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vines in 2009, another 7,000 in 2011, and 3,000 more in 2018 – giving them the mix of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier that’s found at the heart of exceptional sparkling wine. “We’ve got 16,000 vines at the moment,” Paul says. “And since 2013, the weather patterns have stabilised... my vineyard has grown to almost self-harden itself against the climate. Most people who start planting vines here see them destroyed by climate – so unless you can mitigate against it, and against frost as we have done, then you won’t establish the vineyard.” One of the few interventions the winemakers had to install is the splendidly named ‘tow and blow’, a gigantic fan that sits at the heart of the vineyard and gently rotates, moving the air over the vines on nights where the temperature dips towards freezing, encouraging frost to move downhill and away from the precious new growth. It’s this adoption of modern technology alongside traditional techniques that has led to such an exciting time for Saffron Grange. “I knew we’d make a good start, but I didn’t know if we’d be able to make a commercial vineyard – I thought if I can get 20 tonnes out of the 13,000 vines I’ve got in the bottom section of the vineyard, I can make it commercially viable – and we hit that total last year,” Paul says. “I thought that was a one-off – but what I hadn’t considered is that my vineyard was still maturing. The vines were getting stronger, and the climate wasn’t quite as good as last year, but similar – and we got exactly the same volume. And my new vines should give another five tonnes in a short space of time. So we’re going to get the site up to
IMAGES Some of Saffron Grange’s sparkling wines, and owner Paul Edwards giving a tour of the vineyard in Saffron Walden
the kids from the County High to come help prune – over the years I built up knowledge, and started to get to know all these families.” Dan Turner, now Saffron Grange’s vineyard manager, was one such local who came along and discovered an aptitude and love for viticulture. “It’s remarkable what happens when you take a bunch of 25 year olds and sit them round a table, but don’t just talk about football and rugby all the time – you talk with them about sparkling wine, and why it matters,” Paul says. “And now Dan is probably going to be one of the few people in this part of the world who is fully qualified in vinology.” The next steps for Saffron Grange are to establish regular opening days, plus a calendar of events where people can come to experience the vineyard and the wines – and hopefully move towards building a permanent structure for viticulture
40, 50 tonnes a year – and that would support a winery, which I can bring the local community into and try to change the dimension here. I think it’s pretty exciting,” he smiles. Building a community around the vineyard seems to be just as much of a priority as the quality of the wines that Saffron Grange is creating – for Paul, the two are inextricably linked. Paul’s corporate background saw him building local teams to support regional businesses for Mars, where discovering hitherto untapped talent was crucial to project success: working closely with local schools and colleges in the Saffron Walden area is something that comes naturally to the winemaker. “Without the locals, you just couldn’t do it. All of a sudden you realise there’s this amazing hidden talent that you’d never have assumed existed,” he says. “By me planting, testing and getting
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