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Ham Street Wines |
< Ham Street Wines
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Menu
Ham Street Wines |
The Vineyard was established in 2019 and certified organic following regenerative and biodynamic principles. We are situated just outside the village of Hamstreet in Kent, in the heart of a real hot spot for quality English wine. In 2019 we planted over 16,000 vines across 10 acres with a mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Bacchus and Pinot Gris vines, took our first harvest in 2021 and released our first wines in 2022
To make an exceptional wine you need exceptional fruit. To grow that we need to encourage our vines to produce grapes of exceptional ripeness and quality, grapes which are a true expression of our vineyard and vintage. That's why we are certified organic, converting to be biodynamic and follow regenerative agriculture practices in managing our vineyard.
Our wines are natural, meaning we don't add anything to the end product either ! At the heart of the vineyard is a healthy soil, which is teeming with a complex array of life is our goal. We need to build up the quality of our soil, reduce chemical inputs to an absolute minimum and bring life into our vineyard. When we get the conditions right an ecosystem can flourish below ground and above it.
Our wines are all grown in small batches, natural wines made from our own grapes, crafted to show off the best of that particular vintage with minimal additions and interventions in the winery. That means our wines will be different year on year, and some styles may only appear intermittently as we follow what nature gives us.
The 2023 season is over. We picked around 15 tonnes, our biggest harvest yet! The season started well with a reasonable winter, and no spring frosts to speak of. May and June were amazing with sunny hot weather at just the right time for flowering. A little rain meant the vines grew vigorously making it a lot of work to manage the canopy, and get everything tucked neatly into their wires. The season then tailed off quickly with a cool wet July and August slowing growth. In September we had a mini heatwave helping the vines and our newly planted cover crop ripen nicely. The warm nights meant that acidity in the vines dropped rapidly, whilst sugars were slower to build. This put us in a position of picking grapes earlier than we would have liked. Overall the fruit we did pick was fresh, ripe and there was plenty of it but the season highlighted we are on the edge of the wine-making world, at the boundary of what is possible.
We are looking to produce a 2023 'Pet Nat' and 'Field' blend again, alongside a range of white cuvees, carbonic Chardonnay and a carbonic Meunier. We have also attempted another sparkling wine this year made entirely from Pinot Meunier.
Following the oldest traditions our grapes are pressed first by feet, then by our basket press. This style of press filters the juice beautifully, giving amazingly clean wine. They are now bubbling away with many beginning their slumber over the cold dark winter months. They will evolve into a range of different wines over the coming years, which we will have the joy of piecing together. Make sure you check in for updates and on our social media channels, to hear more on our approach.
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