Yeast is something we spend a lot of time thinking about. It’s fascinating stuff. You may already be aware that it’s the microbial alchemist that transforms grape juice into wine. But did you also know that there are hundreds of different strains of yeast that winemakers can use to achieve different results in their fermentations?

Many opt for lab-created commercial strains, selected to ferment quickly and even add specific flavours to their wines. But for us, there would be something odd about spending as much time as we do using organic methods to grow beautifully ripe and healthy grapes, then messing about with those all-natural flavours in the winery.

Our preference is for wild ferments, trusting our vineyard’s native yeasts to weave their magic on our grape juice. It keeps our wines one step closer to their origins, which as an estate producer is just the way we like it. The way we see it, our grapes come from nowhere but Oxney… why should our yeasts be any different?