Wiston Estate – Vineyard Manager – Travis Salisbury

Without the grape, wine can’t be created, so each year an army of Vineyard Managers venture out into the vines to care, tend and nurture the growth of the grapes, to help the winemakers produce an exceptional glass of bubbly.

In this article, we speak with Travis Salisbury, the brilliant Vineyard Manager at Wiston Estate from England. Let’s discover a little about his time in the English Sparkling Wine Industry.

Tell Us About Yourself And How You Became Involved In The Wine Industry?

“My name is Travis Salisbury, and I am the vineyard manager at Wiston Estate. Originally from South Africa, Cape Town and have been involved in UK viticulture for 8 years now. On the sidelines, I love to run along the South Downs and bike ride, but apart from the physical side of outdoor activities, I also make electronic music on the side. My passion started in South Africa whilst working as a waiter at a fine-dining seafood restaurant on the V&A waterfront. I worked under a fantastic sommelier who educated me on different wines and books to read while I was there. This was the real kick start for me, which led me onto doing a pruning experience in a South African vineyard, which really kick-started my love for what I am doing currently.”

What Is The Most Exciting Part Of Managing A Vineyard?

“Loads of exciting things that happen in my line of work, but I would say the most exciting is harvest, seeing the culmination of a year’s work by me and my team. Clusters that represent our cumulative efforts in the vineyard, blood, sweat and tears whilst intertwined with Mother Nature’s hand to create the beauty of the wine we share and love.”

As The Vineyard Manager, What Challenges Do You Find Yourself Facing Each Year?

Ooooooh, so many challenges, especially trying to grow grapes on the fringes of where grapes can be grown! I would say some challenges I face each year are listed below:

• Weather uncertainty – heavy showers increasing disease pressure, frost events that can ruin the crop
• Pest and disease – powdery mildew, downy mildew, botrytis!! – finding the best windows for the most effective spray
• Timing – all phenological points in the season all have windows for optimum efficiency – leave it late and it takes longer, go early and you risk the vine fighting back and compensating or missing buds that may not have popped yet!
• Budget constraints.
• Labour management – harvest is always compressed around the UK. Vineyards are all fighting for pickers for the right parameters at the same time. It’s a nightmare.

How Do You See the Future Of English Sparkling Wine?

“The product we produce is as good as it gets, but it’s hard to convince a consumer that a £36 English wine is better than a Cava for half the price. The industry still has a lot to learn and gain, but some of these lessons will be hard ones. The English wine industry still has many things to sort out, such as labour, production costs, education, tourism and the PDO classification systems, to name a few. I believe it is heading in the right direction, but changes will need to be made to ensure it is a bright one!”

What’s A Day In The Life Of A Vineyard Manager Entail?

“It is so varied, but a day in my life would be getting into work, a cup of coffee before heading out to the vines for some canopy management while scouting for disease and growth stages to log back on our data collecting app, Sector mentor. In between checking in with the team, a few laughs and a catch it’s either getting machines ready or prepping ahead of work later in the week. The odd meeting or two may occur during the day, but my time is best enjoyed in the place that makes me happiest. Vines!”

Where’s The Most Memorable Place You’ve Enjoyed A Glass of Bubbly?

“At the top of Signal Hill on a perfectly still day, which is unheard of in the mother city, watching the sunset with my best friend, drinking a bottle of L’Ormarins Blanc de Blanc 2016.”

Thank you, Travis, for sharing your words, knowledge and experience with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to Travis Salisbury. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.