and floral art.  Local foods, bakery and drinks were available.

Visitors to the new College dairy processing unit sampled a variety of home produced cheeses and cold-pressed rapeseed oil.  There was much interest in new dairy courses, especially ice-cream, cheese and yoghurt making.

Students in the machinery and engineering workshops demonstrated blacksmithing, with silversmithing, jewellery, metalsmithing and coppersmithing facilities on show.  Student designs are regularly entered for The Young Craftsman awards at the South of England show.

The College Open Day is held alongside the Sussex Federation of Young Farmers’ clubs annual show and featured many Sussex Young Farmers’ events.

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