KNIGHTOR WINERY

Knightor Winery Wedding Open Day - Sunday 2nd Feb

16/1/2020

02.02.2020... it sounded like a great date to do something special so we decided to host our wedding open day on it! Come along and meet the Knightor weddings team, wander the grounds of Knightor, nibble on some complimentary canapés and enjoy a glass of fizz on us. And it is a free event! Bring your partner, your family or your friends, all welcome.

We will be joined by a collective of amazing suppliers, including;

Floral Creations
Emily Rose Hire
Checkered Photography
Cornwall Registrars
Flicksbox Vintage Photobooth
Bliss Bridal
The Wedding Co
Cornish Caricatures
OK Make Up Artistry
Victoria Jefferies Hair
The Cornish Cakery
Kellys Sweet Treats
John Green Dynamic Entertainments
Cruz Photography
Bella Kernow
David - Celebrant
Absolute Chocolate
Ashley Harding Musician

With some more suppliers to be confirmed

We look forward to meeting you! Please do let us know if you are planning to join us but clicking 'going' on our Facebook event... so we know how many canapés to get prepped!

Winemaker's year in review 2019

2/1/2020

As we enter the quieter months of January and February our winemaking team start getting ready for the year ahead, making their way to the vineyards to begin pruning the vines and bottling the delicious red and whites which are almost ready in barrels and in tank. David, our winemaker, has been looking back on 2019 and what is to come in 2020.

'2019 was always going to be measured against the incredible vintage of 2018. It was a hard act to follow! Things began well, budburst was fairly typical, but what followed was a rather cool May. Eventually things warmed up and June and July were near perfect, resulting in the vines putting on good growth and flowering just slightly later than the previous year.
The warm weather and light winds in early July were perfect for pollination and most varieties had good fruit set. The Summer weather was warm with adequate rain which continued to help the development of the grapes.'

'As Summer led into Autumn the rainfall increased further. These conditions were a challenge as they were near perfect for the development and spread of mildew and botrytis (a fungus) which we do not want. In early Autumn some varieties in our Portscatho vineyard were showing signs of Downy mildew, resulting in a slight loss in yield. It was also evident at this stage that despite the decent number of grapes per bunch, the average grape size was going to be quite small. September and October is the crucial time as it's when the quality of the crop is determined. It's when the sugars rise and acidity levels drop. The more sun and warmth, the faster and higher the sugars rise and riper the flavours in the grape gets. However in wet Autumns like this years, sugar levels struggle to rise as high or as fast as usual. We began picking our Rondo and Pinot noir précoce grapes on the 24th of September and harvest finished in the last week of October. Overall 2019 will be remembered as a more challenging year, yields and quality varied greatly from one variety to another, some faring better than others.'

'When the grapes do not reach as high levels of ripeness, the key to the winemaking is to be gentle. Gentle handling and delicate pressing. We do not want to extract too much from the skins or seeds of the grapes. For the reds we allowed a shorter time of skin contact and were very careful with how frequently we did pump overs and punch downs during the ferment. This will be evident in the finished red wines, where colour will be lighter than typical, but the wines are still balanced, soft and fruity on the palate. We have had a few ferments that are very slow, with a few barrels still fermenting in December!'

'The wines are showing great potential and there are a few that stand out. We have a very aromatic, powerful tank of Siegerrebe, which will go into our popular Trevannion blend, to be released in the Spring. Again we will also be releasing a potentially very interesting Bacchus, which we have been experimenting with fermenting in old french oak to add body and complexity.
Another wine to keep an eye out for will be our red Pinot noir 2019, partially fermented and aged in oak but it's likely this will not be ready until later next year.'

We cannot wait to share news of our releases and look forward to announcing them when they are ready.

Create the ultimate Cornish wedding

30/12/2019

A Cornish wedding doesn't HAVE to take place in Cornwall but it's a good place to start!

Your wedding party size, budget and venue requirements are important to think about, then choosing the WHERE is the fun part.

Whatever your wedding style, venue or wedding location, be inspired by Cornwall's rich culture and tradition when planning your special day. To help you along we have rounded up some of our favourite ways to add a flavour of Cornwall to your wedding, from dining, decorations and the smallest gestures.

Decorations

What's your favourite thing about Cornwall? Is it the food, the people, beaches or is it just the general laid back atmosphere? You can easily create your wedding day theme, or feeling, around your love of Cornwall bringing together many, or even a few elements from table decorations, seating plan designs, locally grown flowers, music or the format for your day.

Alexa Poppe Photography

It doesn't have to be a cliche to be a theme. Maybe surfing and the beach is your vibe, or certain places in Cornwall are really memorable to you. Perhaps it's just the colours that inspire you, the soft hues of the moors, the shades of the ocean and cliffs. The sea-pinks that grow along the coastal paths. Or how about the beautiful wildflowers of the Cornish hedgerows in Spring and Summer.
You can bring these into your wedding theme in the form of decorations, table centrepieces or seating plans with unique place names of favourite locations.

Emma Morgan Photography Adam Lang Photography

Wedding Attire

Now, we're not suggesting head to toe tartan (unless you want to of course), but a few stylish additions here and there look fantastic. Buttonholes, bow-ties or cufflinks are a few ways you can add a Cornish spin to your wedding outfit.

Cornish tartan brooch - Pascoespetals - Etsy Cornish tartan bowtie - www.tartanista.co.uk

There are some incredibly talented artisans in Cornwall who can custom make items just for you, like Justin Duance jewellery who make beautiful wedding rings and engagement rings that are cast in sand from the beautiful beaches around Cornwall.

Food

Food and drink is an essential to a wedding party and with a massive choice of Cornish foods and local suppliers, you'll be spoilt for choice!

For truly Cornish fayre think pasties, cream teas, seafood, cheese, cider, Cornish gin and Cornish wine. The dining possibilities are endless and from 3 course meals to relaxed barbeques you can really bring so much of Cornwall to your day with food and drink alone. But remember, if a cream tea is on the menu, the jam goes on first!

Traditions

What about some games through your reception, there is little more fun than a spot of welly wanging! Rumour has it the tradition of welly wanging started in the west country in the 1970's and its a firm favourite down here at village fetes and gatherings.

Welly wanging photos - Albion Row Photography

Ceremony Rituals

How about bringing in some lovely ceremony rituals to your day that are inspired by that land and sea? A sand ceremony where you choose sand from your favourite beaches and pour them into a jar, a meaning of two becoming one. Or a knot tying ceremony, a symbolic sealing of your relationship by the tying of a fisherman's knot, believed to be the strongest there is and becomes even stronger under pressure.

Music

Cornwall is a land of music makers and music makes moments at weddings and one of the most memorable things you can bring to your day is to have unique music. From an evening of Ceilidh to a sea shanty band at your reception or over dinner to a local folk band, the options are endless and you are sure to get your guests moving, and moved.