Carr Taylor Vineyard Visit
Sat, May 3rd 2025 at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Bexhill Rotarians have a fine time tasting the fruit of the vine
A select number of Rotarians and partners thoroughly enjoyed a tour at the Carr Taylor Vineyard on Saturday 3rd May.
Our Tour Guide, Malcolm, was a fund of knowledge. Touching on the history he mentioned how David & Linda Carr Taylor were inspired to risk planning the second family owned vineyard in East Sussex back in 1971 – second only to Biddenden in 1969. David, an engineer, was on business in Geneva when he came across vineyards in the locality and decided it was worth a try in East Sussex.
Malcolm explained about the many challenges in achieving a successful harvest not least the weather. In spring if winds blow the blossoms away prematurely that means less pollination for the vines to grow. Then you depend on the weather not being too hot or too cold or too wet in order to ensure the right balance in sugar and acidity levels when the grapes are picked. The last 6 weeks in late summer and early autumn are critical.
He mentioned other potential hazards - Botrytis for one. The air borne spores of fungi can cause havoc. So Copper sulphate is sprayed over the vineyards at great expense. The oak trees at Carr Taylors are the canary birds for indicating the presence of botrytis.
The vineyards at Carr Taylor have in part a unique feature in their layout namely what David designed and named as the Geneva Double Curtain method. It may be the only one in Europe. There are only 500 vines planted per acre instead of the usual number of 1,000. However, there is far less labour in picking the grapes from waist high level (left and right) and more space for pollination.
Onto the wine tasting after the Tour. We enjoyed sampling 1066; Rosé and Ortega, Brut Sparkling; Rosé Sparkling; Demi-Sec Sparkling and then a buffet lunch. Drivers were sober enough to go home with their passengers.
Great thanks to Rodney Gadstone for organising the trip.
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