… a blog written by Buglife Space 4 Nature Conservation Officer, Louis Harrington-Edmans.
Wine from Surrey is gaining recognition on the international stage; with our free draining chalky soils similar to those found in the Champagne region. Surrey’s vineyards have garnered numerous awards, with the industry representing one of the fastest growing in the UK. In this blog we spotlight two vineyards that have adopted promoting biodiversity on their land, with two of Surrey’s leading wine producers now thinking about their place within the wider landscape by joining Buglife’s B-Lines initiative as part of the Space4Nature project.
B-Lines offer an imaginative and beautiful solution to the problem of declining flowers and pollinators. These B-Lines are a network of ‘insect pathways’ that traverse our countryside and towns, where we are restoring wildflower-rich habitat, creating stepping stones connecting existing wildlife areas. Vineyards are well-placed to support the delivery of B-Lines, as the grapevine’s love for chalky soils means they’re often establishing in Chalk Downlands – like Surrey’s North Downs Heritage Landscape. These downlands are home to much of what remains of Europe’s most biodiverse habitat – species-rich chalk grassland. Habitats supporting some of the rarest insects and plants in the UK.
While the movement of any industry into these areas can present a challenge for the wildlife that calls them home. The abundance of unutilised and undisturbed space on vineyards means they are well-suited, to support pollinators alongside production. With the rows between vines, margins, set aside meadows and visitor areas all providing opportunities to create or restore chalk grassland alongside viticulture.
Denbies Wine Estate
First planted in Dorking in 1986, Denbies Vineyard is one of England’s largest single estate vineyards. CEO Chris White has owned and operated the vineyard for the last 20 years.
“The commercial and environmental aspects of our business go hand in hand,” he says. “This year we were delighted to become the first vineyard and winery in the UK to achieve Net Zero status to the UK Carbon Code of Conduct standard (UKCCC).”
Denbies’ conservation projects include installing bat boxes and bird boxes, planting wildflowers and trees, digging scrapes for invertebrates and setting aside meadows to encourage biodiversity.
B-Lines in the Mole Gap
“We also recognise that we can’t operate alone,” explains Chris. “We work in harmony with our neighbours on wider environmental projects. In nature, pockets don’t thrive, but corridors do.” In February, Denbies helped bring this approach to life by hosting a workshop for fellow landowners and community groups in the Mole Gap to discuss Buglife’s B-Lines solution to the loss of flowers and pollinators.
Louis Harrington-Edmans, Space4Nature Conservation Officer for B-Lines explains: “We discussed everything from grassland restoration, to the dos and don’ts of tree planting.” More than 50 people attended, including representatives from Mole Valley District Council, Friends of Boxhill, Surrey Botanical Society, Headley Warren Nature Reserve, Inholm Claypit, Dorking Community Orchard, Westhumble Fields, Patchworking Garden Project, and Mickleham Church Fields eco group.
Louis says “We’re also now excited to be working with Denbies Wine Estate to restore new areas of chalk grassland, continuing the work we’ve being doing across the county to build Surrey’s B-Lines network. Delivering over two hectares of wildflower meadows by reintroducing traditional meadow management regimes, we’re hoping to improve the ability for our wild pollinators to move across the North Downs landscape. While the regular visitor footfall at Denbies Vineyard, means visitors from far and wide will get to see what chalk grassland restoration can do for wild pollinators first hand.”
For more information visit denbies.co.uk and buglife.org.uk/our-work/b-lines/
Albury Organic Vineyard
Nick Wenman first planted vines on the Albury Estate in 2009. He and his team are committed to organic and biodynamic principles, growing fruit without the use of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides, and producing high-quality rosé and sparkling wines.
“Sustainability is vital to what we do here, and we work closely with our partners and neighbours to promote biodiversity,” says Nick. “For example, Surrey Wildlife Trust helped us create a wildlife walk around the perimeter of our new vineyard, including species identification boards, bat and barn owl boxes, bug hotels, butterfly scrapes, an insect highways and wildflower meadows to attract pollinators.”
Mega-rows
Albury also encourages nature to flourish among the vines – to the benefit of both. Estate Manager Alex Valsecchi explains: “We’ve made every twelfth row of vines a ‘mega-row’ by planting a specially created wildflower seed mix. The resulting habitat encourages predatory insects that control parasites and pests.” The flower cover also encourages biodiversity at soil level, including bacteria, fungi and worms that act on the organic matter in the soil. Alex focuses on reducing tillage, or disturbing the soil, to encourage a network of mycorrhizal fungi to develop. These fungi grow in a mutually beneficial relationship with plant roots, taking sugars from them ‘in exchange’ for moisture and nutrients. They effectively act as extensions to the vine’s root system and seem to provide protection against root diseases.
B-Lines Wildlife Garden & Cycle of Life
Away from the vines, management work continues, not least in the vineyard’s wildlife garden; an ‘un-vined’ area where visitors can learn about the wildlife Albury Vineyard supports onsite.
Louis explains: “Albury Vineyard has managed this area with an annual cut-and-collect for several years in the hope this will allow chalk grassland wildflowers to reestablish and support native pollinators. Grass growth in this area has however remained dominant. So now Buglife is partnering with Albury as part of the Space4Nature project, to reintroduce an essential plant for species-rich grassland health – Yellow Rattle, also known as ‘the meadow maker’.”
This native wildflower parasitises grasses, stunting their growth and allowing space for other native wildflowers to grow. Helping to create diverse wildflower-rich grasslands capable of a diverse range of plants, invertebrates and other animals alike.
Speaking on creating space for wildlife alongside production Alex says: “We recently dug a pond and allowed it to fill naturally with rainwater. The invertebrates it attracts are eaten by larvae, birds, newts, frogs, and bats. In turn these provide food for Hedgehogs and rodents, which sustain other mammals and birds of prey. We’ve also planted Crab Apples and hedges to provide food and habitat for more species.
“It’s one big cycle of life. You might think of a vineyard as a monoculture, but we’re committed to bringing the balance back. Promoting biodiversity is another way of nurturing our wine.”
For more information, including opening hours for the wildlife walk, visit alburyvineyard.com
Main Image Credit: Denbies Vineyard ©️ Louis Harrington-Edmans
