Joint venture to produce local wine

As part of our relationship with the Sheffield-based Whirlow Hall Farm trust, Gripple is pleased to be working alongside the charity to produce a wine of a somewhat extraordinary nature. Pooling resources to create the highest vineyard in the UK, the one hectare site stands on one of Whirlow Hall Farm's upper fields, located in the south-west of the city.

The trust, which provides inner-city children and young people with special needs the opportunity to see a working farm in action, opted to grow grapes of the Solaris and Rondo varieties. These types of grape, famously used across northern Germany, are highly resistant to winter frosts, and will be used to create both a white and a rosé. The wine produced will be known as 'Werlot'; both a play on the name Merlot and a homophone of Whirlow.

To make the project a reality, Gripple were on hand to provide all the posts and wiring needed to create the vineyard. Our employees made light work of the installation process, pitching in to plant over 3000 vines and set up the 82 rows of trellising needed to support their growth. They then used Gripple Plus devices to join and tension the line wires, and Gripple Plus Anchor Kits to secure each end-post. The result was row upon row of neatly ordered trellising.

With the foundations now in place, Richard Moore - a volunteer at Whirlow Hall Farm - explained how they hope to start producing wine by 2013. "We've taken a lot of technical advice on board and completed a full soil analysis. We then fertilised the soil to balance the nutrient contents. Despite being 860 ft above sea level, the area is pretty sheltered. We are very confident."