Jonathan's Vineyard Blog July 2023

GODSTONE • July 4, 2023

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog

4th July 2023


We have received some very good news since my last blog was published in May - our Sparkling Wine 2020 was awarded a gold medal at the IEWA Awards; only ten golds were awarded and there are nearly 1000 vineyards in the UK so we are incredibly proud of this achievement.


I consider it to be a starting point rather than an end game in our pursuit of excellence - everything we do in the vineyard at Godstone is tailored towards the goal of consistently producing top quality wines. I have long held the view that our soil type and topography are near perfect for growing grapes in England and this award feels like a vindication.


“Fantastic aromatics on the nose and great complexity. The mouthfeel and acidity is outstanding. An exciting sparkling wine that really opens up in the glass. Beautiful nose, with such good evolution. Really well balanced wine with depth on the mid-palate and a creamy, round finish. Really enjoyable !” - IEWA 2023 Tasting Note.


In other news we are now Summer pruning our vines : tucking in shoots, especially on a vigorous variety such as Bacchus; leaf stripping on one side of each row in order to improve ventilation and access to the sun.


Our alfresco garden area is looking particularly lovely this year so if you fancy popping along to enjoy a glass of our award winning wines then we are always delighted to see you any weekend !




Kind Regards

Jonathan

jcdeeley@godstonevineyards.com

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog - September 2025

By GODSTONE • September 4, 2025
The four months of the year which end in ‘ber’ are now upon us which means that Michaelmas Day (September 29th) is only three weeks away. Folklore claimed that if a north wind blew on Michaelmas Day the month of October would be sunny and fine although make the most of it because fine weather on Saint Denis’s Day (October 9th) indicates a hard winter ahead! The sayings below are my personal favourites : “Dew in the night, next day will be bright” “Grey mists at dawn, the day will be warm” “Rain before seven, fine before eleven” “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight, red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning” In an age where for most of us the first port of call for a weather forecast is an app on our mobiles, these sayings often stand the test of time! At the time of writing we do not have a definite harvest date and we continue to monitor levels of sugar and acidity every other day in the hope of arriving at the perfect day for picking! Last year the starlings treated our grapes as an open buffet so we are praying that we can avoid a repeat. We are now open every Saturday between midday and 4pm and, as always, would love to see you. Kind Regards Jonathan

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog - August 2025

By GODSTONE • August 4, 2025
The weather has turned unsettled since I wrote to you in July and, after four very dry months, we have returned to a more typical mixture of sunshine and showers. At this stage in their development our grapes would prefer settled weather and certainly more sunshine than rainfall. Fingers crossed we are on course for a decent harvest however there are still a few months to go until picking ! We will soon commence Brix testing of the grapes in order to attempt a prediction of the likely harvest date - at present I would say that mid October is looking realistic for our Seyval Blanc. If you wish to know everything there is to know about Brix testing then click on this link ! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brix I have some good news about our opening days for the vineyard - we intend to open most Saturdays from September onwards; I will confirm this once everything is set in stone. It’s been a long time coming and we are keen to find a “new normal” for Godstone Vineyards. In the meantime we are open over the August Bank Holiday (except Monday) and if you would like to join us please register your interest - free of charge - via the links below: Saturday 23rd August https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1250420835379?aff=oddtdtcreator Sunday 24th August https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1521889585719?aff=oddtdtcreator Kind Regards Jonathan