Vine

Leading rural insurer NFU Mutual has launched a £5,000 sustainability-focused bursary for wine industry students. The bursary will be awarded to a student at Plumpton College pursuing their final research project on a sustainability issue facing British vineyards.

An eco-friendly weed-killing system which uses electricity instead of harmful chemicals to treat orchards and vineyards is set to go to market after support from Coventry University.

Gwinllan Conwy in North Wales is the first vineyard to use sheep fleeces as mulch under vines, with owner Colin Bennett reporting a multitude of benefits so far, such as improved soil health, weed and pest suppression, and fuller-bodied wines.

Cyclone Gabrielle has caused huge damage to some vineyards and wineries since it hit the North Island around two weeks ago – on the cusp of the busiest time of year for the wine making industry.

As the European agri-tech company opens its first UK base at NIAB’s Barn4 AgriTech incubator in Cambridge, Sencrop is looking to make the most of viticulture research opportunities, such as developing new disease modelling in grapevines.

Growing Kent & Medway (GKM) has awarded a total of £154,000 funding in the form of research vouchers to 11 horticulture, food and drink businesses for projects aiming to overcome sustainability challenges.

The WineGB stand at the global wine and spirit exhibition event ProWein will be lining up nine English wine brands as the industry aspires to grow its export markets.

Fruit & Vine spoke with Tom Bunting, owner of vineyard management company TBVM, to find out more about his business ethos.

There are very few vineyards in the world that have only ever been pruned by just one person, but Annie Lindo has been proudly pruning her own 5,000 vines in Annie’s Vineyard on the Camel Valley estate in Cornwall since 1989.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Great Taste, the Guild of Fine Food is offering 50 emerging micro producers a one-time free entry into the world’s most trusted taste accreditation scheme.

While frost control across the pond can involve significant investments, with huge commercial vineyards even employing helicopters to force warmer air downwards, here in the UK this just can’t be justified. So, what are your options?

The UK viticulture sector has changed considerably in the last 30 years in terms of landscape, climate and wine styles and the future presents further opportunities. Joel Jorgensen, viticulture director at Vinescapes, looks at three grape varieties; Pinot Gris, Meunier and Gamay, whose plantings are on the increase