For the past 12 months, we've been working on a collaborative project, highlighting a problem we're keen to help solve. With the chance to make some wine in 2022, Al knew he had the perfect opportunity to champion the cause.
We're pleased to finally release OWL'S WINE and TANK REPAIR FUND: two new wines bottled entirely in reused glass, labelled with reused paper and packaged in reused cardboard.
We all produce a lot of waste in this industry. We believe re-use is the way forward. London is a huge centre of consumption, surrounded by newly emerging areas of production. It puts the city in a unique position: with some creative thinking across the industry, there is an opportunity here to bring bottle reuse into the loop.
Last summer on delivery runs in our electric van, we collected bottles from many dedicated London venues that saved their waste for us. Half were sourced for Sophie Evans' first vintage, the rest for this project. Each venue is credited on the label: we are hugely thankful for their help in completing this pilot project!
The team at AGAIN cleaned the bottles before sending back to Offbeat in Salisbury to bottle the wines in September 2023.
The wines themselves were made in 2022 by Al, using fruit in biodynamic conversion grown by Lucie & Jules at HAM STREET, with the help (and cellar space) of Nicola & Daniel at OFFBEAT, with some valuable assistance from our friends Paris Barghchi, Emily-Rose Lucas and Samuel Munster.
The brilliant crew at PAGEMASTERS saved us reams of scrap paper to Riso print the labels on the reverse, all hand-glued with non toxic glue by Al and Jenny Cox. This release represents the culmination of a lot of teamwork, and a celebration of communities coming together to help promote change.
There are less than 300 bottles produced of each cuvee of the 2022 vintage, all movements are by gravity, and the wines have been bottled with no additions. More details below!
2022 - Owl's Wine - Pinot Meunier / Chardonnay
Hand harvested from Ham Street, Kent. Pinot Meunier / Chardonnay was foot crushed by Emily Rose & Al at 10 pm on October 1, had a couple of daily punch downs before a very gentle pressing at 5.30 am on the morning of October 4 (a surprise wine standards inspection called for an emergency trip back to London). The wine was racked to one 225l barrel the following day. The wine was bottled by hand 11 months later on September 14 2023 into reused glass, labelled using reused paper and bottled in reused cardboard.
2022 - Tank Repair Fund - Pinot Meunier
Pinot Meunier was also foot crushed by Emily Rose & Al at 10pm on October 1 and had very gentle daily push-downs to wet the cap, before a slow press over three hours on October 5 and then racked to barrel on October 6. The wine was bottled by hand 11 months later on September 14 2023.