Simon’s passion is clear. It is also clear that he is incredibly proud of what he and his small team have achieved at Stopham – there are just four of them who do everything, from pruning the vines to making the wine, to looking after visitors on vineyard tours. Yet what he’s most proud of right now is his brand-new frost protection system, which sprays the vineyard with water in the event of the temperature dropping below zero.

Quick wine geek moment – the type of frost that vineyards are particularly susceptible to during the delicate budburst period in spring is called a ‘radiation frost’. This can happen on cloudless nights with little or no wind and low humidity. Once the sun sets, all the heat that has been absorbed by the ground during the day radiates upwards, and because there is no cloud, it escapes into the upper atmosphere, with cold air being drawn down in its place. This can be devastating for the new buds.

When water is sprayed above the vines, the freezing process releases energy stored in the water – around 80 calories for every 1 millilitre of water, raising the air temperature around the vines. In addition, when the water freezes, it forms an igloo-like ice capsule around the buds, which prevents the buds themselves freezing.

The new system can be programmed to target only sections of the vineyard at risk of frost, preventing any unnecessary use of resources. For a vineyard that prides itself on sustainability, it’s a lot more efficient and environmentally friendly (though less picturesque) than burning bougies.
This ethos of sustainability runs throughout the setup. Stopham isn’t certified organic, but rarely sprays. Part of sustainability, Simon tells us, is having a business that succeeds. While he’ll always try to avoid spraying, he argues it is more sustainable to save the crop if rain is followed by warm weather and mould becomes a risk. Yet like a Formula 1 team, the Stopham team is always on the lookout for better solutions. Moving away from herbicides in favour of mowing under the vines is a recent marginal gain.

Further gains come from reusing resources. The winery is in a lovely Victorian Grade II listed barn and is very much a winemaking facility. This is no grand, manicured, trophy estate with millions of pounds of investment in tasting rooms and vineyard restaurants. It’s much more akin to the kind of gorgeously arcadian winery you might stumble across while on holiday in rural France. The type of place where you’ll meet a single vigneron who looks after the vineyard, and then makes and ages the wine in his own cellar. Like the best of those holiday discoveries, the wines are incredible.