Beekeeping report from James Boar – Denbies Beekeeper Over the last couple of months we’ve been getting hold of and assembling new hives. The bees became active early this year – towards the end of March – and are now busily making honey. We’ve just swapped two of the hives out, and moved the colonies

Producing sparkling wine is challenging and fun. It is the wine style with the most potential for interventions possible for altering the wine style during its production. After producing the base wines the wines are left to settle and rest before tasting and the final assemblage which traditionally is done at the beginning of spring.

Following the two recent incredible harvests, Vineyard Manager Duncan McNeil has prepared a report as to how these two consecutive years developed through the seasons. Compare and contrast the two years and this gives an insight into the challenges and variance’s of English wine making. 2013: A very cold period from February through until early

Here is some Chardonnay from Yew Tree Field, pruned, tied down and ready to go for 2015.  The initial start to the 2015 pruning season has been made a lot easier by the mild weather and  combined with the cold nights has allowed the pruning canes to ripen off properly.

Winery update 2014 was a wonderful year for quantity and we are now beginning to see that it was also great on quality. The 2014 wines are now nicely tucked up and resting in either full stainless steel tanks or barrels, and it is now that they begin revealing their full potential. Shortly we shall

  Denbies is very pleased to announce the imminent release of its first vintage of  Sauvignon Blanc.  The Sauvignon Blanc grapes were planted four years ago on a three acre trial plot and this is the first year they have been in production, following the excellent 2013 harvest. Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety

This week the photographs speak volumes, an abundance of flowering is currently taking place.  At the moment, the Vineyard Manager has estimated that we are two weeks ahead of normal activity.  The new plantings are also thriving exceptionally well with strong new shoots.

Denbies has just completed the second year of an extensive vine plantation. 27500 vines were planted in 2013, we have planted Solaris, an early ripening, mildew resistant variety on the steep chalky slopes. This will be used for still white wines as a single varietal, and to add flavour to larger white blends. On the

The mobile sparkling bottling line comes over annually from the Institut Oenologique de Champagne (Epernay).  It has the capacity to bottle 5,000 bottles per hour.  Denbies team work alongside the team of French experts.  This year, together with the traditional sparkling wines, Denbies will be producing a new sparkling Blanc de Blanc  made from 100%