Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog March 2024

GODSTONE • Mar 28, 2024

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog

26th March 2024


Winter has been incredibly wet and outdoor work in the vineyard has been anything but fun - however these are a few of the jobs which have been keeping us busy over the past few months:


Pruning our vines - the single most important task undertaken in the vineyard and one which will have the greatest influence on potential yields and quality;


Pruning our windbreaks - we have to undertake routine maintenance every few years to ensure that they don’t get too tall or wide - it is a difficult task which requires the expertise of a local contractor;


Planting new hedges and trees - we do this every winter and the results are beginning to speak for themselves.


Our shop and cafe will remain closed throughout 2024 whilst we deal with a myriad of issues following the devastating loss of our mother last November.


If you would like to visit us this year then your chance to do so is via our volunteering days - our two early season ones will be held on:

Tuesday 7th May
Monday 3rd June
 

Approximately 6 hours of gentle work within the vineyard followed by lunch and free flowing Godstone wine - if you would like to join the fun please let me know asap !


Jonathan & Robert

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog January 2024

By GODSTONE • 22 Jan, 2024
Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog 22nd January 2024 It might surprise you to know that January is one of the busiest months in the vineyard year. Pruning is in full swing plus we are busy planting new hedges and trees. Pruning is the single most important task in a vineyard because we are choosing the buds that will produce the fruit for harvest. It is a crucial task which helps us to maintain the vine’s formation; regulates the number and positioning of shoots thereby concentrating growth into key areas; improves fruit quality and generally ensures that the vine does not get out of control ! We have some vines which are now 36 years old and if anything the quality of their grapes is improving year on year, however, as you can see from the above image a vine of this maturity also requires some fairly drastic pruning in order to maintain its shape. This winter we have removed as much old bulky wood as possible from the crown of these vines and so far I am very satisfied with the resulting structure. A vine requires a lot of energy to power the sap as it rises up the plant once growth commences in the Spring so we are basically trying to reduce its workload - this happens to the best of us as we get older ! Our shop and cafe are taking a short break whilst we transition the business following the sad passing away of our mother last November; we are very grateful for the many messages of support and kind words you have written to us during this difficult time. We will see you again soon. Jonathan & Robert

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog November 2023

By GODSTONE • 23 Nov, 2023
Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog 23rd November 2023 It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that our mother, June Deeley, passed away peacefully at home on 8th November, after a mercifully short battle against cancer. I am sure many of our regular visitors will have become familiar over the years with seeing my mother at her vineyard; it was her “happy place” and it provided her with the serenity and peacefulness which she deserved and craved. Our mother was involved with the vineyard since its inception back in the mid 1980’s and took great pride in running the shop as though it were an extension of her home - ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ would be a very suitable epitaph to her dedication in ensuring that everything was always orderly and well run. Our mother left the cultural aspects of the vineyard to our team of contractors - although once a month she would do a ‘grand tour’ of the vines to ensure that everything was ‘spick and span’, and woe betide if the hedges and verges were not kept neat and tidy ! Our mother’s mantra was always ‘KBO’ (keep buggering on) whatever the situation in which she found herself - she had lived through evacuation during WW2 and the ensuing food rationing, which clearly left an indelible mark and made her the amazing person we will always remember. It was fitting - and gave her immense pride - that her final year saw Godstone win a gold medal for our sparkling wine plus a record harvest in October. Our mother will be sorely missed in so many ways - “To live in hearts we leave behind, is not to die”. (If you would like details of our mother’s funeral, which will take place in early December, please contact me via email and I will provide you with the details.
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