The Winery

Limney Farm, Rotherfield was one of several local dairy farms that were closed in the 1980's by stringent EC regulation. The old dairy buildings have been easily converted into their current use as a winery. State-of-the-art modern equipment has been used throughout (all stainless steel tanks). Every stage has been designed to process the wines as gently as possible in order to retain the fruit flavours and produce wines of true quality. Total capacity is set at about 70 tonnes per year (or about 65,000 bottles). Some of the features that set us apart from most other wineries are detailed below:

• Natural Winemaking - The winemaking methods are as gentle as possible in order to produce smooth balanced wines. Oxygen contact is restricted, helping to keep the fresh grape flavours.
• No chemical treatment of juice to remove acid - De-acidification is not used on Davenport grapes or wines, because we consider it to damage the natural grape flavours and the structure of the wine.
• All naturally occuring yeast used for fermentation - We don't inoculate juice with cultured yeast, preferring to rely on the yeast that occurs naturally in the vineyard. This can only be achieved using organic vineyard management, because natural yeasts are killed by synthetic fungicides. Often fermentation is actually completed by a range of different yeasts, leading to added complexity of flavour.
• Extended yeast lees contact - Some grape varieties are allowed to rest after fermentation for a period of up to 7 months. The suspended yeast gives the wines natural stability, and protects the wines from oxidation, without the need for sulphur dioxide.
• Minimum filtration and fining - Fining is limited to the occasional use of bentonite to remove proteins. Most wines will undergo only a single filtration prior to bottling.
• No animal products used - All our wines are suitable for vegetarians to drink. Many people don't realise that wine can contain animal products.
• Sulphur Dioxide kept within organic limits - The legal limit for sulphur dioxide levels in white wines is 210 mg / litre. However we prefer to use the organic limit of less than half of that level. Very careful treatment of the wines is needed to ensure that this lower level is sufficient to prevent the wine oxidising, but it is worth it because wines with high sulphur dioxide levels are partly responsible for the morning after headache. Excessive sulphur dioxide can lead to a reduction in the wines aromas.
• organic certification - we are one of only 3 wineries in the UK that are licensed to produce organic wines. Click here for more details about organic winemaking and how it differs from non-organic methods.

The winemaking team, despite New World influences, is an enthusiast for winemaking by the most natural and chemical-free methods. The style and qualities of the wines are created in the vineyard and so  winemaking follows a path of minimum interference in order to allow these qualities to show in your glass. Fruit flavours that derive directly from the grapes dominate the wines. Long slow fermentation followed by extended yeast contact help to enhance the wine's length of flavour and complexity. 

Davenport Vineyards support the English Quality Wine Scheme, and carry the English Wine Marque. All our dry white wines have passed these standards. Our wines also comply with European wine regulations and the Soil Association standards.