Fruit growers and other landowners looking to expand their portfolio and tap into a growing market have an excellent opportunity to find out more at Fruit Focus 2015.
Prospective new entrants who want to join in the success of the English and Welsh wine industry need look no further than the Vines to Wines event feature, says Jo Cowderoy, general secretary of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association.
“Fruit Focus is an ideal opportunity to find out more about the wine-growing sector and its opportunities.
“The UK is producing internationally award-winning wines, bringing diversification of land use, local employment, and revenue from wine sales and tourism to rural areas.”
The UK’s vine area looks set to break through 2000ha, and last year’s crop was the biggest ever at over 5m bottles, says Ms Cowderoy. Much of it is sparkling wine that can now rival some of the best in the world and destined for export; the remainder is still wine of increasingly good quality that underpins the home and wine tourism market.
“Growers interested in diversifying into vine-growing and winemaking are invited to visit the UKVA stand at Fruit Focus, as indeed are more established growers who want to catch up with the latest developments and network with colleagues,” she adds.
As well as quizzing fellow growers, visitors also have a great opportunity to catch up with one of the world’s leading experts on frost protection in the Vines to Wines seminar at 13.00 in the forums marquee.
Steve Hammersmith, CEO of Shur Farms Frost Protection, will deliver a seminar enitled Frost protection: Managing cold air flows and cold air accumulation in the vineyard. He will explain how frost develops and what steps growers can take to lessen the likelihood and impact of a frost event.
Vineyard workshops
Following last year’s high demand, The United Kingdom Vineyards Association is once again offering technical workshops in the demonstration vineyard.
Independent adviser and ex-deputy chairman of the UKVA, Roger Marchbank, will host a demonstration and talk entitled Summer pruning and canopy management.
William Biddulph, a New Zealand trained-winemaker who returned to his native Great Britain in 2004 and is now an independent consultant, will talk about Disease monitoring and economic viability.
The practical emphasis of the seminar and workshops will be invaluable to existing and new growers looking to improve their skills, says Mr Marchbank.
“Being at the northerly edge of the recognised wine-growing latitude we need to take care if we are to produce good wines. The effort is well worth it ¬– some very high quality wines are starting to appear from some of the artisan vineyards that make up most of the UKVA membership.”
Correct canopy management is important to ensure enough leaves are removed to reduce the threat of disease and to maximise the amount of sunlight onto grapes without affecting the canopy’s ability to produce fruit, he explains.
In addition, growers need to be able to spot disease problems in the canopy in good time to ensure they can be kept at bay to protect yield and quality.
“These practical sessions will inform growers, especially less experienced ones, how to maintain their vines in good condition during the summer to ensure they end up with good fruit come harvest,” says Mr Marchbank.
Fruit Focus takes place at East Malling Research, Kent on Wednesday 22 July. Visitors also have a great opportunity to catch up with over 120 industry suppliers and discover the latest products and services available to the fruit sector.
