Volunteering in the Vines

Get back to nature, learn new skills and maybe head home with a bottle of wine!

Whilst opportunities to volunteer at vineyards during the busy harvest period are becoming more well known, many boutique vineyards offer opportunities to get behind the scenes and help out with a wide range of tasks throughout the year.

There’s winter pruning, tying down, bud rubbing, shoot selection, leaf stripping, trellis clipping and plenty of other tasks where many hands make lighter work. It certainly gives you a new appreciation for how hard running a vineyard is, but it’s also great experience and perfect for improving physical and mental health. It’s not every day you get the chance to try something new and different while meeting people from diverse backgrounds.

I’ve volunteered at a number of different vineyards and met lots of interesting people. Whilst the motivations for turning up may be different there’s always a sense of community and working together. Often volunteer sessions conclude with lunch which is a lovely opportunity to relax, socialise and enjoy the surroundings.

During English Wine Week in June, I had a fantastic day volunteering at Blabers Hall Wine Estate in Warwickshire. We were sent information in advance about timings for the day and the tasks we would be undertaking and after some welcome refreshments we went into the vines for a demonstration. We were leaf stripping and trellis clipping – making sure the vines were all heading in the right direction and that any unnecessary foliage was stripped away so all the vines’ energy could be channelled into the grapes. We took a mid-morning break and finished with a sandwich lunch all sat around a big table. You could even enjoy a glass of wine with lunch and take a bottle home as a thank you for your time.

At Hanwell Wine Estate in Nottinghamshire the volunteers are called the Hanwell Helping Hands and they respond to regular calls for help throughout the vineyard cycle.

Dunesforde in Yorkshire has a volunteering calendar on their website with regular Tuesday and Thursday morning sessions that you can book into.

Saffron Grange in Essex, Ham Street Wines in Kent, Rowton Vineyard in Shropshire and Dundry Lane Vineyard in Somerset also have regular volunteer days.

Elham Valley in Kent is a unique vineyard run by The Fifth Trust which supports people with learning disabilities. They host corporate volunteering days offering teams the opportunity to give something back whilst connecting with colleagues. What a great idea!

Many vineyards put out calls on social media when they are having a volunteering session, or advise those signed up to receive their newsletters, so if you’ve got any vineyards you’re interested in helping at, get in touch with them and prepare for a rewarding experience.