Binfield Vineyard

Wines from Binfield, Wokingham, England

Binfield Vineyard, owned by John and Annette Hickey, is located on an ancient trackway that cuts across the back of Wokingham en route through the old forests towards Ascot.

The 5 acre vineyard was planted by hand in 1992 and the vines are a mix of Pinot Noir, Schreube, Chardonnay and Bacchus grape varieties which were chosen for their compatibility with making sparkling wine – which was where John and Annette felt that the future lay for English wine.

Owing to the use of low a maintenance high trellis system no grapes were produced for the first five years as it took time for the vines to become established, but it was worth the wait as this system alleviated the loss of crop from frost damage and provides a nice clean canopy. The vineyard is grown on Bagshot loam soil which is one of the factors that gives the wine its unique flavour.

The ultimate goal for the Hickey’s is to produce the best quality wines possible to convince the sceptics that English wine is a force to be reckoned with and can compete in the international arena with some of the best wines in the world.

Once the grapes are ripe and ready for harvesting they are handpicked and taken to the local Stanlake Park Wine Estate where the winemaker, Vince Gower, creates the delicious Binfield Vineyard wines.

The Wine

Binfield Brut This quality English sparkling wine has been made from Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc and Reichesteiner. After the grapes were pressed the resultant juice was blended with reserve wine from previous vintages, before bottling. The wine was then aged on its lees for a minimum of 12 months before disgorging in accordance with the traditional method. A crisp, dry and refreshing sparkling wine that displays yeasty character on the nose and palate which typifies bottle fermented wines.