Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog -November 2025

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

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 - 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