Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog November 2023

GODSTONE • November 23, 2023

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog

23rd November 2023


It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that our mother, June Deeley, passed away peacefully at home on 8th November, after a mercifully short battle against  cancer.


I am sure many of our regular visitors will have become familiar over the years with seeing my mother at her vineyard; it was her “happy place” and it provided her with the serenity and peacefulness which she deserved and craved.


Our mother was involved with the vineyard since its inception back in the mid 1980’s and took great pride in running the shop as though it were an extension of her home - ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ would be a very suitable epitaph to her dedication in ensuring that everything was always orderly and well run.


Our mother left the cultural aspects of the vineyard to our team of contractors - although once a month she would do a ‘grand tour’ of the vines to ensure that everything was ‘spick and span’, and woe betide if the hedges and verges were not kept neat and tidy !


Our mother’s mantra was always ‘KBO’ (keep buggering on) whatever the situation in which she found herself - she had lived through evacuation during WW2 and the ensuing food rationing, which clearly left an indelible mark and made her the amazing person we will always remember.


It was fitting - and gave her immense pride - that her final year saw Godstone win a gold medal for our sparkling wine plus a record harvest in October.


Our mother will be sorely missed in so many ways - “To live in hearts we leave behind, is not to die”.


(If you would like details of our mother’s funeral, which will take place in early December, please contact me via email and I will provide you with the details.

Jonathan’s Vineyard Notes - 17th June 2026

By GODSTONE • June 17, 2026
17th June 2026 June is usually a busy month in the vineyard and this year has been no exception. Firstly, bud rubbing and shoot selection has been undertaken - removing unwanted shoots from the trunk - done by hand - after which shoot selection, a critical task which is not so much about keeping the strongest shoots but more about retaining the best positioned ones. Good spacing improves airflow, reduces disease pressure, and makes future tasks more straightforward. Early thinning prevents canopy overcrowding later on. Secondly, we moved on to tucking in, because as shoots extend the main priority is keeping them upright. If done properly this tucking in enables the vines to form a neat hedge-like canopy, thereby improving light distribution and keeping the fruiting zone accessible. In July our main job will be tipping and / or topping the vines, followed by leaf stripping. I will let you know how we get on with these tasks in my next edition of these Notes. We always love to see you and the vineyard is open every Saturday until mid September - with free parking, free self guided vineyard walks, and sharing platters of carefully curated local cheeses and charcuterie, it's a lovely way to enjoy a Saturday this Summer ! (Booking is appreciated and greatly assists with our planning …) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-in-the-vines-at-godstone-vineyards-tickets-1 987770961455?aff=oddtdtcreator Regards, Jonathan & Robert

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