Bolney Wine Estate

Sustainability

There is an ever-increasing focus on the environment and, here at Bolney Wine Estate, we are passionate about playing our part in reducing climate change, taking an ethical approach to our activities in order to protect the environment.

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GUIDED BY NATURE

Since 1972

The principle of sustainable management is crucial to our continued existence and growth as a company. Our ‘Guided By Nature’ ethos sets the tone for many of our behaviours. With the mild climate and sandstone soil, we have spent many years discovering the best variety of grapes to grow in our eco system. We believe that the more we understand and take inspiration from the nature around us, the more we can understand and appreciate its needs and protect its diversity and beauty for future generations.

HOW WE'RE SUSTAINABLE

Vineyard

As well as mulching our prunings back into the soil, we also have our biofilter as an effective way of safely treating and recycling water used in spraying. We practise responsible waste management by recycling everything we can, including all packaging and chemical containers, used vineyard supplies (e.g. vine guards), as well as general food waste.

We also source materials used in the vineyard from local suppliers wherever possible.

OUR VINEYARD

HOW WE'RE SUSTAINABLE

Winery

We have installed solar panels on the roof of our new winery as well as the main building at our Foxhole site. This generates approximately 30% of the electricity used across the site and, generates up to 25KW of power which is enough to run our disgorging and labelling lines. On long sunny summer days, our panels generate more electricity than we actually use, so any left-over electricity goes to the National Grid for use elsewhere.

Waste wine and/or press juice is distilled to be made into Bolney Estate Gin and Bolney Estate Rosso Vermouth.

OUR WINERY

HOW WE'RE SUSTAINABLE

Packaging

Our bottles are 100% recyclable. We use recycled paper for our labels, and we have moved all our sparkling rosé into green glass, which has 30% more recycled material than flint

All packaging we use is reusable, recyclable, compact and where possible our bottles are packaged using Flexi-Hex, a plastic-free packaging sleeve designed to keep our bottles safe and reduce our use of plastic.

SHOP OUR WINES

HOW WE'RE SUSTAINABLE

Our café

We source the majority of our ingredients and products from local suppliers, thereby ensuring freshness, quality and reduced carbon footprint. We pride ourselves on offering a range of Sussex based products and our new Vineyard shop will mostly offer products that are either grown or manufactured from within the county.

Our kitchen also only uses oils that can be recycled into Biodiesel. A fuel that is made by reacting vegetable oil (cooking oil) with other common chemicals.

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HOW WE'RE SUSTAINABLE

Electric charging points

Brighton Energy Cooperative (BEC) has installed the first of its new network of community owned, solar-linked electric vehicle charge points at our estate. This is the first community solar-linked electric vehicle charge point in the South East.

Over half of the electricity used by our estate already comes from the BEC owned solar panels on two of our roofs, and now customers can charge their electric vehicles from the sun too.

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WINERY ACCREDITATION

Sustainable Wines of Great Britain

In late 2021 we took our next big step on our sustainability journey receiving a sustainability accreditation from the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain Certification Scheme for our winery. Sustainable Wine of Great Britain have the vision to create a strong and vibrant community within the English and Welsh wine industry that actively promotes sustainability. We are very proud of this achievement and are continuing on our sustainability journey, working towards an accreditation for our vineyard this year.

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YOUR BASKET

Sustainability

Since 1972

Vineyard

Winery

Packaging

Our café

Electric charging points

Sustainable Wines of Great Britain