The vineyard, which was first planted in 2011 with just 2,000 vines, now has 9,500 vines in the ground, and currently produces a range of 13 white and rosé wines, many of them medal-winners.
Their first red, currently in tank and shortly to go into oak barrels to give a depth of flavour, will be ready to drink in about a year.
And among those nearly 10,000 vines are some newly planted Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir grapes, which will soon go into Laurel’s latest venture, an English sparkling white due to hit the region’s flutes in around three to four years.
The Sargent family, which runs the company, has also recently invested a quarter of a million pounds in a brand new state-of-the-art winery standing alongside the vineyard, which will allow more scope for development.
“Everything’s completely temperature-controlled now,” explains Rebekah Sargent, Laurel’s Sales Manager. “And because the winery is so close to the vines, the grapes never go more than four hours from being picked to being processed.”
It’s a pretty remarkable achievement in just seven years, especially as Rebekah’s dad Ian, who founded the company, admits that back then he knew little about wine beyond the fact that he enjoying drinking it.
“He also runs an electrical company in Beverley,” says Rebekah. “He basically wanted an excuse to get outside, and get away from it all!”
That call of the wild led to Ian and his wife Ann buying a piece of land near to their former home with no clear idea of what to do with it. Soil testing suggested that it was perfect for growing grapes – East Yorkshire’s chalky soil is much like that of France’s Champagne region – and the rest, as they say, is oenological history.
Laurel Wines is now a thriving family business – as well as Ian, Ann and Rebekah, the latter’s partner, Jonathan, and Ian’s brother Neil, are involved.
“We also have Adrian Scott working for us part-time – not a family member, but as he lives two doors down, he might as well be!” says Rebekah.
Kate Mackenzie, who oversees the Pipe and Glass’s wine list, says: “It’s great to be able to showcase wines on our list that are from a East Yorkshire vineyard just a few miles from the Pipe and Glass.”
Laurel Vines supplies the Pipe and Glass with three wines at the moment:
Moissanite (2015)
An unoaked dry white, Moissanite has a clean pale straw colour and is made from a single grape variety from Seyval Blanc grapes. Perfect as an aperitif, or drink with it savoury or fish dishes.
Moonstone (2015)
A dry white with a clean bright pale straw colour, light elderflower notes on the nose, and a good structure and length. Partner it with savoury or fish dishes, or drink as an aperitif.
Garnet Rosé (2015)
A medium dry rosé: fresh, clean and dark pink, made from a single grape variety from Rondo grapes. Drink as an aperitif or pair with seafood, especially smoked fish and salads.
With wine giants Marks and Spencer recently reporting sales of English sparkling wine up 15% last year, the future is looking extremely (sorry!) rosé for Laurel Vines.
Find out more about Laurel Vines:
Call 07513 012 708
Follow: @LaurelVine