why are there no vine yard owners here?

[Woolgatherer]

I suspect you lot are all tralking about wine from grapes. There is a wine producer north of Inverness, but not from grapes! Visited years ago, but that's all I know. May not be in production any more....

There's Cairn o Mhor near Perth too, they make wine out of fruit, it's lovely! No grapes though.

 

[renewablejohn]

Looks like it could be a good year for sloe gin.

 

[Exfarmer]

Ten years ago there were 3 vinyards near , only one remains. I believe the last one has had some very bad years lately, though hopefully this yearshould be very good.
This is in one of the sunniest parts of the country. Unless global warming takes off I guess wine making here will remain the domain of the super rich and the very enthusiastic amateur

 

[Danllan]

As an owner of an ex vineyard , I think the UK's biggest problem with wineries is the fact they can not complete with wines from the New World, probably at any level.

English whites have thrashed the French; the geology in some parts of Southern England is perfect and the change in climate has meant that some French regions now find it hard to grow the grapes well.

 

[Steevo]

English whites have thrashed the French; the geology in some parts of Southern England is perfect and the change in climate has meant that some French regions now find it hard to grow the grapes well.

Hope they don’t all decide to come over here...!

 

[Bogweevil]

Hope they don’t all decide to come over here...!

Apparently some French Champaign producers are buying land in Kent/Sussex as Champaign region might get too hot under climate change. Taittinger have actually planted a vineyard at Chilham (betweenCanterbury and Ashfod).

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

It is a mind blowing business, the cost of setting up a Vineyard and maintaining it before it gets into production is around £30k per hectare.
I have invested in a local wine business which also produces beer and lager, it is extremely successful and is at present building a new brewery in Ashford, the first main stream brewery of nearly 200 years! The only reason I invested in it was because the beer was good and was always a fall back from the wine.
Ironically the wine is very profitable but much of that is down to good marketing.

 

[FonterraFarmer]

English whites have thrashed the French; the geology in some parts of Southern England is perfect and the change in climate has meant that some French regions now find it hard to grow the grapes well.

Well that's a positive and if profitable should be looked into. As for French wine , think you'll find the New World has been thrashing them for decades!!!

 

[texas pete]

Unless global warming takes off

You make it sound like some up and coming trend, that may or may not become fashionable.

 

[Exfarmer]

Sadly the economics of wine production means bottle per hectare is the ruling factor. The UK sadly cannot compete by any normal comparisons.
There will be oenophiles who will purchase the more exotic brands but the main sales will be from those estates who can produce the cheapest bottle.
I must admit to loving a good drop from time to time, but for every day drinking I am not going to pay £20 a bottle or more, this is the market 99% of the producers are after

 

[Exfarmer]

It is a mind blowing business, the cost of setting up a Vineyard and maintaining it before it gets into production is around £30k per hectare.
I have invested in a local wine business which also produces beer and lager, it is extremely successful and is at present building a new brewery in Ashford, the first main stream brewery of nearly 200 years! The only reason I invested in it was because the beer was good and was always a fall back from the wine.
Ironically the wine is very profitable but much of that is down to good marketing.

First new brewery for 200 years um,I dont think so. There are sadly many who have come and gone since then some very large.

 

[Danllan]

Well that's a positive and if profitable should be looked into. As for French wine , think you'll find the New World has been thrashing them for decades!!!

They have, I knew some who had vineyards in South Africa, excellent drink. But we have only had a climate - once again - appropriate for good wine for a few years.

 

[CornishTone]

Well that's a positive and if profitable should be looked into. As for French wine , think you'll find the New World has been thrashing them for decades!!!

A number of viticulturists here have returned from “study tours” to France and have said they are a long way behind the mark these days. They’ve become complacent in terms of vineyard management, and aren’t producing the level of quality coming out of the colonies.

Having said that, a lot of the equipment used in the industry comes out of France and Italy and is very highly regarded.

 

[Jim bean]

Anyone interested in French vineyards and wanting to earn points with the wife, take em to see Back to Burgundy at the movies.

 

[Irish NZ]

It is a mind blowing business, the cost of setting up a Vineyard and maintaining it before it gets into production is around £30k per hectare.
I have invested in a local wine business which also produces beer and lager, it is extremely successful and is at present building a new brewery in Ashford, the first main stream brewery of nearly 200 years! The only reason I invested in it was because the beer was good and was always a fall back from the wine.
Ironically the wine is very profitable but much of that is down to good marketing.

Which pails with the cost of kiwi fruit. Talking to a orchard owner who just bought the rights to grow gold kiwi(as apposed to green) for $230,000/ha conversion costs were another 100k I think. Different world to us dairy boys

 

[stewart]

Which pails with the cost of kiwi fruit. Talking to a orchard owner who just bought the rights to grow gold kiwi(as apposed to green) for $230,000/ha conversion costs were another 100k I think. Different world to us dairy boys

Conversion is about 100K, starting from Greenfield's around 240k.

 

[Irish NZ]

Conversion is about 100K, starting from Greenfield's around 240k.

Sounds right.

Adds up when they were talking about 60ha...

 

[CornishTone]

Conversion is about 100K, starting from Greenfield's around 240k.

Ouch! Vineyards here are about $50k/ha to first harvest. I thought that was crazy!

 

[joe soapy]

They have, I knew some who had vineyards in South Africa, excellent drink. But we have only had a climate - once again - appropriate for good wine for a few years.

not so, the Romans grew vines here, there is even a place called vinegar hill,
new vinyard started in the rectory back in the 80's caused much excitement and anticipation, whilst waiting for the vines to come into production he built a posh winery,
got it all spick and span, he was a clever bloke with a bag of cement, not so good with machines, he had a howard garden rotavator, got some rope wound up in it which stalled the belt, so he put his arm in to grab it which released the rotor which took the rope back and rotavated his arm pretty badly.
the winery grew 2 stories and a swimming pool and morphed into a posh house with a thriving busines alongside catering to the needs of old folk, no grapes now.
on the same site is a brilliant craftsman making harps, quite appropriate for a redundant rectory. as kids we used to end up there to bunch up the primroses and snowdrops
that we picked as part of Sunday school. there was 4 cracking conker trees we used to collect from

 

[Danllan]

not so, the Romans grew vines here, there is even a place called vinegar hill...

Yes and even later, in the Middle Ages, the climate was suitable in places, check the Domesday Book; which was why I wrote:

'... But we have only had a climate - once again - appropriate for good wine for a few years.'