EXPERTISE & TECHNOLOGY

Sustainability

Protecting and preserving our environment is central to our winemaking approach at Stopham Vineyard

Our sustainability is important to our business and our customers – not just from an ethical perspective, but also to maintain a natural ecosystem that is best for our vines and our wine. We are fortunate to work within an area of such unprecedented natural beauty in the South Downs National Park. Because of our surroundings, we have the welcome, ever-present reminder if the importance of respecting and protecting the environment on which we rely.It is with this in mind that we consider the sustainability of every decision taken at the vineyard. Sustainability Strategy was developed with Beth Derry from Inside Out Responsibility.

Local River Quality

Vines thrive in free-draining soil such as the sandyloam soil that we have in the vineyard. Free-draining soil minimises run-off to the surrounding environment, including the adjacent Rivers Arun and Rother. We don’t routinely plough the site (the last time was in 2008), allowing grass to cover the entire vineyard which reduces run-off and erosion even further. We maintain grass and weed cover in the vineyard by mowing and as part of our drive towards sustainability we have moved away from spraying herbicides under the vine and we now use an under vine mower to manage the weeds. To avoid soil compaction from using the tractor down each row, which can damage soil activity, we sub-soil the tractor ruts.

Soil Management

Looking after the soil is key to improving the quality of our grapes. Our soil management techniques prioritise excellent long-term soil standards over short-term vine growth. We add manure produced by cattle on the estate to improve the soil structure, benefiting the soil ecosystem and improving nutrient retention. Due to the very sandy soil on the site, we will never be able to rely on organic matter alone. So, once a year, we apply manufactured fertilisers, the amount being carefully calculated through detailed soil and leaf analysis, to replace the nutrients lost from the soil in producing the grapes.

Pesticides

Looking after the soil is key to improving the quality of our grapes. Our soil management techniques prioritise excellent long-term soil standards over short-term vine growth. We add manure produced by cattle on the estate to improve the soil structure, benefiting the soil ecosystem and improving nutrient retention. Due to the very sandy soil on the site, we will never be able to rely on organic matter alone. So, once a year, we apply manufactured fertilisers, the amount being carefully calculated through detailed soil and leaf analysis, to replace the nutrients lost from the soil in producing the grapes.

Biodiversity

Many of the techniques we use benefit biodiversity and promote a natural ecosystem. Our vineyard is adjacent to a 1ha arboretum and is surrounded by well-established oak, chestnut trees and natural hedges. In 2010, we created an additional 400 metres of natural English hedgerow. We are planning to install owl boxes in the future.

Water Resources

We do not use much water. As classic Mediterranean plants with roots of up to 6 metres, our vines do not need irrigating. Water, of course, is not added to the wine so our main use of water is limited in the winery for washing out tanks. Here we use an efficient pressure hose and steamer.

Local Economy

Stopham Vineyard currently employs four full-time employees and three part-time employees. We support local tourism and we do weekly winemaker tours of the vineyard and winery to individuals, private groups and the general public.

Energy, Greenhouse Gases and Waste

Chilling our fermentation tanks is where we use most of our energy. Our refrigeration system comes on as required to maintain the right temperature for a constant, gentle rate of fermentation, which can last up to 6 weeks. We supply wine to customers throughout England, with most sales concentrated in the South East. In terms of carbon footprint, buying English wine is clearly far more sustainable than buying wines that are shipped to the UK from around the world! We recycle all our organic waste (e.g. grape skins, stems and vine prunings) on-site and fertiliser and fungicide containers are sent to an approved waste contractor. We source our bottles from Northern France as they are not yet available in the UK.

FROM VINE TO TABLE

Vineyard Tours

Our tours are special. They are given by one of the winemakers, Simon or Tom or our vineyard manager, Adderley. It includes a comprehensive, in-depth tour of both the vineyard and the winery, culminating in a wine tasting of our range of delicious wines. You will gain a fascinating insight into how commercial wine is made and get close to all the equipment.

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