Practical vine management will feature for the first time at this year’s Vines to Wines,
helping new and established growers keep abreast of the latest thinking to maximise
production and quality.
Viines to Wines is already well known among wine growers and producers as being
the place to seek out expert advice. It is now an established part of the Fruit Focus
event, which returns to East Malling Research, Kent on July 25, 2012.
Partnered by marketing association English Wine Producers (EWP) and the United
Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA), Vines to Wines brings together all those
involved in the growing, production, distribution and sales of still and sparkling wine
in the UK.
“It offers a great opportunity for people thinking about coming into the industry or who are just starting up to meet manufacturers and suppliers to the sector in one place,” says EWP marketing director Julia Trustram Eve. “Established growers also value it – it’s a great place to network with all types of business contacts and other vineyard owners and managers – it’s the only event of its kind in the UK.”
Topics covered include:
• New varieties
• Crop protection
• Fertilisers and nutrition
• Viticulture equipment
• Vineyard management
• Winemaking and wine quality
• Product development
• Winery design
• Sales and marketing
In addition, a seminar, Setting up a vineyard, will be held at 1pm with viticulture
adviser Duncan McNeill of Faversham-based Farm Advisory Services Team. This will include tips on setting up a vineyard, including site selection, preparation, varieties, planting, training and trellising and machinery requirements, concluding with a question and answer session.
The new WineSkills workshops are set within East Malling Research’s demonstration
vineyard, and will be delivered by WineSkills, an initiative managed by Plumpton College that organises workshops, masterclasses and mentoring for the UK wine production industry.
There are two workshops. Summer pruning and canopy management with D’Arcy
Gander and James Dodson, of East Sussex-based Vine-Works, a vineyard management business specialising in vineyard trellis installation, will be held at 10am and 2.30pm. Vineyard pesticide application workshop with Brian Speed of Southern Counties Training, who has over 30 years’ experience as a trainer for pesticide use and is also an NPTC examiner, will take place at 11am and 3.30pm.
The seminar and practical sessions will give newcomers a great insight into what the
industry can offer and let aspiring commercial growers experience the standard of training that is available through the WineSkills programme, says Roger Marchbank,
UKVA deputy chairman.
• Fruit Focus takes place on Weds 25th July 2012 at East Malling, Kent. Opening times 9am – 5pm.
• Visitors will qualify for 4 BASIS points / 2 NRoSO CPD points for attending the event.
