News

Harvest Report 2018:<br>A Corker of a Vintage

Harvest Report 2018:
A Corker of a Vintage

Along with most of the vineyards in the UK, this year’s harvest at Westwell has been a record one - we picked and processed over 50 tonnes of grapes from our 13 acres with sugars, acids and flavours reaching perfect levels. With such excellent fruit, we'll make still wines from our Burgundy clones - look out for a Pinot Noir red and rosé plus a still Chardonnay next summer.Our worry earlier in the year was that there might be difficulty ripening the crop as there were two separate flowerings, resulting in bunches ripening at different times. The August rain exacerbated...

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Harvest 2018 <br>Choosing a Time

Harvest 2018
Choosing a Time

In viticulture, we’re always dancing a complicated waltz with nature - and never more than at harvest. There is so much to consider when selecting the perfect days on which to harvest our crop. By any measure, this has been an exceptional growing year - fierce heat and sunlight from late spring which accelerated flowering, followed by a long period of lowered but constant heat which has been perfect for slow ripening. At Westwell, we grow four different varieties - all of which ripen at slightly different times. In the weeks leading up to harvest, we monitor each variety closely....

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Harvest Report 2017: The <br>Full Story

Harvest Report 2017: The
Full Story

Since planting in 2008, our yields and fruit quality have continued to rise, even with hares and pheasants enjoying the odd nibble! The trend continued in 2017 and we couldn’t have hoped for a better harvest. Many elements contribute to annual fruit quality and this year, thanks to dry and gentle conditions during budburst and flowering (the pollination of the flowers dictates amount of fruit) we had an excellent start. Good summer temperatures and strong sunshine contributed to help the grapes ripen beautifully, with high sugars and low acids meaning we needed to do very little in the winery other...

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The Harvest Report: Ortega Captured on Film

The Harvest Report: Ortega Captured on Film

We started our 2017 Ortega harvest on Tuesday 19th September.  As the sun gained height over the horizon, the picking team was already hard at work. Mist rolled off the edge of the North Downs and formed patches of low cloud, as dew still clung to the leaves. Photographer Ady Kerry joined us to capture the moment on film.

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