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English wine: Bad harvests put London vineyard at risk of closure

Miles Willis Woman with bucket walking between vinesMiles Willis
Forty Hall Community Vineyard relies on a dedicated team of volunteers

A wine-maker which claims to be London's only commercial vineyard is at risk of closure after three years of bad harvests.

Forty Hall Community Vineyard in Enfield, north London, said it urgently needed £85,000 by the end of May to protect its vines from disease.

It warned that another poor harvest would signify the end of the business.

The social enterprise is trying to raise funds to purchase a tractor and a new spraying system to help its work.

Founded in 2009, Forty Hall Community Vineyard relies on a team of more than 100 volunteers and uses its income to maintain the vines, while also delivering health and wellbeing activities.

Pablo Antolí Man holding grapesPablo Antolí
The vineyard is currently working with the local Ukrainian refugee women's support group

The 10-acre site claims to be London's only commercial scale vineyard "since the Middle Ages" and is part of the wider Forty Hall farm, an organic farm run by Capel Manor College - London's specialist agricultural college.

Over the last three years, grape yields at the site have been ravaged by bad weather and powdery mildew, a fungal disease that destroys fruit, according to the firm.

Sales, visits and tasting sessions have also been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Head of operations, Emma Lundie, said "this year really is make or break for us".

The vineyard has issued an urgent online appeal to raise funds in an effort to ensure this year's harvest is financially viable.

Felicity Crawshaw Sheep in vinesFelicity Crawshaw
Sheep are introduced to the site over winter to fertilise the soil and keep the grass down

It is hoping to make £85,000 to help purchase, among other things, a vineyard tractor and spraying system to help protect its vines from disease.

One volunteer, Karen Cunningham, said the vineyard was more than a place of work and it would be "such a loss" if it disappeared.

"It helps with personal challenges like loneliness, depression, bereavement and anxiety," she said.

Forty Hall's wines have also won notable plaudits, including from wine writer Oz Clarke who in 2020 described its produce as a "fabulous creamy, bright sparkler", while also praising the "ecotherapy" work of the vineyard.

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