Series three of Tales of a Nuffield Scholar continues 🎙️ This series is looking at some of the biggest challenges, innovations and conversations shaping agriculture today, and this time we’re exploring a sector I know far less about, UK viticulture 🍇

I was joined by Fred Langdale, who has spent around 18 years working at Exton Park Vineyard in Hampshire. Coming from a farming background, Fred developed an interest in viticulture at a young age and went on to work in vineyards across southern England, South Africa and New Zealand before building his career in the growing English wine sector.

We got right into how viticulture actually works, from managing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier through to canopy management, cover crops, soil health and harvest. Fred explained how the vineyard uses around 60 different plant species within its cover crops and how careful management can improve soil structure, water retention and ultimately the vines themselves 🌱

We also spoke about just how quickly UK viticulture is changing. Fred remembers harvesting around the middle of October when he started, compared with the 8th of September this year. Despite the drought, he described this year’s fruit as some of the best quality he has seen, showing how a changing climate can create both opportunities and completely new challenges for this growing sector.

That leads perfectly into Fred’s Nuffield Scholarship, which focused on frost protection in cool climate viticulture. Earlier bud burst can leave vines increasingly vulnerable to spring frosts, and Fred travelled through New Zealand and Tasmania exploring how vineyards manage that risk before Covid dramatically changed his travel plans. He ultimately brought the research back home, trialling approaches in his own vineyard and finding a fan system that works well across his particular site 🌍

One of the biggest lessons was that there is no magic answer. Frost protection is incredibly site specific and sometimes the best solution starts before a vine ever goes into the ground by understanding where the frost pockets are and choosing the right site in the first place.

We also got into the wine itself, how sparkling wine gets its bubbles, why English sparkling wine can spend years ageing before release and how the industry is beginning to build an identity of its own. It was a proper learning episode for me and a fascinating look at a part of UK food production that looks set to become increasingly important.

Thank you to NFU Mutual for their support of this project.

Enjoy! 🙂

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