07 Aug From Grape to Glass: Behind the Scenes at the Winery

Every bottle has a story long before the cork is pulled.

For us, that story begins among the vines at Renishaw Hall before continuing here at the English Wine Project winery, where the character of each harvest gradually becomes the wine in your glass.

It starts with the fruit

Good winemaking begins in the vineyard.

When harvest arrives, the grapes are picked with their condition, ripeness and intended wine in mind. Once they reach the winery, the real transformation begins.

The fruit is carefully processed before fermentation, when naturally occurring sugars in the grape juice are converted into alcohol. From here, there are countless small decisions to be made — each one helping to shape the finished wine.

A light touch

Our approach is about allowing the fruit and the vintage to express themselves.

Different varieties, vineyards and growing seasons all bring something different to the winery. Rather than forcing every wine towards the same style, we want those differences to remain part of the finished bottle.

It’s one of the things that makes English wine so interesting. Every vintage is a snapshot of a particular place, season and set of conditions.

And when you finally open the bottle, you’re tasting a little of that story too.