A VINEYARD near Winchester has appointed its first in-house winemaker.
The Grange Hampshire has appointed Harry Pickering following a six-month global search.
Harry joins The Grange from Gusbourne in East Sussex, where he has worked with Charlie Holland since 2015 helping to create a renowned range that stands at the forefront of English wine.
Before arriving at Gusbourne he worked in many vineyards and wineries in the UK, France and New Zealand where he excelled in his GDip in Viticulture and Oenology at the University of Lincoln.
This year The Grange Hampshire will build its own winery and Harry’s appointment is a critical step in the next phase of the award-winning producer’s development.
The vineyard was planted in 2011 and its first wines released in 2018 to a very encouraging reception. Harry will be tasked with building on the complex, rich and layered style The Grange developed with Emma Rice at Hattingley, their current winemaker, as well as developing new wines and setting up a small high-end contract wine-making operation.
Zam Baring, managing partner, said: “We have a young vineyard and are extremely excited that Harry has decided to join us to help grow our understanding of the potential of the grapes from Burge’s Field.
“Emma and the team at Hattingley have done a fantastic job but the time has come for us to move on and take things to the next level in our purpose-built winery under Harry’s watchful eye and finely tuned nose. He is arriving in time to help oversee the build and fit-out of the winery which we hope will be the centrepiece of our business and become a jewel amongst the vineyards of Hampshire and the whole landscape of English wine.”
Harry said: “It is extremely exciting to be joining such an ambitious and talented team, who have both the ingredients and vision to create world class, site specific wines from a unique piece of Hampshire soil. I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in creating the winery and building a team, as well as to gaining a deeper understanding of the wines that the field can produce.”