Our Vines & Wines
The original vines are now over 35 years old and still going strong, all of our current wines are made from these grapes. We also have some young vines in the ground that should start producing soon.
Madeleine Angevine
"Mad Ange" as it is sometimes known, makes our Jane's and Barrel Matured wines.
It is an early ripening variety that makes clean and crisp easy drinking wines, not too dissimilar to Sauvignon Blanc.
These days it ripens more than a month earlier than it used to, a sign of the changing climate
Planted in 1987
Kernling
A very pretty pink grape that makes wines with a strong resemblance to its Riesling parentage. It makes our Leonora's and our Fizz
When young the wines are fruity and fresh, pink grapefruit always springs to mind. When aged they develop honey complexity and a classic Riesling "petrol" aroma. A sign of quality.
Planted in 1986
Pinot Noir
Our young Pinot Noir vines should give their first small harvest in 2024.
Pinot Noir is a very versatile grape, it can make anything from sparkling rosé to the very best reds, depending on ripeness.
This versatility makes it a great choice for the increasingly variable English climate.
Planted in 2021
Winemaking
Steve has been making our wines for over 25 years, his approach is minimalistic and transparent, which results in very clean wines with a strong personality. This suits us as it means the better the grapes the better the wine, which allows us to focus on quality in the vineyard, or as Dad says "great wines are made in the field"
Supreme Champions of the Bath & West Show, 1994
Steve with one of our "Fraîcheur" barrels
See how the grapes are pressed to make wine, at Steve's winery
Awards
Our very first wine, from 1990, won an international award (before the days of English wine categories), since then Oatley wines have been winning awards year on year.
We enter awards to benchmark our wines against the very best, awards for our current wines are on their shop pages, and here are some we are especially proud of:
A full list of all our awards from 1991-2023 can be found here: