58 Tonnes Of Old Vines Recycled: Our Replanting Project Update

With the first phase of our long-term vineyard renewal programme now complete, we wanted to share exactly what came next. Grubbing up thousands of vines doesn’t just leave bare ground. It leaves an enormous amount of plant material that has to go somewhere, and what we choose to do with it matters.

This is part two of our replanting series. If you’re joining us for the first time, part one explains why we’re replanting 10,000 vines and what the grubbing up process involves. In part three, we share the exciting news of 16,000 new vines going into the ground.

But first, here’s what we did with all those removed vines.

What We Collected

After grubbing up, the removed vines and cut branches don’t disappear on their own. They’re pushed into large brush piles along the vineyard rows, a very visible sign of how much material a replanting project actually generates.

In total, we collected 58.42 tonnes of plant material during this phase: a combination of grubbed-up old vines and the smaller branches removed as part of our annual winter pruning. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the weight of four double-decker buses. Every kilogram needed to be carefully handled and disposed of responsibly before replanting could begin.

Why We Chose to Recycle, Not Burn

Historically, the simplest way to clear vineyard waste was to burn it on site. It’s quick, requires no specialised equipment or logistics, and, in some traditions, the ash is returned to the soil. But burning plant material releases its stored carbon immediately as CO₂, and when you’re working with nearly 60 tonnes of wood, the atmospheric impact is far from trivial.

Had we burned this material on site, it would have released an estimated 100 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere. That’s not a number we were prepared to ignore.

Instead, we chose biomass recycling: a process that converts plant material into renewable energy rather than releasing it as waste carbon. If you’d like to understand the process in more detail, our guide to what happens to old vines walks through how it works and why it’s good for vineyard sustainability.

Working with Olus: Keeping It Local

For this phase, we partnered with Olus, a West Sussex biomass recycling company specialising in sustainable land management. It was a natural fit: a local partner rooted in the same county, with the expertise and facilities to properly process our material.

All 58.42 tonnes were transported to their facility just three miles from the estate. Keeping the supply chain short was a deliberate choice. It meant we could:

• Reduce the transport emissions associated with the project
• Lower our overall carbon footprint
• Support a local West Sussex business, we genuinely believe in

At Olus, the vines and branches are shredded, dried, sorted, and processed into biomass fuel: wood chips or pellets that can be used in industrial boilers and other renewable energy systems, replacing fossil fuels such as coal and gas and making old vineyard material part of a circular, low-carbon energy system.

What This Means for the Environment

By recycling rather than burning, this phase of the project delivered real environmental outcomes. We:

• Avoided releasing an estimated 100 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere
• Reduced waste going to the landfill
• Cut associated greenhouse gas emissions
• Gave a natural material a second life as renewable energy rather than letting it go to waste

Sustainability at Bolney isn’t one grand gesture. It’s a series of smaller decisions made at every stage of vineyard management: who we work with, how we move materials, and what we do with what’s left over. This replanting project has given us the chance to put those values into practice in a very tangible way, and we’re proud of what this phase achieved.

What Comes Next

With the old vines removed and recycled, the land had time to rest. Cleared, prepared, and ready for a new life, the time had come for the most exciting chapter of this project: getting thousands of new vines into the ground.

Read part three: 16,000 new vines and the spring planting begins.

Come and See the Changes for Yourself

The vineyard looks different right now, quieter in places where old vines once stood and newly alive where planting has begun. Bolney Wine Estate is open as usual throughout this process, and our vineyard tours give visitors the chance to see these changes in person and understand the thinking behind them.

Book a vineyard tour and tasting and explore the estate, from the cleared rows where old vines once stood to the new ones just beginning to grow.