Who writes the Journal
Co-Founder, Irish Wine Estates Ballyclery, County Offaly
Stephen Whyte is a co-founder of Irish Wine Estates in South Offaly. Together with his wife Nicola, he is documenting the development of their vineyard and exploring Irish viticulture, farm diversification, biodiversity and wine tourism.
Most recent
If you want to understand how vineyards in Ireland will evolve over the next decade, it starts with one thing: Experimentation. At Irish Wine Estates, we are not just planting a vineyard we are actively testing what is possible for wine in…
Read the story: Planting for the Future: Why We’re Trialling 26 Grape Varieties at Irish Wine EstatesThere is a tendency to think that establishing a vineyard begins when the vines go into the ground. In reality,…
Read the story: Four Months of Rain: How Irish Weather Put Our Vineyard Under PressureEstablishing a vineyard in Ireland involves a fair amount of learning. Some of that comes from books, consultants and other…
Read the story: Why We Installed a Sencrop Weather Station in Our Irish VineyardSome changes on a farm happen with very little ceremony. This was one of them. Today our plough left the…
Read the story: Letting the Plough Go: A Quiet Turning Point on the FarmStorms have a way of revealing the truth about land. You can talk about drainage, water flow, and maintenance all…
Read the story: Storm Chandra: When Preparation Pays Off on the FarmThe 27th of December is a strange day on a farm. Christmas has just passed, the body is a little…
Read the story: Back to Work After Christmas: A Frosty Morning at Irish Wine EstatesOn the 10th of May, Trevor Austin planted grass seed in our Main Field at Irish Wine Estates. At the…
Read the story: Seeding Grass in a Drought: A Lesson in Timing, Weather, and Farming in IrelandAnyone who works the land in Ireland knows one universal truth: never pray for rain… not unless you’re prepared for…
Read the story: Never Pray for Rain in Ireland: Lessons From Reseeding at Irish Wine EstatesWhen people think of vineyards in Ireland, most imagine green fields, rain, and rolling hills not rows of vines. But…
Read the story: How We Chose Our Vineyard Site in Offaly: Building Ireland’s Next Wine RegionRecently, we had the pleasure of welcoming David Llewellyn, the founder of Lusca Vineyard, to Irish Wine Estates in Offaly.…
Read the story: Lusca Vineyard: A Trailblazer Among Vineyards in IrelandWhere to go next
Follow the journey
Every planting season, storm and harvest at Ballyclery is written up here as it happens.
