Spotlight on key facts and main elements of his approach:
The estate
- 240 hectares farmed; 70 hectares of vineyard
- Plan to extend vineyard to 150 ha over the next 5 years
- 7 full time staff in the vineyard. Up to 120 local people employed during harvest
- Ambition: to produce 1,000,000 bottles of Sussex Sparkling wine
Innovations
- Making the vineyard accessible to the public: creation of a vineyard walking trail with information boards to better educate the public on the procedures in the vineyard
- Installation of wind shelters in exposed areas
- Integrated pest management strategy
- Working with several Universities and Colleges to gain a better understanding of the environmental factors affecting crop production
- Use of compost for both plant nutrition and moisture retention in high exposure areas
Results
- Sustainable development of the vineyard over the last 5 years from bare fields
- Yields and quality increased thanks to the wind shelters
- Onsite composting of grape marc to further cut inputs
- Nuffield scholar 2017
Find out more: http://nuffieldinternational.org/
Portrait produced by Nuffield
