Dillions is ensuring its new vineyard begins this new decade on the right foot with the installation of new ultra-durable vineposts across its fields.

The new vineyard planted in West Sussex has had Hadley Group’s UltraSTEEL® vineposts installed across its fields. These vine posts offer a combination of durability and performance, which will ensure a long working life.

Set over 10 acres of land in the West Sussex countryside, Dillions Vineyard was planted in May 2019.

Its location in the region of Sussex and situated on a southwest-facing slope at 70 metres down to 40 metres above sea level made it the ideal climate and soil for wine production. With 16,750 vines sprawled across the field, the vineyard grows grapes for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Bacchus wines.

David Trott, Vineyard Manager at Dillions Vineyard, said: “I bought the property, our family home, back in 2010 and with the extra land it had always been my vision to plant a vineyard there eventually.

“As this is my first vineyard, I don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to vineposts, but I did know that I wanted metal vineposts rather than wooden, as I wanted something that would last and still be in the ground in 20-30 years.

“Therefore, I brought Vine-Works on board, a UK-leading vineyard management company that has been establishing, managing, maintaining and supporting vineyards across the UK for over a decade, and they highly recommended Hadley Group’s vineposts. I had also heard that Hadley Group’s products were used to upgrade the existing vinepost collection at the Rathfinny Wine Estate, a large and very well-known establishment in East Sussex.

The vineyard suffers from strong winds off the sea, and these vineposts are their preferred choice, so I knew that this was something that I wanted to look into further.”

Hadley Group’s vineposts benefit from the UltraSTEEL® process to deliver a unique combination of durability and performance. The steel is rolled between two mating rolls, producing a dimpled pattern across the surface. This ‘work hardening’ results in a much stronger product, one that delivers a better grip in the ground for more stability.

The vineposts outperform traditional wooden vine pickets or alternative metal vine supports on a number of levels, including high rigidity for exceptional load-carrying capacity and disease-resistant steel, enabling healthier crops. Durable and low maintenance, the vineposts also guarantee to be corrosion-resistant for up to 25 years.

James Dodson, Director and Head of Vineyard Establishment at Vine-Works Ltd, said: “We have been selling and recommending Hadley Group’s vineposts since they first came onto the market around eight years ago. Over the years, we have developed a fantastic relationship with the company and with Hadley Group’s Sales Manager, Adam Lyness, and now we only exclusively use Hadley’s products.

“The soils in the UK can make it difficult to get vineposts into the ground; therefore, our clients need reliable and sturdy vineposts that they can rely on. Due to adverse weather conditions, the trellis systems can take a real beating, so the vineposts need to be able to withstand high winds.

“For Dillions, and as with all our other projects, we recommended Hadley Group’s posts from the outset before our team went on-site to complete the installation.

“We complete around 25-30 vineyards a year. The vineyards are of various scales; some are larger, and others are smaller, but all of them use Hadley Group’s vineposts.

“The products are high quality, offer high stability in the ground due to greater surface area and are extremely flexible as they spring back into position when rotated as much as 180 degrees. If these trellis systems fail in the future, then we pay the price, so we need to ensure that the vineposts work for both ourselves and the client.”

David Trott, Vineyard Manager at Dillions Vineyard, concluded, “I am very happy with the performance of the vineposts so far. They are very robust, and I can see why they are recommended by Vine-Works as the best on the market.”

Hadley Group’s vineposts are the result of extensive product development to meet the specific wire support needs of winegrowers around the world. The company can also design and produce custom-made vineposts, develop prototype samples in-house and, once approved, manufacture the vineposts in high volumes for every vineyard project.

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