Avonleigh Organic Vineyard & Orchard

Avonleigh Organic Vineyard is open to the public for sales throughout the week (phone beforehand Ingrid on 07983 218579 or Di on 07503 99906) and is open every Saturday 11am till 5pm for tastings and sales. We produce White, Red, Rosé, and Quality Sparkling wines. The 6.65 ha site, was planted in 2005/6 by us on agricultural land that had been set aside for a number of years. Conversion to organic status was started immediately which meant that the land had to be cultivated and prepared without the use of any chemicals. The vineyard and orchard is registered with the Soil Association and received full organic status in 2006. The range of vine varieties selected are ones that are best suited for growing in colder northern climates and are more resistant to damaging diseases. We take considerable care in ensuring that we produce high quality wines. Our aim is to produce white, rose and sparkling wine each year but this will depend on the quality of the harvest and weather conditions. The indications from our first three harvests are that the land and environment are resulting in wine of a unique and distinctive character. Our first rose wine won a bronze award and the second a Silver award in the UK Vineyards Association wine of the year competition. Everything in the vineyard is done in the traditional way such as manually removing leaves to maximise sunlight on the grapes to selecting and picking every bunch by hand. The orchard is planted with 32 different varieties of trees; predominantly modern eating apples, but some ancient, have also been planted to ensure these are preserved for the future. As with the vines, the apple varieties have been selected for taste but also for their resistance to disease and attack from pests. A number of plums, pears and cherry trees, together with small coppice of cobnuts and walnuts, have also been planted. We take considerable care in the management of the land. Wild flower meadows have been planted round the vineyard as a natural means of controlling insects and other pests. Hedges have been traditionally laid and wood piles left which encourage a wide diversity of beneficial insects and other species. Clover and grass mixes are also used in the rows between the vines and trees to help with soil fertility. We also grow our own comfrey plants to produce a tea to be used as a foliar feed. No organic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used in the vineyard or orchard.