Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog June 2024

June 18, 2024

17th June 2024

In spite of the cool, wet Spring and early Summer – which is far from ideal for vines – we have some wonderful news to impart: firstly, our Sparkling Rose from the 2021 harvest has been awarded a silver medal by the IEWA; secondly, we will be holding an ‘Open Day’ on Saturday 10th August.

Our Sparkling Rose from the 2021 harvest is 95% Seyval Blanc, 4% Pinot Noir, and 1% Acolon. It has achieved an alcohol content of 11.5% with titratable acidity of 8.5 grams/litre, creating a perfect balance of crisp acidity which is a prerequisite of English Sparkling Wine. We have 900 bottles of this award-winning wine so as with all our wines it is a very limited edition.

Open Day – Saturday 10th August 10am-4pm

We are delighted to reopen - in a limited way - after a very challenging period dealing with the technicalities of probate – finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. Join us on Saturday 10th August for the launch of our award-winning sparkling and still wines – the opportunity to taste and buy our new release wines at farmgate prices.

Bring along friends and family, walk the vineyard, chat with the owners, relax in our garden or under our terrace, enjoy alfresco local meats and cheeses. Free entry – numbers limited and subject to availability – to avoid disappointment please register your interest as soon as possible by sending me an email to: jcdeeley@godstonevineyards.com

We hope to see you in August – meanwhile fingers crossed that we get some Summer weather !

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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

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog - July 2025

By GODSTONE • July 1, 2025

A consequence of warm, dry Summers (such as 2025) is the prevalence in English vineyards of a disease called ‘powdery mildew’; unchecked it can devastate the entire grape crop and so vigilance is required in order to prevent it taking hold. It thrives in humid weather and especially where airflow between the vines is limited. Powdery mildew infection appears as a white, powdery coating on leaves, stems, and fruit. If left untreated it can stunt growth, reduce fruit quality, and even affect the flavour of the wine. Of the two varieties which we grow at Godstone the most at risk from mildew is Bacchus due to its dense canopy of foliage. Our other variety, Seyval Blanc, is fairly resistant to mildew. The best thing to do in order to prevent mildew from taking hold is an enhanced programme of canopy management, especially leaf stripping - which significantly improves air flow around the grapes, combined with reducing the amount of foliage. We rely upon a loyal group of friends who kindly offer their services voluntarily on several days throughout the Summer in order to help us with our canopy management and we are eternally grateful for their help. Our vineyard will be open on three Saturdays during July and, if you would like to visit, please kindly reserve your spaces using the links below: SATURDAY 12th JULY https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-summer-of-wine-at-godstone-vineyards-tickets-1250420093159?aff=oddtdtcreator SATURDAY 19th JULY https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-summer-of-wine-at-godstone-vineyards-tickets-1358395691079?aff=oddtdtcreator SATURDAY 26th JULY https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-summer-of-wine-at-godstone-vineyards-tickets-1436108622549?aff=oddtdtcreator We hope to see you during July! Kind Regards Jonathan