The History
In those day there were two vineyards near Framlingham. One was at Bruisyard, which has since folded and the other, in Framlingham, Shawsgate which is still going strong. I had visited both more than once and so knew it was possible to grow grapes locally.
In my eyes the New Road site was superior in most respects anyway. Even though sheds and greenhouses were not allowed and still aren't, the views of Framlingham College and the castle across the mere are spectacular. Not only that but the whole site is on a south facing slope and the steepest sloping plot was vacant. My land problem was solved.
By October 1993, I'd agreed with the man looking after the site that I could take on Plot 5b, what I now call the back half of the vineyard. The front half, Plot 5a was taken on by a woman intending a herb garden with some soft fruit bushes.
Money was tight so I sold my LP collection to my best friend to finance posts, wire, tree protectors, black plastic and 28 vines which I planted in March 1994. These vines can still be identified by the rows supported by the exceptionally stout posts and wires. I planted 16 x Madelaine Angevine, 4 x Bacchus, 2 x Triumphe d' Alsace, 2 x Gargarin Blue, 2 x Leon Millet and 2 x Schuyler. The white varieties were imported from Germany through an agent in Devon as recommended in Gillian Pearkes' book . These were grafted onto S04 rootstock. The red varieties came from a vine nursery on the Isle of Wight and are not grafted.
By Autumn 1994 I'd agreed to take on another plot and started preparing it, as well as, the existing plot for planting further vines. I was ready by the end of February 1995 when the woman who had planted herbs and soft fruit on Plot 5a offered to swap her unkempt holding for my prepared plot. I couldn't refuse as it was to my long term advantage to have a continuous plot. Thus March 1995 was a rush to prepare. I was fortunate that year in that I managed to acquire some stout willow branches the Council had trimmed from trees lining the car park for my office in Saxmundham. A friend was able to help me transport them with his works van. I used these for posts for the new plantings. So in 1995 I planted 25 x Kernling, 25 x Rosa Muskat (Schönburger), 20 x Madelaine Angevine, 10 x Bacchus, 8 x Triumphe d' Alsace, 2 x Leon Millet and 2 x Himrod Seedless. These vines were all from the same sources as the 1994 planting.
Gillian Pearkes had recommended planting the vines through black plastic and to use tree protectors. She also recommended an extensive fertilizer/fungicidal spray programme, as well use of herbicide for weed control. I followed all her recommendations to the best of my ability for the 3 years of the vines infancy.
October 1997 saw my first harvest and I produced 12 bottles of a field blend rosé wine, which although rather ordinary, felt like a true accomplishment.
October 1998 saw the second harvest and the first for the vines planted in 1995. Despite rigorously following a fungicidal spray programme, mildew destroyed a good part of the crop. I managed to produce 18 bottles of a field blend white. This wine won a 1st prize at the Framlingham Horticultural Society Spring Show in 1999.
By spring 1999, I fell into a rather serious depression, and by April I was no longer able to work. I became uncommunicative at best, subject to fits of a deep darkness. My wife moved out by summer unable to cope with my behaviour. (We were later divorced). Somehow, I was able to keep up with the vineyard but not the complete spray programme and mildew took a lot of the crop. Still, with the help of my friend Alan I managed to produce 12 bottles of a field blend rosé.
My depression continued into 2000 and although I paid rent of the plot, I don't think I even visited until October. Mildew had claimed the whole crop. I was retired from my job due to ill health and started to recover.
2001 saw me much improved although my father died in June and I spent a month in Las Vegas with my mother. The vines didn't get pruned. I'd met my current partner and beloved Jane just after my father's death. We'd noticed that there were actually quite a lot of grapes growing on the untrimmed vines, so that October we harvested and pressed 4 ½ gallons (potentially 25 bottles) of what would have been a dark rosé field blend. Unfortunately, we left the fermenter too close to a radiator and the young wine got cooked. That was however, my first hint that one could grow grapes in Britain without fungicide.
From 2001 harvest to autumn 2005, I've been going through the motions in the vineyard. Irregularly trimming the vines and mowing the grass. It just didn't feel right to use chemical fertilizers and fungicides. I concentrated mostly on developing my tarot career. I allowed brambles a foothold and they began to advance. The willow posts were rotting and I haphazardly kept them up. One row of vines fell down altogether. All the crops have been lost to mildew.
It was Jane who reawakened my enthusiasm for viticulture. In 2005, she started Pageant Wines Ltd. to sell organic and Biodynamic Wines. When I asked her about Biodynamic Wines she gave me Monty Waldin's book (ISBN 1-84000-964-0) to read. It was a revelation to me. It has certainly rekindled my interest and attention.
From autumn 2005, with Jane's help, the vineyard has been tidied. The brambles have been cleared and burned. Individual stakes for the vines have replaced the rotten and rotting willow posts. The old black plastic has been pulled out of the rows and the soil dug to allow in air and light. Plans are in progress to grow useful cover crops and to extend the vine plantings through cuttings. I've been creating and destroying vortices in buckets with my vine cane besom.
I know we're going to make some great wine in coming year.
Major Tom Schick in February 2006.