The Vineyard at Carden Park can produce up to 6,000 bottles of Carden 'Old Gold' sparkling wine each year, this year we were invited to join Carden Park in their annual harvest, although we were unable to attend we wanted to share the story of such a unique Cheshire attraction…
Local partners and clients of Carden Park Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa were invited to join in the vineyard harvest for the first time ever! During the day the carefully selected group became affectionately known as the ‘Friends of Carden’
A fun filled morning of refreshments was enjoyed before moving to help with picking grapes for the harvest. The onsite vineyard is 3 acres in size and is cared for all year round by Carden Park's Estates Team (thirsty work!).
Peter Pattenden provided a talk on the vineyard history, the harvest process and the work that is completed throughout the year by the estate team. Peter gave a demonstration on how to cut the vines correctly before the team started.
Due to the typical British weather there was a slight downpour which didn’t deter the team and everyone continued to pick grapes! The spirit of Carden Park definitely kept everyone going.
Grapes were picked by the ‘Friends of Carden’ for approximately one and half hours before some enjoyed the leisure facilities and others continued to pick grapes.
Granada Reports joined and filmed the harvest for a vineyard feature with Peter as the main star! Peter’s passion for the vineyard was clearly visible as he was interviewed. View here www.itv.com/news/granada/update/2013-11-13/cheshires-vineyard
‘Friends of Carden’ then enjoyed a lunch with a well earned glass of Carden Old Gold sparkling wine which was delicious.
Local partners and clients of Carden Park Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa were invited to join in the vineyard harvest for the first time ever! During the day the carefully selected group became affectionately known as the ‘Friends of Carden’
A fun filled morning of refreshments was enjoyed before moving to help with picking grapes for the harvest. The onsite vineyard is 3 acres in size and is cared for all year round by Carden Park's Estates Team (thirsty work!).
Peter Pattenden provided a talk on the vineyard history, the harvest process and the work that is completed throughout the year by the estate team. Peter gave a demonstration on how to cut the vines correctly before the team started.
Due to the typical British weather there was a slight downpour which didn’t deter the team and everyone continued to pick grapes! The spirit of Carden Park definitely kept everyone going.
Grapes were picked by the ‘Friends of Carden’ for approximately one and half hours before some enjoyed the leisure facilities and others continued to pick grapes.
Granada Reports joined and filmed the harvest for a vineyard feature with Peter as the main star! Peter’s passion for the vineyard was clearly visible as he was interviewed. View here www.itv.com/news/granada/update/2013-11-13/cheshires-vineyard
‘Friends of Carden’ then enjoyed a lunch with a well earned glass of Carden Old Gold sparkling wine which was delicious.
Facts on Carden Park's vineyard below:
• The onsite vineyard is 3 acres in size and is cared for all year round by our Estates Team.
• Throughout the year the vines are clipped and spaced to aid the ventilation when they start
to fruit with Seyval Blanc Grapes.
• Through May - September the grapes are left to grow and ripen. During this time it is vital the grapes have access to as much sun as possible as this will increase their sugar content and improve their flavour.
• In October the 4,000 vines are harvested. This can take up to 4 days and results in approximately 8 tonnes of grapes!
• Once harvested the grapes are sent to Halfpenny Green Vineyard to start the wine production process.
• At Halfpenny Green Vineyard the grapes are destalked, pressed and then the fermentation process begins using champagne yeast in a method called 'methode champagnois'.
• The wine is then bottled and ready for you to enjoy.
• The journey from Vineyard to wine bottle takes on average 18 months in total.
Follow Carden Park on Twitter @cardenpark
Carden Park's website http://www.cardenpark.co.uk/
see images of the day below