The Vineyard

Wagtail Retreat is a 20 acre, family owned, working vineyard.  James moved into the property 25 years ago and he and the family built the lake, landscaped the grounds and planted the vines six years ago.  They have been working with Halfpenny Green, an award-winning, family run wine producer to develop their first vintages - all of which have been lovingly grown.

They grow four different grape varieties at Wagtail Retreat – Solaris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Precoce and Siegrrebe. If you stay at the vineyard, you will be able to see how they nurture and grow the vines throughout the year. From February/March, the vines are pruned so that hopefully after the last frosts, they are beginning to bud. From May, James starts to remove all unwanted shoots and throughout the summer the family are busy weeding and maintaining the plants and fruit to help them grow and flourish. In July, any vines that are topping out over the support trellis are trimmed and in August leaves are removed to help the fruit ripen. Harvesting takes place anytime between late September and October, depending on the weather and the vines are then left to lie dormant over the winter.