Category: Winery

With exhausted winemakers and our vineyard team soothing their aching backs after weeks of speedy but skilled grape picking, we can confirm that harvest 2022 is complete.

“It was a very good vintage, across the board.” – Winemaker Owen Elias.

Owen believes that we should be making more still Pinot Noir as it’s truly one of the many things that English wine can do well. Yes, I repeat, we can make really good Pinot Noir. Just check out our Gatehouse 2020 and you will understand that even at a marginal 51 degrees north, with the correct clones, and careful handling in the winery, you can produce something very special.

There is a lot of excitement in our winery regarding this year’s harvest. But it’s not just Pinot, our still Chardonnays are shaping wonderfully too. Our Head Winemaker, Fergus Elias commented that “we have a small tank of Clone 76 on the go and it’s proving a fascinating wine. This is a clone, known for showing almost nervous energy, especially when grown on chalk. Coincidentally that is exactly what we grew this particular plot on!”

2022 is certainly going to be known as the year of the summer heat. The Met Office has stated that going back as far as 1884, England has had its joint hottest summer ever. But as always there is a bigger picture to be painted. After the heat, which did bring about a few drought concerns for our younger vineyards, the rain began to fall in late August and early September. This is never good for disease pressure, but we were still able to bring in some really great quality fruit.

“What was unusual about this year was that Chardonnay was ready to be picked before our Bacchus. This has never happened before.” – Owen Elias.

Although the rise in temperature, caused by global warming, has allowed us to ripen fruit in a way that wouldn’t be possible just a few decades ago. The subsequent ‘climate chaos’ means that each vintage is unique with its own individual challenges.

We began picking on 20th September and finished on 13th October. Harvest was about 2 to 3 weeks earlier than last year meaning all the grapes came in rather quickly. But, with some well-written press plans, some solid mathematics, and all 3 of our 4-tonne presses on the go at all times, all grapes are now safely and happily fermenting.

Commenting on harvest, Emma Barlow, our Technical and Compliance Manager, said: “I really enjoyed harvest. It was very hard work with long days and at least 16,000 step counts, but we had a great, young, enthusiastic team and basically kept ourselves going mostly on coffee and pastries!”

2022 was certainly a tiring but enjoyable harvest and we are expecting complex and interesting wines across the board. So now, we play the waiting game. Cheers!

This Christmas, more than any before, we all deserve to have a restful and fun time with our friends and families. This year has been a whirlwind of emotions and difficult for a lot of people. Here at Balfour Winery, we want to help support vulnerable people and families and ensure they have a good Christmas too. Here are three charities we have chosen to support.

The Community Storehouse is Paddock Wood’s food bank, connecting those who are able to give with those who are in need. Over the Christmas period, The Community Storehouse will be giving out Christmas themed bags full of mince pies, sweets, cheese and biscuits, cranberry sauce, and Christmas puddings. This month, our team are collecting donations to be included in these Christmas themed bags.

“We all know what it’s like to be anxious, but perhaps we don’t know what it’s like to feel worried about where the next meal is coming from to feed ourselves or our children.”

If you are local to Paddock Wood and would like to support, you can get involved by dropping off donations here:

• Waitrose, Paddock Wood
• St Andrew’s Church, Paddock Wood
• St Justus’ Church, Paddock Wood
• Churches in East Peckham
• Horsmonden Social Club
• St Alban’s Church Frant
• All Saints Church, Tudeley

“In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children.”

Alternatively, if you are located in other parts of England, The Trussell Trust support a nationwide network of food banks and you can find your nearest donation point here.

The Hygiene Bank is a grassroots charity and social movement set up to give people access to the basics they need, including shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste, nappies, deodorant, and a variety of other items.

Here are some statistics from The Hygiene Bank:

• One-third of people living in the UK and over half of 18 to 24-year-olds have had to go without hygiene or grooming essentials or cut down on them due to lack of funds
• 8 in 10 primary school teachers say that they’ve seen a rise in the numbers of children coming to school unwashed or not looking presentable in the last five years and have found themselves intervening at an increasing rate. Nearly half of all teachers said they had seen bullying because of hygiene issues
• 3 out of 10 teachers regularly buy their pupils toiletry essentials

On top of the food bank donations, our team at Balfour Winery are collecting donations to support our local Hygiene Bank in Cranbrook and Tenterden. The Hygiene Bank run nationwide, and you can find your nearest donation point here.

Demelza is a charity that provides clinical care, therapies, specialised activities, practical support, and so much more, across Kent, South East London and East Sussex. As our chosen charity, we support Demelza regularly.

Demelza is running their #FestiveWishes Christmas Appeal, which helps pay for the expert care that children will need over the holidays and beyond.

• £49 could pay for a full hour of dedicated nursing care for a child at Demelza over the holiday
• £21 will help fund a Family Support team session, helping parents get through to Christmas
• £32 will help them buy a toy appropriate for a child to be delivered to their home by a special Demelza Elf

If you would like to support, make a special Christmas donation today.

Donate here