Spring awakens at Two Beacons Vineyard

As the days begin to stretch a little longer across the Malvern Hills, life is slowly returning to the vineyard here at Two Beacons. After months of winter dormancy, the vines are waking up for another growing season, and with it comes a fresh sense of excitement for the year ahead.

Here’s what’s been happening down at the vineyard over the past few months.

Winter rest and preparation

During winter, the vineyard enters its quietest period. Before leaf fall, the vines absorb nutrients back from their leaves, storing energy ready for the following growing season. While the rows may look bare at this time of year, plenty is happening beneath the surface.

This winter was relatively mild, with only the occasional hard frost taking hold across the vineyard. Although frosty mornings can be challenging, they also play an important role in naturally reducing pests, particularly spotted wing drosophila suzukii (SWD), whose larvae overwinter in the soil.

As February arrived, the pruning season began. We carefully prune the vines in late winter to help reduce the risk of vine trunk diseases, timing the work to coincide with rising sap flow which naturally helps protect the vines. Larger pruning wounds are treated with a garlic-based protective paste, helping to shield the vines from unwanted fungal ingress as they heal.

Early signs of spring

This year’s mild spring arrived earlier than usual, bringing forward some of our vineyard work sooner than expected.

One of the biggest tasks at this stage of the year is tying down the canes; gently securing the fruiting canes onto the vineyard wires, which helps shape the vine and guide this year’s growth. Unlike previous years, we’ve chosen to follow a more conservative approach by retaining fewer buds per cane. Following last year’s dry conditions, this helps manage stress on the vines and encourages balanced, healthy growth throughout the season.

Thankfully, the late spring frosts have so far remained close to the ground, avoiding damage to the developing buds and young leaves. Air frosts at the wrong moment can severely impact a vineyard’s crop, so every clear morning has been watched carefully.

Managing growth in the vineyard

The vineyard is now beginning to burst into life, with strong early growth appearing across the rows.

This year has brought another encouraging season for “double budding”, where vines produce more than one bud from a single node. While this can increase growth potential, it also means careful bud thinning is required to prevent overcrowding within the canopy later in the year.

Throughout spring and early summer, our growers will continue positioning shoots and adjusting the movable foliage wires that guide the vines upward. These early preparations are essential for creating the airflow and sunlight exposure needed to ripen healthy fruit later in the season.

Meanwhile, our second vineyard continues to establish itself. The younger vines are being given another season to strengthen before carrying a full fruit load, allowing the plants to focus their energy on root development and canopy growth. This year will see many of these younger vines producing their first substantial canopy — another exciting milestone for the vineyard.

Preparing for the season ahead

As always, spring in the vineyard brings equal measures of excitement and unpredictability. Weather conditions over the coming months will play a huge role in shaping the 2026 vintage, but the vineyard is currently looking healthy, balanced and full of promise.

Over the coming weeks, the team will continue training the vines, managing canopy growth and preparing for flowering as we move steadily towards summer.

There’s still a long way to go before harvest arrives once again, but another vintage at Two Beacons is officially underway.