Summer sunshine is a boost to vineyard crop
ROTHLEY Wine Estate says that its grape harvest quadrupled with a bumper crop thanks to this year’s “Sunshine summer”.
The company says that last year the vineyard’s harvest resulted in three tonnes of grapes being picked resulting in 2,400 bottles of wine.
This year the 1,000 mature grapevines produced a staggering 12 tonnes which should result in about 9,000 bottles.
Vineyard proprietor, Liz Robson, said: “We started harvesting the Siegerrebe grapes 17 days early, and needed to conduct three selective picking on that rather temperamental vine alone.
“When I realised how much juice was being produced I ordered two additional small tanks in time for the rest of the harvest. Thank goodness I did, because as we harvested Solaris, Madeleine, and Fruhburgunder we used every tank we had and had to get plastic carboys out of the attic.
“Still not enough so we were dashing out to the homebrew counters of main shops.
“We started harvesting the red wine grapes of Rondo and Regent two weeks ago and finished on Monday.
“Once again, the wine tank capacity was critical so a medium
sized tank is now on its way from Italy.
“Main question is where to put it? The boutique winery is so full that we are doing the first stage fermentation of the Rondo grapes outside (red wine is fermented using whole grapes and their skins, then this is “pressed” after a week and the fermentation continues taking a few more weeks).
“Thank goodness our Orion grapes went off to Halfpenny Green Vineyard to be made into sparkling wine, otherwise I would have had a serious space problem!
“I would like to pay tribute to my marvellous band of volunteers who kept coming back again and again to harvest grapes as I had to put on more picking dates.
“Towards the end of harvest one of the volunteer’s wives, Dora Henderson, came to my aid in the kitchen and cooked lovely soups and chilli dishes. Grape picking is a very physical activity and it is important to feed the volunteers well.
“Weather conditions have been near perfect. Firstly, the warm spring produced a lot of young shoots, and we were mercifully spared a May frost.
“Then the wet May allowed good root growth and water uptake by the vines, and then the wonderful period of sunshine allowed the grapes to develop amid a hearty canopy of leaves.”