Carden Park Hotel vineyard set for highest yield in two years

The vineyard at Carden Park Hotel in Cheshire is on track to achieve its highest yield in two years.

The facility, spread over a 1,000-acre estate near Chester, is set to yield around six tonnes of grapes, enough to produce up to 6,000 bottles of wine.

Peter Pattenden, Carden Park’s estates manager, said: “It has taken the commitment and dedication of the Carden Park team to get the vineyard back to its former glory and we feel we are really there now, with six tonnes harvested in total over two days.

“It is fantastic for us to be able to produce such a high grade of grapes in the heart of Cheshire.”

He added: “We want visitors to the hotel to enjoy the real fruits of our labour by toasting with a glass of the good stuff.”

The site is one of the most northerly commercial vineyards in Europe, according to the hotel.

Originally planted in 1988, the vineyard ceased production in 2000 but was revived when the hotel was scooped up by property entrepreneur Steve Morgan in 2006.

After grapes from more than 4,000 vines are picked by a team of 20, the harvest is pressed by Staffordshire-based Halfpenny Green Vineyards and then bottled the following spring.