3 minute read
Grape Expectations
Each time I go to a vineyard, I learn something new.
Huxbear Vineyard, Devon
At Huxbear Vineyard in Devon, growing at the feet of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir there's a small yellow daisy that owner's Ben and Lucy have cleverly used as part of their pest management program
Known as Common Fleabane (pictured), the plants spreading roots help keep down the grass while the golden blooms draw in hoverflies - the larvae of which are voracious predators of thrips and aphids Not only that, bees love it too, encouraging biodiversity amongst the vines.
What Ben and Lucy have created at Huxbear is extraordinary. What it is and where it is are so unexpected, but then, they are incredibly practical people that can turn their hand to anything, from construction, to fitting solar-panels In fact, they're the people you'd want on the passenger roster of a plane that ditches onto a desert island They'd have you living in comfort in no time and drinking such excellent wine you'd hide the keys of the plane before they fixed it.
Buy wines from Huxbear Vineyard.
Sandridge Barton Estate, Devon
Going behind the scenes at Sandridge Barton, the new home of Sharpham Wine, was mesmerising. Assistant Winemaker Paddy Gaunt showed us the process of sorting through the harvest, conveying the grapes into a destemming machine, then through pipes to various shiny holding tanks and pressing, bottling, riddling, and corking machines.
The thing that struck me was that at every stage the flavour of the wine can be modified (or ruined). There were dozens of barrels, each with a different age and history, offering the wine inside a different flavour So profound is the effect of the barrels, each one has its own certificate of provenance - who knew!
And that's the thing with so many variables, it's not just the abundance of grapes harvested from the surrounding hillsides that make Sharpham wines so good, it's the hard-won and long experience that's integral to their making.
Buy wines from Sandridge Barton, the new home of Sharpham wine.
As Dan pointed out, "a good wine is like a story. A place, a harvest, and a summer Each is unique." Dan explains the twists and turns of that story so well
Wickhams are sponsors of Toby's Garden Festival Join us at Powderham Castle, Exeter, on 3 & 4 May 2024. Early Bird tickets are available now from £12, visit tobygardenfest.co.uk for details.
