Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog July 22nd

July 22, 2022

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog

22nd July 2022


I am writing the blog at the end of a week in which we have witnessed record high temperatures across the British Isles - we recorded 38 degrees celsius here in Godstone on 19th July.  High temperatures prove uncomfortable for the majority of us, however, luckily vines really thrive in such conditions and we are tentatively beginning to believe that, all being well, 2022 will be a very good vintage.


The mid Summer period is incredibly busy in an English vineyard and perhaps the most important task is canopy management. In essence we need to trim the vines and the labour cost of undertaking this would be excessive if we did the job by hand; therefore we use a fancy piece of machinery (expensive !) which fits on to the front of our tractor and, operated safely from the cab, cuts back the top and sides of our vines.


A job which would take one person several weeks can now be done in less than four hours - that is progress !


Trimming the vines is vitally important for several reasons : it results in uniformity of shoot length (if the number of leaves per shoot is similar and each shoot is able to provide for its own fruit then it is easier to optimise our yields) ; trimming greatly benefits fruit set ; removing excessive foliage significantly reduces disease pressure, especially Botrytis ; perhaps most importantly opening up the fruit zone improves sunlight to the developing grapes, aids the movement of air through the vines, and reduces humidity. The combination of all these will help us to achieve our main ambition, which is to produce a clean, healthy, disease free, quality crop.


In addition to trimming the vines we have now installed the post and wirework for our new vines which were planted in May 2022.


Our shop is open every weekend and our 2020 Sparkling Wine is selling like the proverbial hot cakes !  It is proving extremely popular as a refreshing antidote to a hot Summer’s evening so why not pop along and treat yourself to a bottle or two … we always love seeing you.


Kind Regards


Jonathan

jcdeeley@godstonevineyards.com

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog - February 2026

By GODSTONE • January 29, 2026
1st February 2026 February 2nd is known as Candlemas and, apparently, the weather on this day will determine the remainder of the Winter ! Britain being Britain we have folklore sayings such as If Candlemas be fair and clear there'll be two Winters in one year although, in the interests of positive thinking I prefer this one - If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter'll have another flight. But if Candlemas Day be clouds and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again. Therefore keep a close eye on the weather on February 2nd and if it rains then this might be a silver lining! Irrespective of the weather, Winter is always a surprisingly busy time in our vineyard and this one has proved no exception: pruning the vines, planting new hedging, sprucing up our shop and terrace, all of which has kept us on the straight and narrow. As a vigneron you cannot reasonably expect me to do Dry January and, true to form, in the past month I have been experimenting with some outstanding white Burgundies and several local real ales! It's a tough job but someone had to do it. We decided to stay closed between January and the end of March however I am pleased to say that we will reopen on Saturday 4th April, after which we will have many open days throughout the Spring, Summer, and Autumn. If you would like to visit us during April and/or May please register your interest - free of charge - via the links below: Saturday 4th April https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1978775826765?aff=oddtdtcreator Easter Monday 6th April https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1979663039442?aff=oddtdtcreator Bank Holiday Monday 4th May https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1979663129712?aff=oddtdtcreator Kind Regards Jonathan

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog -November 2025

By GODSTONE • November 5, 2025
We have arrived at the end of another year in the vineyard and I am delighted to say that the vines have excelled themselves in what was, admittedly, a very good year to be cultivating grapes in England. The disappointment of no harvest in 2024 was a distant memory on Sunday 5th October when, under cloudless blue skies, we picked top quality grapes which will be made into a Sparkling Wine for release in 2028; the grapes had an almost perfect balance of acidity and natural sugar, excellent quality with barely any disease. I would venture to say that 2025 will match 2022, which was the last great vintage in England, time will tell ! I would like to thank those of you who helped with the harvest and also for your efforts throughout the Spring and Summer, it is greatly appreciated and we couldn’t do it without you ! As many of you know by now, our vineyard is planted predominantly with a variety called Seyval Blanc, which - in our opinion - is ideally suited to English conditions. Undoubtedly the doyen of Seyval Blanc was Peter Hall, of Breaky Bottom vineyard near Lewes, and it is with great sadness that we learnt of his passing last month. My brother and I were fortunate to have a private audience with him in 2024 in which he imparted some valuable tricks of his trade ! His obituary (below) gives you a feel for this incredible vigneron who will be much missed. English wine has lost a great character. https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/tribute-peter-hall-1943-2025 Rest In Peace, Peter Hall, 1943-2025 Kind Regards Jonathan