An article by Artelium’s Vineyard Manager, Chris Buckley

This Spring we are adding to our existing 85,000 vines, planted in 2018 and 2019, with a further 20,000 vines across Artelium East in Streat and Artelium West in Madehurst. We are fortunate with both sites to have (or to have diligently chosen!) the ideal land for cool climate grape production, so what are we looking for I hear you say..? What makes the perfect plot of land to plant a vineyard on?

South facing aspect

By facing South, the plants will receive the maximum amount of sunlight during the growing season (but it doesn’t have to be perfectly due South, SW or SE facing works too).

Elevation

The higher you go, the cooler it gets. So, we will only plant on sites that are less than 100m above sea level. This ensures that our vines are in the warmest, lower lying areas, perfect for fully ripe grapes.

Slope

Flat land, whilst suitable for growing grapes is not without problems, which is why we prefer to plant on gently sloping sites. Planting on a slope intensifies the sun’s rays helping with ripening and aids with both cold air drainage (perfect for the frost risk season) and water drainage during wet periods.

Shelter

In order to create that perfect microclimate we look for some natural protection around the perimeter of the site, particularly on the West or South West fringes as this is where the predominant wind direction will be during the growing season. This will be in the form of hedgerows, a copse or woodland and in incidences where the field widens, we will plant a line of windbreak trees to help. We are not looking to stop or inhibit the air flow completely but to moderate it. Air flow is beneficial for reducing humidity, drying the canopy and ultimately reducing disease pressure, but too much air flow will reduce air temperature within the site.

Soil

Across the estate, we have two very different soil profiles;

• At Artelium East; the soil is a heavy, clay loam which is slow to drain and and slow to warm up but does hold onto nutrients and heat.

• At Artelium West; the top soil is shallow (approximately 20cm) over a bedrock of pure chalk. This is free draining, quick to warm but struggles to hold onto nutrients.

By having two completely different soil profiles in different growing conditions across our two sites, we can produce wines with distinctly different qualities and flavours.

So, do we plant exactly the same vines across both vineyards… In our next vineyard blog, we’ll give a glimpse into what we are planting and why?

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