New beginnings......
- Ryan Mounsey
- Apr 30
- 6 min read
Well, who would have thought that in the middle of April we'd be glad of a bit of rain! Early April was absolutely glorious and the little rainy interlude we had was not only welcome in the vineyard and garden but it also meant I could sit and write this long (long!) overdue blog. But the sun has returned - hooray! - and the vines have woken up beautifully - more on that later.
Firstly a summary of the 2024 season - it rained. The end.
Seriously, the weather at each of the important stages for the vines was just what we didn't want. So from extremely chilly easterly winds at flowering right through to persistent rain during the summer, the weather wasn't on our side in 2024. But that's farming folks! You're at the mercy of the weather and we weren't alone - vineyards right across the UK were suffering the same as Velfrey. And not only vineyards, at the Royal Welsh show last summer we heard from apple and vegetable growers who were in the same boat (felt like we needed one!). So after the bumper 11.5 tonnes of grapes in 2023 our harvest last year was barely 10% of that.
The low crop did mean we could concentrate our efforts on the bunches that were there and keep them clean and healthy.
Vineyard dogs in the rain!
But as well as the poor weather, we also had to fend off badgers and birds far more than normal which initially confused us but then someone pointed out that hedgerows were also short on fruit so our grapes were a bonus!
So, thank goodness for 2023 and that we specialise in sparkling wine as this will help to smooth supply after the low yield last year.
And by the end of the year we were thinking we might need some more shelves for awards! Our Rhosyn and Velfrey NV won silver medals in the Glass of Bubbly awards. Then - drum roll please - our Velfrey NV won Best White Sparkling Wine 2024 in the Welsh Wine Awards!
But what of the new beginnings....
Well, as some of you will know, when we moved to Pembrokeshire (pre-vineyard) we were publishers of trade magazines for the animal feed and pet food industries.
Quick history timeline - Andy's dad had the idea for a trade magazine for animal feed manufacturers back in 1980 and the first edition of Feed Compounder was published in 1981; with a degree in agriculture tucked under his belt, Andy joined the magazine business in 1987 and more titles were added including one for the pet food industry; after a stint in pharmaceutical sales I joined in 1992 selling advertising space.
In 2003 Andy and I took over sole responsibility for Feed Compounder and Pet Food Supplement; 2014 we moved to Pembrokeshire still publishing and in 2016 Ryan joined the magazine business as writer and assistant editor.
As you know, following a year of site preparation, the vineyard was planted in 2017 and in 2023 Andy decided to dedicate more time to the vines so Ryan became editor and I kept on with the advertising sales.
However, it became clear to us that something had to give - that we didn't have enough time to do either business to the best of our abilities.
So, we took some time to look at where our passion lay and which path we wanted to take. And it was unanimous - the vineyard.
So, we have hung up our publisher hats and our attention and efforts are now fully focused on planet Velfrey!
We continue to be committed to being as low-intervention and sustainable as possible - but that takes extra time. For example, the plant teas (tisanes) we use to keep the vines and grapes healthy are handmade using centuries old traditional methods of foraging plants from around the site, steeping them overnight, diluting the resulting concentrate and spraying this onto the plants.
Also, as those of you who have visited the vineyard will know, we are incredibly lucky to live in such a beautiful spot which not only enjoys wonderful views but has an abundance of wildlife and wild flowers. We don't just want to maintain that ecosystem, we want to grow it! Again focussing on the vineyard means that we can spend more time managing the site here, for example the pond has been reinstated and now has regular visits from ducks, geese and herons. We're adding more wildflowers to the meadow, planting more trees and maintaining the hedgerow.
When we first started the vineyard we used to giggle when we heard people talking about 'terroir', thinking that it was a little bit of a stretch to say that a site could influence the flavour of grapes and ultimately wine. But now? Well, I'm a terroir believer! I think the site and the season will be reflected in the wine and one example of this is with our Naturiol, where we have taken super ripe grapes from the same few rows and let them ferment naturally with the yeast which exists on the grape skins - basically leaving the grapes to do their own thing! We've done this now for a number of years and each vintage has its own distinct flavour profile.
So, what's happening in the vineyard? Well, the pruning was completed in timely fashion as was the tying down - which was just as well as the good weather we have enjoyed has encouraged an early bud burst explosion across the vineyard!
We are also preparing another patch of the site for more Solaris planting, together with the addition of another variety, Rondo. This preparation is complete and we will be planting the new vines early May.
Last year we trialled sowing a cover crop down alternate rows in the vineyard. The mix included mustard seed and forage radish. The purpose is multi-fold - it improves the quality of the soil; improves drainage and the flowers are wonderful for insects! In the rows where we sowed this seed we have already noticed more earth worms and more wild flowers coming up so this year we will sow the others rows.
We are also using sheep fleece on the patch of Solaris on the slope in front of the lodge. The fleece helps to keep the weeds down, helps with the grape ripening and as it breaks down it will improve the soil. Those are the benefits for us but the fleece comes from our neighbours, we pay them more than the going rate, they don't have very far to travel and they can see how their fleeces are being used. And, if you inspect the local birds' nests you will find that a fair few of them are very, cosily fleece lined!
Not having magazine deadlines has also meant that we can attend more events, trade shows and wine tastings. The majority of our wines are PGI (Protected Geographical Indication Welsh Wines), including our natural ferment Naturiol (which is the only PGI natural ferment wine in Wales!) and we regularly get invited by Food and Drink Wales to be a part of PGI events with other Welsh food and drinks producers. In February this took Andy and me to the Palace of Westminster as part of a St David's Day event celebrating Welsh produce.
From Westminster we went to Mayfair to give a wine tasting and then to Pall Mall for a Welsh Wine event for trade and media.
The response to our wine has been amazing and the most satisfying comments include how clean the wine is; how fruit flavours come through and the quality - which makes all the attention to detail worthwhile!
We are very proud to fly the flag, not only for Velfrey Vineyard, but for Pembrokeshire and Wales!
But we have had more new beginnings! In January, after hanging up our 'publisher' hats we picked up some new ones - grandparent hats! Our little grandson was born mid January to Craig and Jemma and he is a pure joy and delight. And shortly after he was born Ryan and Sophie found out that they are also expecting! So two new little harvest helpers of the future!
Breaking News!!!
Last night Andy and I travelled to the Senedd in Cardiff Bay as finalists in the Countryside Alliance Awards - affectionately known as the Rural Oscars.
And we won!!!!! Thank you to everyone who nominated and voted for us - we really appreciate your support!
As regional winners we will be going to the House of Lords in June where the overall UK winners will be announced!
Wish us luck!
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