Raising a glass to nature this Earth Day

…the all important ingredient at the heart of every bottle of Nyetimber

Nyetimber’s vision is to make the best sparkling wines in the world and central to that is our commitment to nature, sustainability and biodiversity.

From the plants and animals that exist alongside our vines to the materials and energy expended in creating the finished products, Nyetimber takes a 360 degree approach to acting responsibly towards the land, resources and carbon footprint involved in bringing the wine from the ground to the glass.

The theme for Earth Day this year is Restore the Earth, so inspired by this, we wanted to share just a few of the ways in which we are helping to maintain and renew our native flora and fauna across our eleven vineyards that cover 327 hectares across West Sussex, Hampshire and Kent.

• Over 1/3 of the Nyetimber Estate is dedicated to natural ‘non-productive’ habitats. These include native broadleaved woodlands, managed and replanted, as well as wildflower meadows, gardens, ponds, windbreaks and hedgerows that provide food and nesting for birds & insects.

• To maintain a wildlife-friendly estate, we make use of further initiatives such as the use of managed corridors that give larger animals access across the land.

• In 2020, 2,300 trees were planted across our land. We have over 3,000 trees scheduled to be planted in 2021.

• We have a low input philosophy where natural methods often come first. For example, the mowing schedule for the cover crops between the rows of vines is wildlife friendly and sheep are used instead of tractor-pulled mowers in winter. Their droppings make a small but useful contribution to soil nutrients and the reduced tractor use helps minimise soil compaction.

• The pruning waste and spent grape skins from winemaking are composted and returned to the vineyards as a natural fertiliser

Learn more about our further commitment to a sustainable future and how we are putting this into practice