inland frost hollows must be avoided. avoided. be must hollows frost inland

slopes near the coast are good but but good are coast the near slopes

any higher may slow ripening. Lower Lower ripening. slow may higher any

Tangley – coming soon coming – Tangley markets. or outlets local the of one plants need a positive dormant period. period. dormant positive a need plants

roots to pick up nutrients. up pick to roots ideal – any lower can risk frosts and and frosts risk can lower any – ideal September

Middlecot Manor Vineyard, Vineyard, Manor Middlecot near near from bottle souvenir a Enjoy countryside. winters are good for the vines as the the as vines the for good are winters 30cm of soil is enough for the smaller smaller the for enough is soil of 30cm cause the whole crop to be lost. lost. be to crop whole the cause

Between 40-70m above sea level is is level sea above 40-70m Between

Canopy and leaf thinning in in thinning leaf and Canopy

Foxford Vineyard Foxford Wellow East , lovely its exploring and villages ensuring strong fruit flavours. Cold Cold flavours. fruit strong ensuring may have a long tap root but just 15- just but root tap long a have may weather is frost and hail, as this can can this as hail, and frost is weather

Height

Embley Wines Embley Wellow East , beautiful many its visiting by delights its maximum ripening of the grapes grapes the of ripening maximum they are built up with sugars. with up built are they of pure chalk bed rock is enough. Vines Vines enough. is rock bed chalk pure of needed to swell the grapes. The worst worst The grapes. the swell to needed

Coach House Coach Wellow West , sample and come to you encourages Long summer days allow for for allow days summer Long on colour and become softer as as softer become and colour on The 40cms of chalky soil, sitting on top top on sitting soil, chalky of 40cms The diseases yet sufficient moisture is is moisture sufficient yet diseases

Somborne Valley Somborne and wine making in Test Valley and and Valley Test in making wine and Somborne King’s , August to September berries take take berries September to August allows good drainage. good allows Wet summers bring the threat of fungal fungal of threat the bring summers Wet

they ripen too quickly! too ripen they

character to the flavour. the to character Leckford This leaflet celebrates wine growing growing wine celebrates leaflet This Stockbridge ,

A slope of about five degrees also also degrees five about of slope A

Veraison (ripening) (ripening) Veraison

vine longer to ripen; too much and and much too ripen; to longer vine lends the wine its minerality and gives gives and minerality its wine the lends in June. in

Black Chalk Wine Chalk Black Andover ,

higher yields due to the reduced wind. wind. reduced the to due yields higher

Rosé.

flavour, as they have to stay on the the on stay to have they as flavour, The chalk and flint soil in Test Valley Valley Test in soil flint and chalk The pollinated grape flowers which appear appear which flowers grape pollinated

Danebury Stockbridge ,

east slope may ripen sooner and have have and sooner ripen may slope east

sparkling white wine and sparkling pink pink sparkling and wine white sparkling

element - not enough and they lack lack they and enough not - element can prevent pollination of the wind- the of pollination prevent can

Nyetimber Stockbridge ,

On the other hand, vines on a south south a on vines hand, other the On

spring water. spring

local product – the grapes to make make to grapes the – product local Sunshine is the most important important most the is Sunshine spring can spell disaster. Raindrops Raindrops disaster. spell can spring

to filter through the hill and reappear as as reappear and hill the through filter to

Hampshire. interesting another for place perfect the

Vines don’t like wet feet. A late wet wet late A feet. wet like don’t Vines prevent fungal diseases. fungal prevent

Sun Sun

widely but it takes rainwater 100 years years 100 rainwater takes it but widely by hand by (some 250 acres) than anywhere else in in else anywhere than acres) 250 (some Valley Test makes also and Chablis and

the grapes and canopy and helps helps and canopy and grapes the

to July to

Moisture Moisture

The depth of the upper chalk can vary vary can chalk upper the of depth The devotes more acres to wine growing growing wine to acres more devotes Champagne to home - France northern

to the south westerly wind which dries dries which wind westerly south the to in October October in

successfully grown aound the globe. the aound grown successfully Test Valley has 11 different vineyards and and vineyards different 11 has Valley Test to Channel English the under extends from June June from

most sunshine and are more exposed exposed more are and sunshine most Geology

Harvested Harvested

of the band where wine grapes are are grapes wine where band the of chalk, laid down 100 million years ago, ago, years million 100 down laid chalk, is just right. just is

South and south west slopes attract the the attract slopes west south and South

Flowering Flowering

known English wineries. wineries. English known

UK is on the northern edge (50° N) N) (50° edge northern the on is UK The 300-foot thick layer of upper upper of layer thick 300-foot The are brown and the sugar/acid balance balance sugar/acid the and brown are

“le terroir” “le . call French best- the of some to up right enterprises

for the production of ripe grapes. The The grapes. ripe of production the for valley. the of bottom the at accumulates to birds. Grapes are ripe when the pips pips the when ripe are Grapes birds. to

infection.

topography and climate – what the the what – climate and topography family-owned small very from vineyards flows. it which over chalk Hampshire

coupled with a good site, is favourable favourable is site, good a with coupled which air cool avoid to slope facing takes the leaves away exposing the fruit fruit the exposing away leaves the takes

away to avoid re- avoid to away

well blessed with the perfect geology, geology, perfect the with blessed well of dozens to host plays county the the to character its owes water clear gin

The climate in southern England, England, southern in climate The south a up way half is site ideal The Grapes are picked before serious frost frost serious before picked are Grapes

Prunings are taken taken are Prunings Test Valley are favourable because it is is it because favourable are Valley Test that surprise no is it Hampshire of The fishing. fly of art gentle the for world

Climate Topography and Slope and Topography

Frost Hoping for no frosts. no for Hoping the summer growth. growth. summer the The conditions for wine growing in in growing wine for conditions The much so characterises chalk the As the across famous is Test River The

emerge from the canes. canes. the from emerge the fruiting arms for for arms fruiting the

Fresh green shoots start to to start shoots green Fresh Pruning in January to create create to January in Pruning

Why Test Valley is good for vineyards for good is Valley Test Why

Bud Burst begins March March begins Burst Bud Pruning inJanuary Pruning

varieties, rootstock and clonal type clonal and rootstock varieties,

bottles! weather, soil and topography, plus grape grape plus topography, and soil weather,

“ million 100

sparkling wine - that’s - wine sparkling

“ the are vineyards on influences main The of adults drink adults of 56% Annual Growth Cycle Growth Annual

Grape Varieties We may be familiar with the most Test Valley Vineyards widely planted varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon but what of lesser-known grapes? There A Taste of Literary Stockbridge Sprat and Andover are about 10,000 grape varieties that Test Valley Test Valley Pocket Guide Winkle Heritage Trail can be used to make wine and each prefers different growing conditions.

Grape varieties selected for planting Get any of these Where to buy Test Valley wines in England and Wales are, by guides on your necessity, those that will thrive in our unpredictable summer. Most of them tablet or mobile All Local Waitrose The Leckford Hampshire Farmers’ were developed in north Germany, due If you would like to download a copy to their similar climate (Reichenstener, of any of these guides to use on your Stores Estate Farm Shop Market, Romsey Bacchus and the red Dornfelder). Parish 01420 588671 Get out and mobile or tablet, you can find them at: and Café In more recent years, encouraged Churches of Chilbolton First Sunday of every month walk www.testvalley.gov.uk/tourism 01264 810270 by a run of warmer summers, Test Valley Village Store Longstock Park Nursery, 10am - 2pm, Alma Road Car Park, considerable plantings have been 01264 860231 Stockbridge, SO20 6EH made of the classic champagne Acknowledgements Romsey, SO51 8ED Village Street, Chilbolton, varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Survey material has been reproduced with the permission of Ordnance Survey Hampshire, SO20 6BE Abbotts Ann Village Pinot Meunier to make high quality T& M Convenience on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationary Office Crown Copyright. Shop and Post sparkling wines. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to Stone, Vine Stores prosecution of civil proceedings. Office 01794 521019 and Sun 01264 710230 All details are believed to be correct at the time of publication. No responsibility 7-9 Viney Avenue, Romsey, 01962 712351 Duck Street, Abbotts Ann, The main grape varieties are can be taken for errors, omissions or subsequent alterations. Test Valley SO51 7NR No.13 Humphrey Farms, Andover, Hampshire, Borough Council can’t be held responsible for the quality of the establishments Chardonnay Hazeley Road, Twyford, SP11 7AZ mentioned. Food hygiene inspections can be found at www.food.you.uk. Test Hampshire, SO21 1QA The Little Whiskey Pinot Noir Find out Valley Borough Council would like to acknowledge the assistance given by Bacchus about local Ordnance Survey and the vineyards featured. Fickle Pickle Shop Seyval Blanc wine varieties, The Rockingham 01264 811566 Images © Joe Low and Test Valley Borough Council. 07724 117497 Reichensteiner Arms The Old Dairy, Fullerton Road, Lillies, High Street, tours and 01794 324798 Stockbridge, SO20 6HF Further Information Cottonworth, more! Canada Road, West Hampshire, SP11 7JX Wines of Great Britain Ltd, Wellow, Hampshire, SO51 Cross Stores Knoll House, Union Wharf, Market Harborough, LE16 7UW 6DE Dish Deli and 01794 388341 01858 467792 Kitchen Winchester Road, King’s www.winegb.co.ukom Wine Utopia Somborne, Stockbridge, 01794 513663 Hampshire, SO20 6NY 01264 252080 16 Latimer Street, Romsey, @TestValleyBC TestValleyBC High Street, Stockbridge, Hampshire, SO51 8DG Hampshire, SO20 6EX The Romans started making wine in England Night vines www.theelectriceye.co.uk Paul Hewitt, Leckford Estate years ago

Nyetimber Black Chalk Wine www.nyetimber.com / 020 7734 8490 Black Chalk Wine, The Old Dairy, Of Nyetimber’s eleven vineyards, two of these are Fullerton Road SP11 7JX in Test Valley – Chalk Vale, near Stockbridge and Tours www.cottonworth.co.uk Hazeldown, near Longstock. In 1988, Nyetimber available pioneered the style of English Sparkling Wine we 01264 860440 Test Valley know today by planting the first Chardonnay, Pinot Black Chalk Wine lies between Stockbridge and Andover near Noir and Pinot Meunier vines in the UK purely for the the picturesque village of Wherwell. Thirty acres of prime Test production of traditional method sparkling wine. Over Valley chalkland plays host to 45,000 Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier Local Produce Menus By Dave Watts, Chef and Owner, The Crown Inn, Upton the years, Nyetimber has won countless awards and and Pinot Noir vines. A brand new state-of-the-art winery was accolades at international tastings and competitions. finished in 2020 and produces world-beating English wines. Grapes grown: Perhaps most notably, their Head Winemaker Cherie Black Chalk have won a plethora of gold medals and trophies Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir To Start Spriggs was named ‘Sparkling Winemaker of the at both domestic and international competitions. Tour Wines produced: ‘Dave’s Upton Parsonage Farm’ charcuterie and pickles Year’ at the International Wine Challenge in 2018 bookings are available on www.blackchalkwine.co.uk and will Black Chalk ‘Classic’, Black Chalk ‘Wild Danebury reserve - she was the first person outside of Champagne give you a glance at the beautiful vineyards and a rare chance Rose’, Black Chalk still rosé, Black Chalk Our own smoked chalk stream trout, lemon and dill; toasted soda bread and the first ever woman to be awarded this to see how English wine is produced. Wines produced: still Chardonnay Danebury Cossak Nyetimber Classic Cuvee MV, Nyetimber prestigious title! Quality is key to everything Blanc de Blancs, Nyetimber Rosé MV at Nyetimber, so they only use the finest, Twice baked Tunworth cheese souffle, ‘mum’s’ pineapple chutney, Nyetimber Cuvee Chérie MV, Nyetimber hand-picked estate-grown fruit toasted walnuts and curly endive Tillington Single Vineyard, Nyetimber to craft their sparkling Black Chalk Classic 1086 and Nyetimber 1086 Rosé wines. Today they own 327 hectares of vineyards Leckford Estate Mains Grapes grown: across West Sussex, Middlecot Manor www.leckfordestate.co.uk 55 day Dry-aged Oxford sandy and black pork, ‘Oaktrack smallholding’ Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir Hampshire and Kent. Vineyard 01264 810270 potato terrine, charred garden greens, caramelised apples and medlar jelly; cardamom roasting juices The Leckford Estate, in the heart of Somborne Valley white Test Valley, is owned by the John Lewis Partnership, having been bought by the Buttermilk poached Halibut, New Forest cauliflower textures and founder, John Spedan Lewis in 1928. roasted puree; Alresford watercress emulsion, chives Danebury Vineyards Leckford Estate sparkling Black Chalk Wine The River Test runs through the estate, www.danebury.com which includes a farm, water garden, plant Upton lamb rack, fermented barley and rosehip ketchup, Leckford Estate nursery and farm shop. grilled violet artichoke, pine nut mosh; lamb jus 01264 781851 Farm Shop Harvested in October the sparkling wine Danebury Madeleine Angevine Established in 1988, Danebury In 2009, Waitrose became the first retailer was blended and matured at Ridgeview, Vineyards is on a privately owned Nyetimber to plant its own vineyard. The estate Leckford Estate Sussex. It is available in selected Waitrose estate near Stockbridge on the covers 2,800 acres. It has 17 acres of branches and from the Leckford Estate Danebury Desserts paddocks of what was a famous 19th Key vineyards, with 25,000 individual vines of Farm Shop. Century racehorse training yard. The the three classic Champagne varieties of Red wine poached ‘St Mary bourne PYO’ red berries, floating island, vineyards cover seven acres of sheltered Vineyard grape – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Wines produced: mint oil and hazelnut praline Somborne Valley Estate red (chilled) south facing fields on chalk and flint soil, only Meunier. The estate aims to generate Leckford Estate Brut producing award-winning sparkling and Open to enough grapes for around 40,000 The Farm Shop, Upton apple parfait, Hatherden honey combe, hedgerow berries; Grapes grown: still white wine which can be found in top visitors bottles of wine a year. Grapes have been Cafe and Plant oat and thyme tuile Chardonnay, Pinot establishments and independent wine Somborne harvested since 2011, producing vintage Nursery are open Black Chalk Wild Rose Available Meunier, Pinot Noir merchants in the area. Please visit their Valley Vineyard Leckford Estate branded sparkling wine. to the public Grapes grown: King’s to buy at Madagascan vanilla rice pudding, almost burnt cream; Auxerrois Blanc, Madeleine Angevine, website www.danebury.com for their outlets on-line shop and further information on Somborne poached rhubarb and sorbet Rulander, Schonburger Somborne Estate rose bookable events. Danebury are not open to Wines produced: the public. The vineyard is named after the Cossack Brut, Madeleine Angevine, nearby Iron Age hill fort, one of the most Somborne Valley Schonburger, Reserve famous in the country. www.sombornevalley.com [email protected] 01794 388547 Somborne Valley Vineyards lie on the slopes Coach House Vineyard above King’s Somborne on Hoplands Estate. The three vineyards, Cow Common, Garlick Parsonage Farm Salisbury Road, West Wellow, Romsey, The Crown Inn Lane and Home Vineyard were planted in the www.crownupton.co.uk SO51 6BW Millennium, 2016 and 2017 respectively, totalling Wines Produced: Charcuterie Coach House www.parsonagefarmcharcuterie.com 01264 736044 01794 323345 some 30 acres. Home Vineyard had its first Still white: Bacchus, Sauvignon Blanc; Red: Vineyard 07740 979600 Upton, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 0JS harvest in 2019 producing both a Bacchus and Estate Reserve; Sparkling: Blanc de Blancs, A small vineyard of one acre established Sauvignon Blanc. Blush Rosé Upton, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 0JP in 1987. The wine is made at Setley Ridge Foxford Vineyard Wines produced: Grapes grown: Vineyard in Brockenhurst and is a dry white Somborne Valley produces award-winning still Coach House Dry White Bacchus Grapes grown: from the Bacchus and Reichensteiner grapes. and sparkling wines which are popular and Oaktrack Smallholding Reichensteiner Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Rondo, Chardonnay, www.oaktrack.co.uk available in Stockbridge and various local village Pinot Meunier, Bacchus, Sauvignon Blanc Bourne Valley PYO Wine GB Wessex is the region of Wine GB (the national association of shops together with independent wine merchants. www.bournevalleypyo.co.uk 01264 735322 growers and wine producers) that covers Test Valley. It provides help to 01264 738888 Charlton Down, Nr Andover, existing and prospective vineyard owners and through competitions and South Lodge, Breach Farm Garage, Hampshire, SP11 0JA events helps to increase the quality of the wines produced in the area and © Crown Copyright. Strawberry Field, Egbury Rd, St Mary to promote sales. All rights reserved. Test Valley www.chalkdowncider.com Bourne, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 6DQ Borough Council 100024295 2015 Chalkdown Wines Any questions about the vineyards of the area or the prospect of Hampshire Downs Fine starting up, please call the Wine GB Wessex Secretary, currently Roger www.winegb.co.uk A new range of sparkling wines from the Test Valley from Cider Company Limited the producers of Chalkdown Cider – a multiple award Marchbank at The Coach House Vineyard or email roger.marchbank@ @englishwine Harewood Farm, Andover Down btinternet.com. winning champagne-method cider. The first release is expected in 2022. Hampshire, SP11 6LJ