Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog July 22nd

July 22, 2022

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog

22nd July 2022


I am writing the blog at the end of a week in which we have witnessed record high temperatures across the British Isles - we recorded 38 degrees celsius here in Godstone on 19th July.  High temperatures prove uncomfortable for the majority of us, however, luckily vines really thrive in such conditions and we are tentatively beginning to believe that, all being well, 2022 will be a very good vintage.


The mid Summer period is incredibly busy in an English vineyard and perhaps the most important task is canopy management. In essence we need to trim the vines and the labour cost of undertaking this would be excessive if we did the job by hand; therefore we use a fancy piece of machinery (expensive !) which fits on to the front of our tractor and, operated safely from the cab, cuts back the top and sides of our vines.


A job which would take one person several weeks can now be done in less than four hours - that is progress !


Trimming the vines is vitally important for several reasons : it results in uniformity of shoot length (if the number of leaves per shoot is similar and each shoot is able to provide for its own fruit then it is easier to optimise our yields) ; trimming greatly benefits fruit set ; removing excessive foliage significantly reduces disease pressure, especially Botrytis ; perhaps most importantly opening up the fruit zone improves sunlight to the developing grapes, aids the movement of air through the vines, and reduces humidity. The combination of all these will help us to achieve our main ambition, which is to produce a clean, healthy, disease free, quality crop.


In addition to trimming the vines we have now installed the post and wirework for our new vines which were planted in May 2022.


Our shop is open every weekend and our 2020 Sparkling Wine is selling like the proverbial hot cakes !  It is proving extremely popular as a refreshing antidote to a hot Summer’s evening so why not pop along and treat yourself to a bottle or two … we always love seeing you.


Kind Regards


Jonathan

jcdeeley@godstonevineyards.com

Jonathan's Vineyard Blog - 15th May 2026

By GODSTONE • May 15, 2026
May 15th The changeable weather has been the main talking point this Spring in the vineyard. Plus cest la meme chose! March was a mild and changeable month with periods of settled weather interspersed with periods of indifferent weather, the provisional mean temperature was 1.3 degrees Celsius above average; April, on the other hand, was dominated by a static anticyclone which blocked North Atlantic low pressure systems, resulting in a very dry, settled, and sunny month. April was a false dawn. May has been an extraordinary month with a distinctly chilly feel especially at night - many vineyards across England are reporting significant frost damage to the young buds which will, inevitably, result in yield reduction. Godstone is planted on slopes below the North Downs which allow cold air to drain away, flowing downhill and collecting in lower spots out of harms way so, fingers crossed, we appear to have escaped the worst of the cold nights. If you wish to read more about the science and reasoning behind vineyards planted on a slope or flat ground I highly recommend this article: https://grape-to-glass.com/index.php/flat-slope-vineyards/ We always love to see you and are now open every Saturday until mid September - plentiful free parking, stroll the vineyard, relax over a glass of wine with a sharing platter of carefully curated local cheeses and charcuterie, booking is recommended and greatly assists with our planning. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1987770961455?aff=oddtdtcreator Regards, Jonathan & Robert

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog - February 2026

By GODSTONE • January 29, 2026
1st February 2026 February 2nd is known as Candlemas and, apparently, the weather on this day will determine the remainder of the Winter ! Britain being Britain we have folklore sayings such as If Candlemas be fair and clear there'll be two Winters in one year although, in the interests of positive thinking I prefer this one - If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter'll have another flight. But if Candlemas Day be clouds and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again. Therefore keep a close eye on the weather on February 2nd and if it rains then this might be a silver lining! Irrespective of the weather, Winter is always a surprisingly busy time in our vineyard and this one has proved no exception: pruning the vines, planting new hedging, sprucing up our shop and terrace, all of which has kept us on the straight and narrow. As a vigneron you cannot reasonably expect me to do Dry January and, true to form, in the past month I have been experimenting with some outstanding white Burgundies and several local real ales! It's a tough job but someone had to do it. We decided to stay closed between January and the end of March however I am pleased to say that we will reopen on Saturday 4th April, after which we will have many open days throughout the Spring, Summer, and Autumn. If you would like to visit us during April and/or May please register your interest - free of charge - via the links below: Saturday 4th April https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1978775826765?aff=oddtdtcreator Easter Monday 6th April https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1979663039442?aff=oddtdtcreator Bank Holiday Monday 4th May https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1979663129712?aff=oddtdtcreator Kind Regards Jonathan