Denbies offers harvest grape picking experience

Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, Surrey, with 265 acres of vines, is the largest single estate vineyard in the UK. Denbies Vine & Dine Grape picking day is the only experience of its kind in the UK and since its introduction in 2006 has attracted visitors from all over the country.

Denbies ‘Vine and Dine’ allows the public first-hand experience in the workings of the vineyard and winery. The experience includes tuition in grape picking, harvesting the grapes, a traditional rustic vineyard workers lunch accompanied with Denbies wine, watching the picked grapes being pressed, and tasting the ‘must’ (grape juice). The day concludes with wine tasting in the Denbies cellars. All participants receive an estate grown vine to take away.

Harvest is the most significant time in the year of the vineyard. In the brief window of October the foundations are laid for the wine production of the coming year. Denbies produces in excess of 300,000 litres of grape juice a year, which is reflected in the energy, enthusiasm and celebration that surrounds the harvest. The event takes place on selected dates throughout the month of October.

Current reports from the vineyard are extremely positive. With no frost damage recorded during flowering, the fruit set is indicative of a high yield good quality harvest.

New for 2008 is Denbies Cheese & Wine Making Experience which includes a morning of cheese making at local dairy, Norbury Blue, combined with an afternoon spent in Denbies winery where Marcus Sharp, winemaker, will explain the technicalities of wine making and blending.

Denbies Wine Estate currently has a range of 12 wines and produces over 450,000 bottles of wine per annum. Denbies is the 2007/8 IWSC UK Wine Producer of the Year. Denbies is located in Dorking, Surrey with direct rail access from London Waterloo and Victoria mainline stations.

For further details on Denbies Wine Estate, visit Denbies.co.uk.