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What the Romans started.....
the Saxons continued.....
the Normans improved.....
and We revived.
Chilford gets its name from the main or royal ford ('Childe'ford) of the River Granta where Jurors of the Hundred met for the last time in 1086.
The vineyard is situated on a south-west-facing slope, which ensures the vines maximum sunshine during the summer. The present area is 18 acres on free-draining soils. The first vines were planted in 1972 and the current 18 acres are trained in a wide-row-spaced and tall-trellised system, giving a larger leaf area, thus providing for a greater ability to catch the sunlight and intensify the sweetness of the grapes. It also allows the roots to spread wider, giving each vine more soil space. This helps to prevent disease by allowing a good air flow through the row and around the vine itself. By taking care we can avoid using insecticides; our ladybird population keeps the insects in check. However, we do use some herbicides and a tractor-mounted hoe to keep the weeds at bay under the vines. Fungicides must always be used, although we avoid excessive spraying and vary our spray programme to suit the conditions of the year.
We grow Müller-Thurgau, Ortega, Schönburger, Reichensteiner and Siegerrebe vines for a mix of good cropping and intense flavours. They also crop early so that we may pick before autumn sets in. During 2006, the vineyard planted red grape varieties Rondo, Regent and the more familiar Pinot Noir.
For many years, the winemaker at Chilford has been Chris Durrant, ably assisted by Mark Barnes. Now, Chris has handed over the winemaker role to Mark.
To ensure the highest quality all processes - pressing, fermentation, blending and bottling - take place on the estate, ensuring that quality remains a priority.
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