The incredible business behind the hedgerows in Waters Upton
You never know what is behind the next hedgerow in Telford and if you venture over to Waters Upton, you might spot something you would normally see in Tuscany or the Loire Valley. We took a trip to talk to owner Kate Greenow about her passion, the process of winegrowing, and how her journey from beautician to wine-grower began.
Purchasing the farm in 2016, Rob had a background in farming, and although Kate would lay claim to be a ‘country gal’ at heart, graduated with a Business and Entrepreneurship degree and was a beautician before getting stuck-in to tractor driving and fixing farm machinery.
Growing Maize and Lucerne, a crop suitable for animal feed, is traditional arable farm activity, but in 2020 when Kate’s mum, Joan, suggested planting a vineyard due to the passion the couple share for wine, the touchpaper was lit.
By 2021 the first field was planted with Pinot Noir and Bacchus variety vines and the next chapter of the farm began. The vineyard has used every modern amenity to get the best possible crop from the gentle slopes of the Waters Upton farm. From laser-guided planting on vines, to the only UV-booster in the UK. It gives the grapes a helping hand where they might be slightly shaded under leaves, the determination of Kate and Rob to make great wines is apparent.
The grapes do not resemble the kind you find for eating. Kate says “Wine grapes are smaller and do not taste like you would expect, although towards the end of the growing season, the sugar levels rise and are a little more palatable.”
It’s a carefully considered, and considerate crop. Leaving wild plants to grow between the rows as a cover to retain moisture, busy beehives in the hedgerow, and insecticide-free, the environment is high on the agenda. Kate says “Nothing from the farm goes to land fill. We recycle the clippings from pruning the vines into fuel for pizza ovens, and other waste ends up in an Anaerobic Digester near Newport that converts organic waste into electricity.” Furthermore, the waste from that, the digestate, serves as a rich nutrient for improving soil health.
The production has been ramping up. 4,500 certified sustainable bottles of still wine last year, with 50,000 planned eventually, even the labels on all Veenow wine bottles are made from cotton reducing the use of plastic and harmful substances creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly product.
Not content with having a 40 acre vineyard comprising over 50,000 vines, there is also a large livery yard with almost 50 horses creating a sense of community with riders, who can hack about the vines, and around the fields.
There is not much spare time for Rob & Kate, and daughter Florence, who, although only 3, is very much involved with what Mum and Dad do on the farm, asking questions and introducing vines to the school she attends.
That said, the next project is just weeks away. Plans have been put in place for a mobile bar on site, Thursdays to Saturdays including a tour of the vineyard itself, tastings and charcuterie boards all of which will be bookable online.
The stigma of English wine being of poor quality has long gone. At last, something positive to come from climate change, and the seven figure investment here in tech and vines. If you are intrigued, and want to try a bottle of locally, responsibly made wine it’s currently on sale at The Pheasant, Admaston, Novella in Newport, Waters Upton Shop and of course, via the website veenow.co.uk
Follow their journey: https://www.instagram.com/veenowvineyard
