January was definitely spent in the pink and anything but blue at Oastbrook – the team was incredibly proud that John Mobbs chose new vintage Oastbrook Rosé 2015 as the ‘outrageously delicious’ wine of the month on the Great British Wine site.
Despite a big chill in Robertsbridge, Oastbrook’s team leader and founder America Brewer is already dreaming of warmer days ahead. Forget spring cleaning – there is no time like the present to get tidying up!
Sustainable systems are high on the agenda at Oastbrook – this means operating an integrated vineyard management system. All of this involves careful monitoring and experimentation to see what best benefits the vines.
America invited agronomist Julian from Agrii to spend a day exploring the vineyard together to make a spray programme, check up on the vines and measure the water table.
The visitors keep on coming at this time of year. America welcomed a group of foodies and tour guides to make plans for the year ahead. Nathan from Wine Pantry, London’s original exclusively English wine merchant, Will from Cycle The Vineyards, the first company taking groups on guided cycling wine holidays, and Danny from Great British Wine Tours, which operates brilliant vineyard and cheese tours, all spent an afternoon discovering Oastbrook, learning about Sussex wines and celebrating the beautiful English countryside.
There are more busy days ahead as America plans to direct a brilliant pruning team with the help of her friend Alex. Instead of pruning throughout the year, America oversees this analysis over two days in late February to find out how Oastbrook’s vines are progressing. Her essential kit includes a trusty notebook, essential secateurs and of course, Lora the vineyard dog by her side.
Next up the team is toasting that Oastbrook Pinot Gris 2018 is one of March’s most exciting and accessible wines under £25 according to Decanter magazine. There is no need to wait until spring to enjoy premium white wines!
Everything at Oastbrook is buzzing to get ready to welcome visitors in the coming months – tours start again in early April. Meanwhile, please continue to tweet, like or post using #oastbrookestate and #sussexvineyardretreat on Oastbrook’s social channels (we’re on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!) and share your own experience of Sussex wine country.
Watch this space for a happy reveal – America will soon be offering wine and dine experiences with a local Michelin chef from The Small Holding. More details to follow, do make sure you’re on our mailing list to be the first to hear of how you can join in with Oastbrook events…