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29th February sees the whole a'Beckett's team at the Wiltshire Business
of the Year Awards. We were finalists in the Small Business of the Year
Category and as Spike Milligan would say "we came second" to a firm of
estate agents.
Better luck next year we hope!
January 2008
a'Beckett's Vineyard is a finalist in the Wiltshire Business of the Year
Competition, results are due out on the 29th of February
October 2007
Wadworth select a'Beckett's Wines for its managed house and trade
customers as the only English Wine on its listings. Lynn and I are
delighted with the news that we can now buy our wine in our local! Our
Estate Red, Estate Blend and Sparkling 2005 have been listed.
July 2007
With the media interest in the weather we have had The Observer, The
Times, The BBC TV and Radio, the Western Daily Press and Associated
Press filming here. We have not had a bad flowering, many farmers have
seen their crops lost to disease or flooding, we are fortunate in that
our vineyard is in the rain shadow of Salisbury Plain and we have
excellent free draining soil so we will be looking forward to a harvest
this year.
June 2007
a'Beckett's Vineyard wines win 2 medals at the English and Welsh Wine of
the Year Competition 2007. Our Estate Rose wins Silver and our Estate
Red wins Bronze. Lynn Langham commented "this is great news for us and
confirms that our wines can really impress the judges". The competition
is held every year and is judged by 7 Masters of Wine.
April 2007
a'Beckett's Vineyard wins Gold at the Wessex Wine of the Year
Competition for its Estate Blend 2005 and Silver for the Estate Red 2005
January 20th 2007
Matthew Jukes writing in the Daily Mail weekend section recommends our
Estate Blend as one of "Ten of the Best" of English Wine!
Wine Plus On Trade Exhibition Kensington Olympia 17th and 18th January
We are to exhibit our wines at this key event and whilst at the show
Paul has ben asked to do two radio interviews for the BBC.
November 2006
The Green Dragon Market Lavington hosts "Ready Steady Cook" with the
show screened in the pub at 4.30pm on the 29th and serving the recipes
from the show. An excellent evening should be had by all
October 2006
Ready Steady Cook - Celebrating British Food Fortnight see Lynn and Paul
Langham battle it out on Ready Steady Cook 4pm 29th November 2006.
September 2006
We have been advised that Waitrose wish to stock our wines in 7 stores,
Bristol, Bath, Cirencester,
Marlborough, Andover,
Salisbury and Gillingham. We
are delighted and look forward to getting things going. Our 2005 Seyval
and Estate Blend will be featured in each store.
August 2006
We have been told that our 2005 white wines have been mentioned in the
Sunday Times by Jane MacQuitty, we are seeking confirmation of this.
28th August BBC Swindon and BBC Wiltshire Wine Tasting live on air
July 2006
Decanter Magazine featured our 2005 wines in their Summer Wines feature
follow this link for more details
http://www.decanter.com/recommendations/subrecommendation.php?rid=416&sid=1257
Devizes Gazette and Herald features us after winning 3 highly commened
awards at the Enlish and Welsh Wine of the Year Competition and also
mentions our Escape to the Country TV piece.
June 2006
The BBC come to film us as part of the Escape to the Country series, see
the results in October (I can't wait!)
Also in June our wines are recommended in Decanter Magazine follow this
link;
Click Here...
September 2005
BBC Wiltshire come to do an outside broadcast whilst we are picking,
presenter Ronnie Barbour presented his show from between the vine rows
for 3 hours.
July 2005
a'Beckett's Estate Blend 2004 wins a Highly Commended" at the English
and Welsh Wine of the year competition. The competition which is judged
to international standards featured over 200 wines that were tasted by a
panel of 6 masters of wine.
March 2005
Vineyard features in the West Country Life magazine of the Western Daily
Press
February 2005
Vineyard features in business pages of The Western Daily Press
November 2004
Vineyard features in Devizes Gazette and Herald after selling out of its
2003 vintage
Vineyard features in The Western Daily Press 19/11/04 pity about the
hideous picture of Paul.
September 2004
Vineyard featured on HTV News West evening and weekend bulletins
Vineyard featured on BBC Wiltshire feature on climate change
August 2004
Vineyard featured on BBC Radio Wiltshire
Vineyard featured in the Devizes Gazette and Herald
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/archive/2004/08/20/business_news20ZM.html
16th July 2004
Vintage 2003 Released
a'Beckett's first Vintage has been released for sale, please contact us
at
abeckettswine@aol.com for more details
or see the Home page for ordering details.
17th may 2004
Raise your Glass to Wessex Wines – They’re The “new” New World
English wine has come of age and the proof is in the many prestigious
awards being given to wine growers from the
Wessex region. To celebrate the success
of this new growth industry, members of the Wessex Vineyard Association
from Dorset, Hampshire, The Isle of Wight and Wiltshire, are opening
their doors during English Wine Week (29th May to 6th June), to promote
and encourage the wine drinking public to sample some of the excellent
vintage wines now entering the market place.
Although a relatively new concept, English Wine Week is viewed with much
enthusiasm by both customers and trade buyers. Paul Langham from
a’Beckett’s Vineyard in Wiltshire and a member of the 30-strong Wessex
Vineyard Association, said, “In this region we can really hold our heads
up now. English wine production has come of age and English producers
are now competing very successfully against some of the traditional
overseas markets and winning some very prestigious awards.”
Although the English climate is traditionally considered most suited to
producing white wines, the past few years have witnessed a growth in the
production of some very good full-bodied red wines. A major development
has also been the emergence of world-class sparkling wines that are
competing seriously with
Champagne. Indeed in two recent international
wine tastings, English Sparkling wine won the top award for best
sparkling wine, beating all the Champagnes that were entered!
It is even rumoured that four French Champagne houses are negotiating to
buy land between Kent and Hampshire where the soil is identical to
Champagne and the climate very similar.
John Youles of Bishops Waltham Vineyard and Chairman of the Wessex
Vineyard Association explains, “Our 2003 harvest was exceptional and
during English Wine Week we will have some fabulous 2003 vintage wines
available to taste.
“It is a very encouraging sign that so many new wine growers are setting
up in the region, it reflects well on all of us. We certainly have the
right climate, and growing conditions are very similar to northern
Germany. Wine growing also offers an interesting opportunity for
beleaguered farmers looking to diversify.”
But what about the price? This could be an area where English wine might
find it difficult to compete. But as Angela Channon of Wickham Vineyard
in Hampshire says, “English wine is considered expensive, but actually
at £5 to £10 a bottle, our prices compare very favourably to those of
other quality wines.”
Established in 1984, Wickham Vineyard is an outstanding example of the
professionalism now emerging amongst English wine growers. The business
has won many national and international awards and it produces an
impressive 30 – 50,000 bottles of wine a year depending on the harvest.
Another considerable achievement of this well-established business,
which produces five different wines, including dry and medium white, a
full-bodied red and a sparkling white, is that it provides valuable
employment opportunities for those living in the surrounding rural area.
The business has grown to such an extent that its wines can now be
purchased in a number of leading supermarkets and ‘own label’ wines are
supplied to well-known venues such as the House of Commons and HMS Ark
Royal.
The thirty members of the Wessex Vineyard Association are justifiably
proud of the recent achievements of all English wine growers, who
between them have planted approximately two thousand acres of vines.
With around 350 vineyards and fifty wineries producing two to three
million bottles of wine annually, this has indeed become a growth
sector, which demands to be taken seriously.
During English Wine Week, many members of the Wessex Vineyard
Association are open for visits or tours. It is advisable to ring in
advance to check opening times and availability.
Specific Activities organised during the week include:
Purbeck Vineyard – www.purbeckvineyard.co.uk
Valley Road, Harmans Cross, Corfe Castle, Dorset BH20 5HU. Telephone :
01929 481525
Open throughout English Wine Week, but phone for opening times.
a’Beckett’s Vineyard – www.abecketts.co.uk
a’Beckett’s Farm House, High Street, Littleton Panell, Devizes,
Wiltshire SN10 4EN. Telephone 01380 818153
Vineyard open day on Saturday 5th June. Open 10.30am to 4 pm
Wickham Vineyard – www.wickhamvineyard.co.uk
Botley Road, Shedfield, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 2HL. Telephone:
3rd June at 6.30pm. Guided Tour & Tutored Tasting at Wickham Vineyard.
£4.00 pp.
31st May to 4th June – Two for the price of one audio tours at Wickham
Vineyard during English Wine Week.
Open every day for audio tours and tastings throughout the year
END
For further information on the Wessex Vineyard Association, please
contact:
John Youles, Bishops Waltham Vineyard, TELEPHONE : 01489 896803 or,
Morag Walker, PRO, Wessex Vineyard Association. Telephone: 07736 124097
15th February 2004
Warmer Weather Fueling Expansion
A leading English Winemaking Company has signalled its confidence in the
future of English wine by looking for 500 acres of new vine plantings,
that's over 550,000 vines. This represents a real opportunity for
farmers seeking to diversify.
I am happy to put farmers interested in this oppotunity in touch with
the company if required.
11th January 2004
Britain Warms to a Wine Opportunity - Sunday Times
Great article outlining how global warming could present Britain as a
far more ideal location for growing wine than Southern Europe.
Available to read on www.thetimes.co.uk to subscribers.
25th April 2002
Growing Success
12 Months of Progress
Since planting their vineyard in April 2001 Paul and Lynn Langham have
overseen considerable progress at a’Beckett’s Vineyard.
After a vineyard blessing ceremony performed by 2 local ministers in
April 2001 over 5,000 vines were planted taking some 2 weeks to
complete. The vines quickly took root and some of them grew over 8 feet
in their first season. Paul Langham commented “the weather during 2001
was ideal for our young vines, with plenty of sun and rain and a long
autumn to help the new growth ripen”
2002 looks to be an exciting year, we have already completed the
installation of the vine trellising comprising over 1300 posts and 11km
of wire so we are ready for the growing season.
To cope with the workload we have recruited 2 part time workers to help
with pruning and vineyard maintenance, their involvement is essential to
ensuring we have the vines in top condition for grape production.
We have also been supported by our local MP and Business Link as we seek
to grow our business and their assistance has been much appreciated.
During 2002 we will be finalising our plans for our winery and hope that
this year will see a small crop allowing the production of the first
vintage at a’Beckett’s
English Wine Week 1st June to 9th June
In support of this national event organised by English Wine Producers (www.englishwineproducers.com)
a’Beckett’s Vineyard will be open on Saturday the 8th June between 10am
and 3pm for visitors to come and view the development of the vineyard
and walk around the 21 acre site. Many vineyards across the country will
be holding events to focus attention on English Wine giving you an
insight into the industry and the chance to sample fine English and
Welsh wine please look out for details.
Ends
Recent Press Coverage
August 2001
Kennet District Council Business News
Again featured in their August edietion of the newsletter, would have
been nice if they had asked us for a comment or two!
July 2001 Business Link News
It's front page news for a'Beckett's with prime location given to the
vineyard blessing ceremony, this was sent to all businesses in the
Wiltshire and Berkshire area.
2nd June 2001 The Times by Fran Littlewood
Paul Langham, an IT specialist, and his wife Lynn hope that they will be
able to cash in on similar rural funding, after their decision to set up
a 20- acre vineyard, a’Beckett’s, on the site of a disused fruit farm in
Wiltshire. The up-front investment is significant, and the payback will
be slow.
The couple turned to their local Business Link for information about
available grants and could raise up to 40 per cent of the costs of
planting and continuing support. Mr Langham estimates that the final
bill will reach £140,000, and the first grapes will not be harvested
until September 2003. He says: “It’s a long-term project; tenacity is
required.”
23rd April 2001
Two Vicars Bless the Success of 5,100 New Vines
In a symbolic ceremony reminiscent of ancient traditions set down in
France and Germany, two local vicars will be blessing the planting of
5,100 northern European grape vines, on a former fruit farm at Littleton
Pannell near Devizes on 23rd April – St George’s Day.
This new enterprise, a dream come true for Paul Langham, is the
forerunner of a scheme that promises to breathe new life into this rural
area through increased employment opportunities, once the vineyard goes
into full production.
Paul Langham, an IT specialist and his wife Lynn, have long held the
ambition to grow their own vines and establish a winery. When the
20-acre ‘a Beckett’s Fruit Farm’ came onto the market, their dreams
suddenly turned into reality and a promising new career change beckoned.
Although very much a dream, Paul and Lynn’s feet are firmly planted on
the ground. They have employed the services of a specialist German wine
Consultant to advise on all the technical aspects of successfully
harvesting and growing grape vines. They have also been acting on the
advice of Brian Steel, Rural Business Adviser with Business Link
Berkshire and Wiltshire, who has been able to provide guidance and
assistance on managing diversification schemes.
Brian Steel said, “The current crisis in farming is making rural
communities think more about diversification schemes and long term
projects. Through a recently announced new initiative, which aims to
improve the prosperity of declining rural communities in Wiltshire,
Business Link can offer a wide range of advice and assistance to help
new rural projects succeed, and I foresee that a’ Beckett’s Vineyard has
a very promising future ahead.”
With the rise in global temperatures, Britain is experiencing a new
growth industry in wine production. Over 400 vineyards are now well
established in the UK with over ½ million bottles of wine being produced
on English soil.
The blessing of ‘a Beckett’s Vineyard’, by two local vicars is just the
start of an enterprising project, which has a prosperous and exciting
future. Local people have greeted this new initiative with huge
enthusiasm and have many have even offered to help with the planting of
the 5,100 vines – A job, which Paul anticipates, will take them about a
week.
Paul Said; “Having the vines blessed by our local Ministers is symbolic
of fruitfulness, growth and productivity. The vines will suit our
climate conditions very well as they come from Northern France and
Germany, where conditions are very similar to our own. With the
varieties of grape that we are using, we intend to produce red, white
and sparkling wine. In the meantime, we will be watching and tending our
vines and look forward to being blessed with success when our first
bottle is popped in 2003.”
END
For further information, please contact:
Jo Minnaar, Marketing Manager, Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire
Telephone : 01793 428313
Morag Walker, Press Adviser, Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire
Telephone: 01722 331921
Paul Langham
a’Beckett’s Vineyard Ltd |
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