A brief resource appraisal of the Thee Choirs Winery. The ways in which the systems of production can be made more sustainable from an environmental point of view.

Introduction

Three Choirs is one of the largest and the best established of England’s vineyards and is a major Gloucestershire tourist’s destination. (Williamson, 2008) Three Choirs cultivates a vide range of typically English grape varieties and in addition Pinot Noir. The company was established in 1973 with only a half an acre of vines, “simply as an experiment”,- Martin Fowke comments. This has expanded dramatically over the years. And now 30.3 ha of vines are being cultivated, all on the same single estate home vineyard. Tree Choirs also established cooperation by offering contract wine making for around 30 to 30 other small growers, both local and further afield. The Three Choirs single-estate is planted on well-drained sandstone soils, most of which enjoys a southerly aspect. The meso-climate of the vineyard is significant in both its warmth and low rainfall. As a result the approach is very much one of sustainable viticulture, however there is a range of techniques and opportunities that might help to make the winery even more sustainable. These tools will be presented in three parts (Vineyard, Winery and Infrastructure, which includes shop, hotel, restaurant) and discussed below, as well as the key points of the sustainability concept.

“Sustainability is a state of dynamic equilibrium achieved by taking responsibility for balancing long term economic, environmental and social health for people, communities, and the world. Sustainability brings to light the connections between natural and human communities.
Sustainability implies evolving the local and global civilization in a manner that makes sense socially, ecologically and economically.