Bolney opens new state-of-the-art winery

By Lisa Riley

Published: 09 September, 2019

Bolney Wine Estate has opened its new winery which forms part of its target to increase production by 170% within the next three years.

The Sussex-based producer said approximately 270 tonnes of grapes will be processed through the new winery during this harvest, with a total of 300,000 bottles of premium sparkling and still wine poised to be produced by Bolney by 2022 in the new winery.

Partly financed by a grant from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the new winery has the potential to produce 500,000 bottles of wine.

Built in time for the 2019 harvest, the new winery is one part of an ambitious expansion plan led by MD and head winemaker of Bolney, Sam Linter, who said the September opening of the new winery had been “strategically timed with the autumn harvest”.

It also closely follows Bolney’s merger with neighbouring vineyard, Pookchurch earlier this year.

“The opening of our new winery is perfectly timed to ensure that we can process more of our grapes than ever before and as efficiently as possible. This is especially important following our merger with Pookchurch vineyard in January which saw us form a 104-acre estate, which will see us produce 300 tonnes of grapes annually,’ said Lintner.

To effectively increase Bolney’s production, the new winery harnesses new technologies and equipment as well as being equipped with an additional new wine press to improve the effectiveness and speed at which it processes grapes.

In a move to further strengthen its sustainable practices, Bolney has also installed solar panels on its new winery and across its main building, cafe and office - helping to reduce its reliance on the national grid by 30%.

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