With 2023 just around the corner, what better time to reflect on the year almost passed? 2022 has been a challenging year for many of us, but we’ve kept ourselves busy and tried to stay on top of things with a healthy dose of optimism.
This year has presented us the opportunity to reconnect with our customers and even welcome new wines, events and faces to Penn Croft. We’re hard pushed to pick a favourite moment, as there have’s been so many. So let’s take a look at some of the highlights of our year.
Opening the Cellar Door (literally!)
Our Cellar Door, a wine bar, a shop and a tasting room, brought some brilliance to our summer, with many sun-drenched patrons visiting us for tours and tasting.
We’re hoping to re-open the Cellar Door in a more permanent home during 2023. Sign up to our newsletter for updates.
Winning big at the 2022 WineGB Awards
We were absolutely thrilled to bring home not one, not two, but three trophies from 2022’s WineGB Awards. We were recognised for our triumphant trio of still white, which included our unforgettable 2021 Bacchus, our 2020 Pinot Blanc, and our 2021 Sauvignon Blanc.
WineGB is the national association for grape growers and winemakers in England and Wales, and they’re on a heady mission to establish Great Britain as a wine region amongst the best in the world.
On the judging panel were none other than Susie Barrie MW and the truly wonderful Oz Clarke OBE, as well as many other respected experts and connoisseurs.
Six months on and we’re still buzzing!
Driving our sustainable values at our September event
In early September, we held our regenerative vineyard event, where 90 guests joined us to learn about viticultural sustainability where we discussed the principles behind regenerative farming, and the many techniques that make for a more sustainable vineyard, including weed control, cover cropping, soil balancing, and even animal grazing.
But this was more than just a show and tell. The afternoon saw attendees take part in four practical workshops to learn techniques for understanding soil health, and an insight into nutrient and microbiological analysis.
We hope to host more events like this next year, so keep a close eye on our social channels, or sign up to our newsletter.
A promising yield, despite the great ball in the sky
2022 saw a scorcher of a summer season, but that didn’t deter our grapes and our staff from making this year a good one. Our vintage showed promise for still and sparkling wines, and upon careful analysis (read: a glass or two), provided concentration of ripe and fruity flavours with a fresh acidity.
With just 10% of the expected rainfall during the hotter months, we must admit, we gave ourselves (and others) an almighty pat on the back for achieving what we did.
Get an insight into summer days at Penn Croft.
Read more about this year’s harvest.
Welcome to the team, Sam
We also welcomed a new face to the Penn Croft family. Sam Kozlowski joined the winemaking team as an Assistant Winemaker. As a recent MSc graduate in Viticulture and Enology from Hochschule Geisenheim and Montpellier SupAgro, we are excited to have Sam on board. What a great addition to the team!
A festive ‘cheers’ from us to you
So, that’s 2022. It’s been quite the ride, but we’re looking forward to some downtime with our loved ones over the festive period. Which means all that remains to be said is a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from us to you.
See you in 2023.
Cheers.
