Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog - November

Jonathan • November 4, 2021

In this month’s blog it gives me great pleasure to report on our recent grape harvest, which took place under cloudless blue skies on Sunday 17th October.

We are extremely grateful to the twenty five friends and family who so willingly helped us to bring in the harvest; we picked from early morning until mid afternoon and then sat down together to enjoy a convivial lunch comprising our own homemade quiches, farm raised turkey, and all accompanied by our still and sparkling wines. It was a truly wonderful climax to a year which, due to weather and Covid, has been a very challenging one for ours and many businesses up and down the land.


We were very pleasantly surprised by the yield of grapes, which has resulted in a record for Godstone Vineyards. At some points during the growing season I had been genuinely concerned that we might not harvest anything at all - the Spring was cold and late, the Summer predominantly wet. The sugar level of our grapes was slightly lower than average, however this means that we will hopefully end up with a crisp, dry sparkling wine when it is released in 2023.

Looking to Winter.

Another year in the wine cycle draws to a close and yet we are already embarking upon the next one: post and wirework need to be repaired / replaced ; hedges and windbreaks need to be maintained ; winter pruning will commence in December. It quite literally never stops!


Our shop remains open every weekend throughout the Winter and we are always delighted to welcome you. 

Jonathan’s Vineyard Notes - 17th June 2026

By GODSTONE • June 17, 2026
17th June 2026 June is usually a busy month in the vineyard and this year has been no exception. Firstly, bud rubbing and shoot selection has been undertaken - removing unwanted shoots from the trunk - done by hand - after which shoot selection, a critical task which is not so much about keeping the strongest shoots but more about retaining the best positioned ones. Good spacing improves airflow, reduces disease pressure, and makes future tasks more straightforward. Early thinning prevents canopy overcrowding later on. Secondly, we moved on to tucking in, because as shoots extend the main priority is keeping them upright. If done properly this tucking in enables the vines to form a neat hedge-like canopy, thereby improving light distribution and keeping the fruiting zone accessible. In July our main job will be tipping and / or topping the vines, followed by leaf stripping. I will let you know how we get on with these tasks in my next edition of these Notes. We always love to see you and the vineyard is open every Saturday until mid September - with free parking, free self guided vineyard walks, and sharing platters of carefully curated local cheeses and charcuterie, it's a lovely way to enjoy a Saturday this Summer ! (Booking is appreciated and greatly assists with our planning …) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-in-the-vines-at-godstone-vineyards-tickets-1 987770961455?aff=oddtdtcreator Regards, Jonathan & Robert

Jonathan's Vineyard Blog - 15th May 2026

By GODSTONE • May 15, 2026
May 15th The changeable weather has been the main talking point this Spring in the vineyard. Plus cest la meme chose! March was a mild and changeable month with periods of settled weather interspersed with periods of indifferent weather, the provisional mean temperature was 1.3 degrees Celsius above average; April, on the other hand, was dominated by a static anticyclone which blocked North Atlantic low pressure systems, resulting in a very dry, settled, and sunny month. April was a false dawn. May has been an extraordinary month with a distinctly chilly feel especially at night - many vineyards across England are reporting significant frost damage to the young buds which will, inevitably, result in yield reduction. Godstone is planted on slopes below the North Downs which allow cold air to drain away, flowing downhill and collecting in lower spots out of harms way so, fingers crossed, we appear to have escaped the worst of the cold nights. If you wish to read more about the science and reasoning behind vineyards planted on a slope or flat ground I highly recommend this article: https://grape-to-glass.com/index.php/flat-slope-vineyards/ We always love to see you and are now open every Saturday until mid September - plentiful free parking, stroll the vineyard, relax over a glass of wine with a sharing platter of carefully curated local cheeses and charcuterie, booking is recommended and greatly assists with our planning. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1987770961455?aff=oddtdtcreator Regards, Jonathan & Robert