AN AWARD-winning Montgomeryshire vineyard has planted 500 new Pinot Noir vines to add a new variety to its existing range.

The Kerry Vale Vineyard, a family-run site with a café and tasting rooms, planted the vines to widen its range of still and sparkling wines.

With a flavoursome and fruity taste, Pinot Noir is among the most popular wines in the UK, and Kerry Vale Vineyard owner, Russell Cooke, is excited to be adding it to its line of products.

He said: “Pinot Noir produces beautiful light bodied red wines which offer high acidity and medium tannins.

“It’s flavoursome fruity notes make it a popular choice for wine drinkers and we are excited to be able to add it to our collection.

“It’s a versatile variety and one of the three primary grapes found in champagne.

“We hope to blend with our white varieties to make more award-winning English sparkling wine and also use it to produce soft and fruity still reds.”

Best grown in cool climates, Pinot Noir is the second most grown variety in the UK, accounting for 26 per cent of total plantings.

Once the vineyard had decided where to plant the vines the team of workers hand-planted the 500 grafted vines.

Russell continued: “Growing Pinot Noir can be tricky, but we have recently conducted a soil analysis which revealed the land at vineyard is perfect.

“Unlike many plants, vines struggle to produce fruits in soils that are too rich in nutrients and they don’t like water round their roots.

“At Kerry Vale Vineyard, our soil has a low pH and excellent drainage – creating perfect growing conditions for our baby vines

“Timing is also very important – we waited until spring to plant as vines do best when planted after the last freeze and when there is decreased chance for frost.”

The new vines will take between two and three years to grow a harvestable crop followed by a further six to 12 months of waiting while the grapes are turned into wine.

To book a tour of Kerry Vale Vineyard, or to find out more information, visit www.kerryvalevineyard.co.uk

Alternatively, Keep up to date with what’s happening on the vineyard by following them on Facebook, Intagram or TikTok.