VINEWORKS
Pioneer in the UK wine industry Increasing range of services on offer from long-established VineWorks. While studying for his BSc (Hons) in Viticulture and Oenology at Plumpton College, James Dodson saw a growing need for vineyard services to support the rapidly expanding UK wine industry. While his fellow classmates dreamed of becoming winemakers, he focused his attention on understanding soil, climate, rootstock, trellising, pruning and harvesting – everything that goes into growing quality grapes. Before graduating, James set up VineWorks in 2006, operating from his kitchen table and drafting in fellow students to install trellising systems for local vineyards. VineWorks quickly became a pioneer in the UK wine industry, branching out into consulting, offering preliminary studies and suitability reports for potential vineyards while continuing with the practical vineyard work. When the recession occurred in 2009, James admits he thought “the game was up”, but was
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proved wrong. “I thought that, like plenty of other new ventures, the financial crash would put me out of business,” he recalled. “Instead, everything took off and I soon found myself busier than ever.” The reason? “High wealth individuals decided to pull their money out of the stock market and invest instead in more reliable assets like land or, fortunately for me, vineyards,” James explained. “It makes sense looking back, but at the time I was surprised.” The huge switch to land-based investments in 2010 saw VineWorks’ turnover leap from around £70,000 to £1.5m as James was brought in to advise on, establish and manage vineyards across the south east and further afield. At this time, the company became incorporated as VineWorks Ltd and a business partner, Darcy Gander, joined. VineWorks also expanded into vineyard management, prompted in part by the fact that increasing numbers of landowners for whom
he had established a vineyard then asked him if he would carry on managing their new crop. The vineyard services department grew to employ around 100 overseas workers yearround, with many more joining for harvest. In 2018, VineWorks launched an online retail department, providing the full range of products required to install and maintain the highest quality vineyard, from planting to trellising, harvest to pruning and all annual tasks in between. Sixteen years on, VineWorks has grown exponentially and is now refocusing its approach after a partner buyout, broadening its services and positioning itself as the ultimate go-to company for vineyards of all sizes. The UK wine industry has changed dramatically since James started, not least over the past few years, with Brexit and Covid-19 altering the overseas labour availability overnight, not just for vineyards but for the whole soft and top fruit << industries and horticulture.