Silent Pool Rosé 2013 to be released on 24th May

Silent Pool Rosé 2013 will be released for sale on Saturday 24th May, the start of English Wine Week.

The wine was made from some of the ripest hand-picked Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes from last years harvest. Having recently tasted some barrel samples we are delighted with the wine and believe it is our best vintage yet.

Stephen Skelton MW comments:

"The wine is a pale salmon pink, with distinct Pinot raspberry and strawberry tones on the nose. On the palate the wine has a lively fruit character, with balanced acidity and a good fresh finish."

Silent Pool Rosé is certified organic with an alcohol level of 11%. Only 4,200 bottles have been produced, most of which have been pre-allocated. Details of stockists will be available on our website soon.

The first Albury Wine Club event (for members only) will be held on the vineyard on Saturday 24th May starting at 11.00 and will include a light lunch . The vineyard will be open to the public for the first time on Monday 26th May at a cost of £5 per person (including a tour of the vineyard and a tasting). Early booking is essential as numbers will be limited, so if you are interested please email info@alburyvineyard.com for details.

A Frosty Scare

We had a close call last night as temperatures on the vineyard fell to -1.7C, resulting in a light frost. We got a text from the weather station at around 5.00am, with a warning that the temperature had fallen below zero, but by the time we got there the sun was rising. Fortunately there shouldn't be too much damage as the vines are only at budburst or first leaf stage at the moment and are fairly resilient up to -1.9C.

The next few weeks are a crucial time for us. As a result of the warm start to the year, the vines are about one month ahead of where they were last year when there was snow on the ground in early April.

The boujies are still our main defence as they warm the vineyard by between 1.5C and 2C. However they are pretty messy and I'm not too happy abot the environmental impact even though we use them infrequently. Next year we will take a look at a new wind machine that Denbies are purchasing from New Zealand which reputably protects 10 acres of vines.

More frost risk tonight so I'll be avoiding too much wine and off to bed early!

Surrey Life Food and Drinks Awards

We are delighted to have been entered for the Food and Drink Producer category of the Surrey Food and Drinks Awards. The award is sponsored by Lythe Hill Hotel, Restaurant and Spa, and last year was won by Hogs Back Brewery.

Surrey has some amazing local food and drink. As well as wine and beer there are producers of beef, cheese, watercress, smoked trout, soft drinks, and even ice cream. Many local people want to support local producers and the Surrey Life Food and Drinks Awards helps to increase awareness of the amazing produce available in Surrey.

Please support the event and vote for us here.