About Meopham Valley Vineyard
Pauline and David planted the vineyard in 1991 with the guidance of Gillian Pearkes and with the help of family and friends. Gillian was a renowned authority on "Winegrowing in Britain". She recommended that the vines to be planted should be a mixture of classical varieties and those varieties which would respond well if the English weather was less clement. This was visionary advice. Regrettably Gillian did not live to see or taste the fruits of her advice. In 2006 Pauline and David were joined by Janette Kelly who came to work part-time whilst completing her viticultural degree at Plumpton College. In 2007 Janette became a full-time member of the vineyard. Her worldwide hands-on knowledge of wine and vineyards together with her passionate interest in horticulture has taken the venture more forward than had been possible previously.
At Meopham Valley Vineyard the following vines are grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Madeleine Angevine, Reichensteiner, Triomphe and Leon Millot. No herbicides or pesticides are used at the vineyard.
Whether pesticide residues are contained in conventional wines is the subject of discussion. The Pesticides Action Network claims that it uncovered substantial evidence that wines on sale in the European Union may contain residues of a large number of pesticides. The Wine and Spirits Trade Association line on this issue, corroborated by Comité Vins, was that the presence of trace amounts of pesticide residues does not lead to a health risk from consuming wine...The debate continues.
Until 2007 the production of white, red, rosé and sparkling wines was carried out by Chapel Wines. In 2008 Dermot Sugrue, previously of Nyetimber Vineyard, agreed to take over the sparkling winemaking for Meopham. He is currently producing two 2008 Sparkling wines from the Chardonnay/Pinot Noir and Reichensteiner harvest and three 2009 Sparkling wines from the Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, Reichensteiner and Pinot Gris harvest. In addition still wines have been produced from the 2009 harvest - a Dry wine from the Madeleine Angevine harvest, a Rosé wine from the Reichensteiner and Triomphe harvest and a Medium Dry wine also from the Reichensteiner harvest.The still wines are now on sale. Discussion regarding the style of each wine takes place with the respective winemaker prior to bottling.
The wines are sold from the vineyard shop and from Farmers Markets.
David tries to make a point of welcoming customers visiting Meopham to ensure that their taste in wines is satisfied. "Taste Before You Buy" is the Meopham motto.
"We hope more people will come to Meopham to have a look around , have a good time and, hopefully, buy some wine."
At Meopham Valley Vineyard the following vines are grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Madeleine Angevine, Reichensteiner, Triomphe and Leon Millot. No herbicides or pesticides are used at the vineyard.
Whether pesticide residues are contained in conventional wines is the subject of discussion. The Pesticides Action Network claims that it uncovered substantial evidence that wines on sale in the European Union may contain residues of a large number of pesticides. The Wine and Spirits Trade Association line on this issue, corroborated by Comité Vins, was that the presence of trace amounts of pesticide residues does not lead to a health risk from consuming wine...The debate continues.
Until 2007 the production of white, red, rosé and sparkling wines was carried out by Chapel Wines. In 2008 Dermot Sugrue, previously of Nyetimber Vineyard, agreed to take over the sparkling winemaking for Meopham. He is currently producing two 2008 Sparkling wines from the Chardonnay/Pinot Noir and Reichensteiner harvest and three 2009 Sparkling wines from the Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, Reichensteiner and Pinot Gris harvest. In addition still wines have been produced from the 2009 harvest - a Dry wine from the Madeleine Angevine harvest, a Rosé wine from the Reichensteiner and Triomphe harvest and a Medium Dry wine also from the Reichensteiner harvest.The still wines are now on sale. Discussion regarding the style of each wine takes place with the respective winemaker prior to bottling.
The wines are sold from the vineyard shop and from Farmers Markets.
David tries to make a point of welcoming customers visiting Meopham to ensure that their taste in wines is satisfied. "Taste Before You Buy" is the Meopham motto.
"We hope more people will come to Meopham to have a look around , have a good time and, hopefully, buy some wine."
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