Early wake-up call for our slumbering vines
Our Regent and Rondo vines are bursting into life again. These vines are ahead of the other varieties in the vineyard because of their location within the estate. They have greater protection from the elements, such as wind, rain and even hail over the last few weeks. Different grape varieties will also mature at different rates.
The Regent and Rondo vines are coming to life several weeks earlier than they did in 2023, when the first buds were logged on April 19th. Budburst is affected by the warmth of the soil around the vines’ roots.
Some vineyards on the continent use the date of budburst to help estimate, very roughly, when harvest will take place, as each variety needs a certain number of days at average temperatures over 10 degrees. However, with our unpredictable weather and temperatures in the UK year on year, this is not always possible.
It has been a mild start to the year, although very damp. Our agronomist says that the longest dry spell since October was only for about three days. This has impacted the vineyard in other ways, as our soil is more waterlogged than normal. This has meant that some of our winter vineyard jobs, such as replacement of some end posts and struts, have been put on hold as heavy machinery will churn up the ground and damage the soil structure.
Goodbye and thank you Courtney
We are very sad to announce that Courtney Gillibrand has left the Poulton Hill team. We want to thank her for her incredible efforts, her passion and her dedication. We will miss her.
Natalie and Diogo are looking forward to welcoming a new team member very soon and we will introduce you as soon as we can. In the meantime, any queries or orders should be sent to info@poultonhillestate.co.uk.
Book a summer Tour and Tasting
Tickets for our winter wine tasting events have been selling fast, with only two more sessions left. If you are unable to book onto these, then tickets for our summer tours and tasting sessions are now live to book on the website. It is worth booking early as the most popular dates last year completely sold out.
To find out more information, including dates and times, and to book your tickets, click here.
