The head winemaker (vigneron) at Chilford Hall is Mark Barnes, who took up the position in December 2006 – having worked at the vineyard for a number of years previously. When I met Mark in late January, he was busy getting cold hands in the vineyard – doing the sort of unheralded, behind-the-scenes work that is so essential for a successful small business such as this.
As with all vineyards, the one at Chilford Hall has its own unique microclimate. The combination of soil and climate produce a special environment for vine growth, and this is the magical factor that the French call ‘terroir’. For those who might be considering starting their own vineyard, it will cost around £5,000 per acre (ex-labour) to do so. This sum comprises around £1,800 for vines; £1,300 for shelters and stakes for the young plants, and, a year later, £2,100 for trellising.
The winemaking process at Chilford Hall commences in mid-
to late-September, when the grapes are harvested, and then taken to the
winery, where they are crushed. For some wines it is best to crush whilst
the bunches are intact (called ‘whole-bunch pressing’), whilst,
for others, grapes have to be de-stemmed first. Whichever method is used,
the resultant juice is collected in a receiving tank, and allowed to stand
for 24-48 hours, after which the settled juice is then combined with a
dried, active, wine yeast culture.
Fermentation takes place in large stainless steel tanks of varying capacity
(600-2,500 litres), and is normally completed in around 8 days (depending
on which wine is being made). After fermentation is complete, the young
wine is taken out of the fermentation vat and placed into a holding tank,
together with gaseous sulphur dioxide (SO2), which is a standard antioxidant
and preservative in the wine industry, and will kill any unwanted microbes.
The wine is then put under a ‘blanket’ of pure nitrogen gas, to keep oxygen well away (oxygen being wine’s worst enemy).
Chilford Hall – A Very English Vineyard
By Ian Hornsey - Part 2
During this storage period, Mark will decide exactly what will happen to the wine he has made. Rigorous tastings, and other tests, will determine whether it will be bottled as a single varietal, or whether it must be blended before bottling. When a decision has been made, the wine is ‘cleaned up’. The final stage of the cleansing process involves ‘sterile filtration’ through a micro-filter, which will remove any lingering bacteria and/or fungi.
For sparkling wines, a small amount of sterile sugar is
added just prior to bottling.
Most of the wines produced by the estate over the years have been whites,
and rosés, but, last year, Mark has experimented with a full-bodied
red – and there are extremely high hopes for the product.
Chilford Hall wine has long enjoyed international recognition,
and, of late has been the recipient of a number of important domestic
awards. For example, in 2007, at the East Anglian Wine of the Year competition,
they scooped two gold medals, one silver, and two bronzes. The 2002 Sparkling
Rosé won ‘Best English Wine’, whilst the 2006 Schönburger
won the Berwick Trophy for the ‘Best White Wine’ from the
previous year’s growth.
The days when British wine was regarded as ‘a joke’, and our vineyards run by retired eccentrics has long since gone. Nowadays, we have a booming industry, particularly in respect of sparkling wines, and it seems as though global warming has markedly improved conditions for growing the vine in the UK, and viticulture over here is now a serious subject. English sparkling wines have shed their amateurish image to become a critically-acclaimed success, even out-classing wines from France and the new World in blind tastings! That said, English wine still constitutes less than 1% of all wine consumed in this country.
More locally, the East Anglian Winegrowers’ Association, which now has 60 members, says that acreage devoted to the vine in its region is up by 150% over the past couple of years, and that many farmers are seriously considering growing bines. Exciting times indeed.