After an exhausting few days, our new Lokkelebery Vineyard is standing majestically in our old arable cereals field.
It was an historic moment as we planted the first vine (although this was promptly and rather hilariously pulled up by Luigi the tractor driver as it wasn’t perfect!). In this blog, we will tell the tale of the planting of Lokkelebery Vineyard, and where this journey will lead us next.
About the vines
We would not be anywhere without the stars of the show, the vines. All of the vines came in from the continent with the help of Vinescapes, and were carefully packed into bags containing moisture to keep the roots alive. Once they arrived in the UK, they were kept in a cold store so as to pause their further development and prevent the roots from rotting.
You may notice in the pictures that the vines are covered in coloured wax. This is to protect the vines and to create a micro climate as they settle into their new home. For weeks, they have been in the temperature-controlled cool store, so it is a shock to the system to be brought out into the elements. The wax helps mitigate this transition so that it is less extreme for the vine. In 3-4 weeks, green shoots will begin to appear out of the vines and over time the wax will simply fall away.
While vines don’t particularly need ample water once established, in the periods directly before and after planting, water is vital to help them settle. We were very lucky to have a smattering of rain in the days leading up to planting and thankfully we have seen good rainfall in the days after. Although vine roots train themselves to seek water deep underground, previous to our recent spot of rain, we had not had any for several weeks and so they would have most likely needed irrigation which costs time, water and diesel. Thankfully, mother nature was on our side and the vines now have the best chance at establishing themselves.
The Planting
We started planting on 8th May with the arrival of our marvelous planting team and the mighty planting rig from Germany.
Before the planting started, Dr. Alistair Nesbitt and vineyard expert Jonathan Rodwell, who are helping us set-up and manage the vineyard, laid out boxes of vines along the headlands (top of the field), in order of where that particular clone needed to be planted.
Thanks to months of careful soil preparation, the team were able to make a start straight away once they arrived with the tractor and planting rig. The first job was to set up the GPS (right after a quick coffee and cake stop of course!). The correct alignment of the GPS line was vital: it would be the line along which the whole of the vineyard would be planted so it had to be right. The vineyard had been planned by Dr. Alistair around this line and the vines ordered accordingly, so the team spent time adjusting and correctly the first row until it was right.
Once the first row had been established, the next hour or so was trial and error to make sure that the vines were interspersed correctly and that there were the right number of vines per row (c.125).
The planting team were kept extremely busy throughout the entire process, working a 12-hour shift on the second day. The mechanical planting was undertaken by team of three Luigi, Ewelina and Sylwester, with vineyard establishment expert Duncan McNeill supporting the operation on the ground. Luigi drove a large tractor, carefully following the GPS line which they had made at the start. Meanwhile, Ewelina and Sylwester sat on the planting rig which was pulled by the tractor. The rest of the team would feed the vines from the boxes on the headlands into baskets in front of the planters. They would then carefully place one vine at a time into a rotating wheel. Meanwhile the rig was ploughing a small furrow underneath the planters seats. As they place the vine into the rotating wheel, the wheel rolled through the furrow and deposited the vine into the furrow. Finally, 2 shafts behind the rotating wheel swept the soil back over the planted vine, covering the roots.
Every now and then, a vine would be mis-planted by the machine, or a new clone/variety would be brought in. Fortunately, Dr. Alistair, Jonathan and Duncan were on hand to help the whole process run smoothly.
The planting of 24,000 vines took just 2 days, plenty of cake and a lot of concentration. While the planting was still underway, we began pressing the soil around each vine row using the tire of our little 1968 Ford Tractor: a tractor which has been on the farm since it was newly purchased 54 years ago by our farming predecessor. It was a fitting nod to the farms heritage that our first job in the vineyard should be completed by the oldest of our machines and one which has never left this very farm.
We also spent time counting the vine rows as well as helping load the vines into the rig, keeping the site tidy, and always providing cake! On the second day, we even served an early morning continental breakfast to our lovely team, which was very well received before we put in a 12-hour shift.
The next step
It is hard to believe that now, after generations as an arable field, we are finally planted and on the vineyard journey. It was a bitter sweet moment as we said cheerio to the arable and hello to a new start, but an extremely exciting one too.
Our next stop will be placing the rods and tubes over each vine to create a warm and safe habitat away from wildlife. As the shoots start to appear in 3-4 weeks, the vines will be vulnerable to becoming a tasty snack for deer, muntjac and rabbits, so it is important that they are protected. The grow tube also creates the perfect moist, warm environment for the vines to flourish.
In the next few weeks we will be keeping a close eye on the vines as they grow and get to know the lay of the land with this new crop.
In celebration of the planting of the vineyard, our official Lokkelebery logo will be launched at 12.00GMT on Monday 16th May; the logo is symbolic of family, heritage and the starting of a new journey, which we hope you will follow with us!