OUR meeting on Saturday, April 16 was a very interesting presentation on Rosebank Vineyard by Richard Thomkinson, an illustrated talk on his award winning vineyard at Fernhill Heath.

He described how he and his wife, Rita , had set up and developed the vineyard after becoming the owners of 2.5 acres of agricultural land at the bottom of their garden in 2003. The land was on a south facing slope and after research it was deemed an ideal site for a vineyard. That year they planted 50 vines to see if this was in fact true. Richard attended the very detailed Principles of Vinegrowing course at Plumpton College, which enabled him to make informed choices when decisions were required in expanding the vineyard. He entertained us with plenty of examples relating to all aspects of planting and managing grapevines, to show the whole cycle of growth, from pruning to the correctly timed harvesting of the grapes. He then explained how their grapes then become wine. He emphasised the importance of his volunteer pickers in ensuring a successful harvest. Some of the audience were already familiar with the excellent Rose Bank wine.

On Saturday, May 21we will be holding our annual Gardeners’ Market and café from 11am -1 pm at Powick Village Hall. This will be open to everyone with good parking facilities.

LORNA WINSTONE