The state-of-the-art facility at Nene Valley Winery combines cutting-edge technology with traditional craftsmanship, aiming to enhance the region’s growing reputation for winemaking. The founders envisioned a winery that delivers high-quality winemaking services to vineyards across the UK, reflecting a deep connection to the local land. Their model blends expertise, innovation, and customer-centric service to set a new standard in the industry.
Strategically located in Northamptonshire, the winery benefits from its central position in the UK, providing easy access for vineyards nationwide. This proximity reduces the time between grape harvest and production, helping to preserve the quality of the grapes. Clients can also choose to be closely involved in the winemaking process, from start to finish.
Leading the winemaking at Nene Valley Winery is Salvatore Leone, an internationally renowned Italian Winemaking Consultant with over 20 years of experience and 34 vintages across seven countries. Salvatore Leone has honed his craft in the UK for the past eight years and is known for producing wines of complexity and elegance. His approach to winemaking is deeply personalised, tailoring each project to reflect the unique qualities of the vineyard and the client’s vision. This attention to detail ensures that each bottle reflects the client’s ideas and the grapes’ full potential.
What sets Nene Valley Winery apart is its commitment to client involvement. The winery provides an advanced software platform that allows clients to monitor the progress of their wines in real-time, communicate with the winemaking team, and make key decisions about fermentation and blending. This transparency and collaboration are rare in the contract winemaking industry, making Nene Valley Winery a standout facility.
The winery operates under a contract-only model, offering services exclusively to vineyard owners rather than producing its own labels. This model is especially appealing to smaller vineyards and entrepreneurs who may lack the resources or expertise to manage the entire winemaking process. By outsourcing production to Nene Valley, clients can focus on growing their grapes while the winery handles the technical complexities of winemaking.
Nene Valley Winery’s cutting-edge facility, developed in partnership with Core Equipment, is designed to ensure precision and quality at every stage of production. A partnership established two years ago with the assignment to create one of the leading contract wineries in the UK. The expertise from the team at Core has meant that the winery has the latest equipment. The facility features high-tech stainless steel tanks with temperature control systems for optimal fermentation. The grape intake starts with world leading Zambelli elevator and de-stemmer followed by the state of the art Bucher press. The winery’s software further enhances the process, allowing clients to track their wine’s progress and collaborate with the team throughout.
In addition to winemaking, Nene Valley Winery offers a full range of services, including bottling, labelling, and distribution. The facility can accommodate a variety of bottle sizes and labelling options, allowing clients to customise their products to their exact specifications. For small vineyard owners, this all-in-one service is invaluable, streamlining the process from grape to market while ensuring that the wines meet the highest quality standards.
With its innovative approach, strategic location, and dedication to client service, Nene Valley Winery is set to become a major player in the English wine industry. The contract winemaking model offers a new pathway for vineyard owners to produce top-quality wines, helping elevate the profile of English wines on the global stage. As the industry continues to grow, Nene Valley Winery will be at the forefront, supporting the success of vineyards across the UK.
For more like this, sign up for the FREE Vineyard newsletter here and receive all the latest viticulture news, reviews and insight
