Our Sustainable Vineyard & Winery
At Laurel Vines sustainability has always been at the heart of the vineyard. Over the years we have been making changes to the way we look after the vines and produce the wines. From replacing fencing with 3,000 native hedgerow trees to reducing the use of agri chemicals and installing solar panels to provide power to the winery and vineyard equipment.
Our Timeline to Carbon Neutral
2016
Land Acquired
In November 2016 we acquired a very overgrown parcel of land at the end of the hamlet, with the help of Graham from Aike it was cleared and planted as a cider orchard, with a hedgerow around the perimeter.
2020
Installed solar panels
In June 2020 we installed 20Kw of solar panels to supply the winery and the farm. This is being increased to cater for our transition to electric vehicles and electric equipment in the vineyard. We have generated over 43MWh of green energy up to 2023.
Planted trees
In December 2020 the post and rail fencing around the vineyard had come to the end of its life and rather than replace it with a similar fence we took the opportunity to replace it with 3000 native English hedgerow trees.
2021
2020
Rejuvenated the land
In March 2021 we acquired a parcel of land with a pond on it. This had been neglected for a number of years and had become severely overgrown. The site was partially cleared but leaving significant trees and other bushes. The ground was sown with a mixture of wildflower and grasses.
This has subsequently grown into a wonderful peaceful place for people from Aike to rest and enjoy the wonders of the countryside.
2022
2023
2025
Joined SWGB
In 2021 we joined Sustainable Wine of Great Britain and have set about collating the data for submission and for the audit, hopefully shortly we will have accreditation to the SWGB standard for both the vineyard and winery.
Award Winning
In 2022 we were very lucky to win the REYTA (Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Award) for our efforts into Ethical, Sustainable & Responsible tourism. This was a great achievement for the vineyard as sustainability has been a long term commitment of ours.
Double Award Winning
In 2023 we topped the previous year by winning two awards at the REYTAs (Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Award); Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Award & Local Producer Award.
Being part of the local tourism network is something we really enjoy to be part of and enjoy working in collaboration with other businesses within the sector.
Carbon Neutral
We are proud to say that 95% of our energy to run the vineyard & winery's operations comes from our solar panels & on-site battery storage.
The vineyard also welcomed it's first pair of breeding barn owls that have had 4 owlets. With them all taking up roost in the owl boxes that we have set up around the vineyard. Just one of the measures that we have put in place to encourage wildlife into the vineyard.
Worm Recycling
Our newest sustainability initiative: The Worm Farm.
This bin was kindly donated to us by Biffa and we’ve used the brilliant kit from The Urban Worm CIC to create a great way to recycle our kitchen food waste from our events.
From the food waste we place into the bin, the worms inside process this and out the bottom of the bin (in time) there will be worm liquid tea. This is rich in nutrients and can be used as organic fertiliser & a method of adding protective elements for the vines.
It will also produce worm compost that can used in the planters around the vineyard.
Into the future: Our progress doesn't stop there.