The Cheltenham vineyard is tended by hand, which allows minimum intervention to help strive for the finest fruit using sustainable principles. It is said that great wine is made in the vineyard and everything is focused on optimizing the quality of the grapes. Pinot Noir is grown to give structure to the premium bubbly, Pinot Meunier for complexity, Chardonnay for texture and the vineyard only makes vintage bubbly to celebrate a given year.

The vines started their life in a small nursery in the Champagne region and were planted by hand on the lowest of our three limestone terraces carved out by the Romans.

Throughout the year they nurture the Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay vines by hand to ensure they are healthy and produce delicious ripe grapes.

Pruning takes place in March to push the flowering back and therefore mitigate any frost damage in May. Tie down of the two fruiting canes takes place later in April and then they manage new shoots carefully to ensure good airflow through the canopy. The grass pathways are kept tidy by frequent mowing and under vine areas are kept low. All these measures help promote airflow to dry out the canopy and improve vine health. This reduces the need for unnecessary intervention.

The harvest generally takes place in late October to allow long, slow ripening of the grapes: this helps achieve a balance between natural sugars and fresh fruit flavours. Before the harvest any grapes that do not meet the quality standards are removed. Harvesting is all by hand and only whole bunches of the finest grapes are picked in 12 kg containers. This preserves bunch condition and avoids damage in transit. The grapes are taken to the winery within a few hours of picking and pressed on the same day for optimum freshness. Whole bunch pressing is the preferred method for creating the finest juice.

In centuries past, oak barrels were routinely used for flavour development to add a dash of spicy vanilla richness in Champagne. Later, stainless steel was adopted since it is chemically inert and convenient to use for wine making. In more recent times, there are a number of Grand Crus that favour the “Born in Oak” principle to enhance their Champagne. Traditionally, second use Burgundy barrels provided a gentle way of applying this principle, but Dryhill has pioneered the use of English oak from a Staffordshire forest, which has remarkable carbon capture credentials. At Norbury Park, Professor A.R. Bradwell has developed an estate to tackle climate change, which also grows some beautiful oak for crafting barrels for the Dryhill bubbly. To compliment the “Best of British” philosophy, Dryhill have partnered with Jensens of York and their team of coopers to create a genuinely British barrel. The Vineyard is following this heritage approach, in part to optimise the flavour profile and to add to the sustainability credentials, but also to celebrate the region of Gloucestershire, where in the 17th century the traditional fermentation method was pioneered. It is hoped their efforts will inspire other winemakers in England to explore this local initiative rather than importing barrels from overseas ...from little acorns mighty oak trees grow!

They have around 300 bottles remaining of this first release. Their Rosé is unusual, since it features their Champagne variety grapes and is a refreshing fruit forward Summer wine with a lower alcohol content than the big Provençal products.

To order Dryhill wines simply go to https://www.dryhillwine.co.uk/ If you wish to stay in the area, Dryhill has a range of luxury accommodation available for both weekends and weeks https://www.dryhillwine.co.uk/pages/where-to-stay