Wild flowers

As the vine prunings are collected, the red kite once more makes use of them for its nest. We have attempted to re-wild by leaving the meadow to it’s own devices in past years and this year we are going to try to enhance the floral variety by taking a step back and preparing the soil and sowing wild flower seed in one area as an experiment. If it looks anything like the superimposed patch of wildflowers in the picture here taken on 15th March we will be delighted! Also this year we hope to sow a cover crop under the vines in line with reducing chemical use (which is already at minimal levels for a vineyard). We are very lucky that local farmer Julian is like a wise old owl on these subjects and our local Hendred’s Environmental Group run a series of talks and have instigated similar initiatives, so there is a wealth of both experience and enthusiasm in the area to nudge us along – so lets see how it goes. Little by little we are trying to improve the balance of productivity and ecological sustainability in our little corner of the earth. The sprinkler system that was installed last year, recycling water on the land to protect the vineyard buds from frost, works in part from solar energy and may have contributed to the bumper harvest last year. There are several other vineyards now introducing a similar system in this country as frost is the nemesis for cold climate vines.