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 Blog -November 2025

By GODSTONE • November 5, 2025
We have arrived at the end of another year in the vineyard and I am delighted to say that the vines have excelled themselves in what was, admittedly, a very good year to be cultivating grapes in England. The disappointment of no harvest in 2024 was a distant memory on Sunday 5th October when, under cloudless blue skies, we picked top quality grapes which will be made into a Sparkling Wine for release in 2028; the grapes had an almost perfect balance of acidity and natural sugar, excellent quality with barely any disease. I would venture to say that 2025 will match 2022, which was the last great vintage in England, time will tell ! I would like to thank those of you who helped with the harvest and also for your efforts throughout the Spring and Summer, it is greatly appreciated and we couldn’t do it without you ! As many of you know by now, our vineyard is planted predominantly with a variety called Seyval Blanc, which - in our opinion - is ideally suited to English conditions. Undoubtedly the doyen of Seyval Blanc was Peter Hall, of Breaky Bottom vineyard near Lewes, and it is with great sadness that we learnt of his passing last month. My brother and I were fortunate to have a private audience with him in 2024 in which he imparted some valuable tricks of his trade ! His obituary (below) gives you a feel for this incredible vigneron who will be much missed. English wine has lost a great character. https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/tribute-peter-hall-1943-2025 Rest In Peace, Peter Hall, 1943-2025 Kind Regards Jonathan

Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog - September 2025

By GODSTONE • September 4, 2025
The four months of the year which end in ‘ber’ are now upon us which means that Michaelmas Day (September 29th) is only three weeks away. Folklore claimed that if a north wind blew on Michaelmas Day the month of October would be sunny and fine although make the most of it because fine weather on Saint Denis’s Day (October 9th) indicates a hard winter ahead! The sayings below are my personal favourites : “Dew in the night, next day will be bright” “Grey mists at dawn, the day will be warm” “Rain before seven, fine before eleven” “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight, red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning” In an age where for most of us the first port of call for a weather forecast is an app on our mobiles, these sayings often stand the test of time! At the time of writing we do not have a definite harvest date and we continue to monitor levels of sugar and acidity every other day in the hope of arriving at the perfect day for picking! Last year the starlings treated our grapes as an open buffet so we are praying that we can avoid a repeat. We are now open every Saturday between midday and 4pm and, as always, would love to see you. Kind Regards Jonathan