Hellingly and Horsebridge

HELLINGLY HOUNDDOGS: It’s not long till Hellingly HoundDogs Youth American Football Club start in the 2018/19 season. Training starts in September for children aged between 7 and 18 years. Now is the perfect time to become the latest recruit to Sussex’s only youth dedicated football clubs. The sport is open to both girls and boys and is inclusive no matter of your size or fitness levels. We also welcome players of any experience. All you need in an aptitude to learn and desire to play. For more details please contact us through Social Media or email us on [email protected].

A VINEYARD: Kristina Studzinski reports: Vintage 2018 looking promising. Summer is an exciting and busy time in the vineyard. The vines grow rapidly and it becomes clear how much fruit there is likely to be at harvest which is usually between late September and mid-October. The recent warm weather during May and June has been ideal for flowering. At flowering the vines pop their caps and self-pollinate to begin the process of berry formation. Temperatures have been well above average and the vines have flowered about a week ahead of what is usual. There is still a way to go but this means it should be a bumper year in terms of quality of fruit and quantity. In fact, we may even need to green harvest a process by which the number of potential bunches of grapes is removed. This is done to ensure that the fruit is of the highest quality achievable. Over the coming summer months, the main vineyard task is canopy management. This involves keeping the vines tucked in between the trellising wires and removing excess shoots and leaves. Good canopy management ensures that the vines remain healthy and gain maximum exposure to the sun. This is all done by hand. To help us we have two students who are studying at Plumpton College and we also rely, occasionally, on contract labour. If you have spare time and would like to volunteer to help, do please get in touch. A degree of physical fitness is required and a love of being outside on a summer day moving amongst the vines. You can also pop in to see us on Saturdays and Sundays as our cellar door is open from 11am to 4pm weekends. You can taste our wines which are all available to purchase.

We are pleased to have had more competition successes. Building on the success of our Hip rosé in the inaugural UK Wine Awards in 2017 this rosé made from Pinot noir has recently won a bronze medal in the 2018 Global Rosé masters. Although we have always believed that our Hip rosé rates highly amongst the best in the world, winning this award with competition coming from the best Chateau in Provence and Europe is further proof of quality. And let’s not forget our rosé blends, the Dog rosé and the Dancing Dog rosé. Both have achieved Bronze medals in the Wine GB awards 2018 (formerly the UKWine Awards). This is particularly pleasing as we love working with disease resistant grapes that we know can compete with other better known varieties like Pinot noir. Feedback that we get from consumers confirms this. We are really excited about our next wines and considering options including the possibility of making a quality red. It looks like 2018 could be the year for that if this good weather continues. Off the Line Vineyard trades as a partnership. Kristina Studzinski and Ann-Marie Tynan are the partners at Off the Line Vineyard, North Street, T:01435 812661 M:07894541964 or visit www.offthelinevineyard.com.