Roebuck Estates Launches Its ‘Viticulture Academy’

By James Bayley

Published: 27 March, 2023

Sussex’s Roebuck Estates, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, has launched its Roebuck Viticulture Academy, a three-day vineyard training programme available exclusively to its trade partners.

Established in 2013, the multi-site vineyard owner released its first sparkling wine in 2019, crafted from its estate-grown fruit. Roebuck owns and manages 60 ha of vineyards throughout Sussex and Kent, and is now offering partners the chance to gain hands-on experience at the most important stages of the viticultural calendar.

Head viticulturalist Jake Wicks and his vineyard team have devised a programme consisting of three one-day workshops focusing on the technical aspects of pruning, canopy management, grape berry analysis and harvesting.

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Michael Kennedy, CEO at Roebuck Estates, said, “We believe the quality of the wine in your glass starts with viticulture and for the past decade we have invested heavily in our vineyards, ensuring that we have established the finest sites which are producing the very best fruit for our vintage sparkling wines. We are also incredibly fortunate to have a vineyard team made up of highly qualified viticulturalists who have worked all over the world.

“By sharing our expertise, we aim to provide our partners with an in-depth insight into the skill, craftsmanship and technical knowledge needed to produce wonderfully individual sparkling wines, every single year,” Kennedy added.

Roebuck’s head of viticulture, Jake Wicks, will lead the Academy, covering class-based theory sessions plus practical experience working with the Roebuck team in its vineyards close to Petworth in West Sussex.

Wicks said: “Our Viticulture Academy got off to a fantastic start last week. The pruning workshop was attended by a very talented group of sommeliers from some of the finest restaurants and hotels in the country including Bacchanalia, Mandarin Oriental and Noble Rot.

“The course’s aim is to rapidly accelerate their knowledge of viticulture in the UK, allocating them their own Pinot Noir vines to nurture and follow throughout the 2023 growing season. Our next workshop in July will focus on canopy management techniques, looking at how we improve grapevine balance and optimise fruit quality. And then… harvest!”

For more information about the Roebuck Viticulture Academy, contact marketing manager Danielle Whitehead - danielle@roebuckestates.co.uk.

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