Redbank Vineyard

A Herefordshire Hub for British Wine and Cider

Tucked into the rolling countryside of rural Herefordshire, Haygrove Evolution is best described as a winery with a difference. Rather than bottling a single estate label, the team operates a SALSA-audit accredited contract winemaking and cider-making facility, supporting vineyards and orchards across the United Kingdom while also producing their own award-winning Once Upon a Tree craft ciders and the 1276 Wines range. The story began in 2012 with the first vine plantings; today the site harvests over 25 acres of six distinct grape varieties and the winery has a working capacity of more than 275,000 litres.

From a thousand-litre micro-batch to a hundred-thousand-litre commercial run, the team promises the same care and personalised approach for every contract customer. Their technical knowledge, gained through producing their own brands, allows them to collaborate closely with growers, cider makers and brand owners to deliver bespoke still, sparkling and alternative wines, alongside traditional, fruit-led and experimental ciders and perries.

Sustainable by Design

Haygrove Evolution is part of the wider Haygrove family, an international soft-fruit grower with more than 450 hectares across five countries. The same horticultural discipline that drives the parent company is applied to the vines here. The business follows a Triple Bottom Line approach of People, Planet and Profit, investing in carbon offsets to become carbon neutral in 2020 and earning full accreditation under Sustainable Wines of Great Britain (SWGB).

That SWGB status matters for customers: it allows Haygrove Evolution to extend contract winemaking services to fellow SWGB-accredited vineyards and authorises those customers to carry the official sustainability marque on their labels. Thoughtful packaging choices, an eco-conscious winery layout, and a focus on responsible energy and water use underpin the operation.

The Winemaking Service

The contract winemaking journey at Haygrove Evolution begins long before harvest, with a pre-harvest consultation in which Head Winemaker Laurence Cocking walks each customer through grape selection, expected yields and finished-wine style. Once the fruit arrives, the team can destem and crush as required, then press on one of two pneumatic presses capable of handling from one to more than seventy tonnes.

Juice is analysed in the on-site laboratory for sugars and acids before being moved into vat for fermentation - a roughly month-long process closely monitored and recorded throughout. After fermentation, the wine is filtered using RDV, cross-flow, cartridge or plate methods, before being offered back to the customer for tasting and blending decisions.

For sparkling wine, Haygrove Evolution uses the traditional method, supported by a semi-automatic disgorging line and a gyro pallet for riddling. Bottling, labelling (where required), maturation in fully insulated premises and final dispatch complete the journey.

Beyond Conventional Wine

The team is comfortable producing a quality red, a sparkling white or something more adventurous. Customer objectives drive the production protocol: each wine can be made to an individual specification using the customer's own grapes or fruit grown on the 25-acre site. The team works with customers at every stage, from those still considering planting a vineyard to established producers looking for a fresh start.

The Cider Making Service

Cider and perry production has been at the heart of the business since 2015, and the Once Upon a Tree label that grew out of it has been recognised over the years for excellence at cider competitions. That expertise is now offered as a contract service to large and small-scale cider and perry producers across the UK and abroad, with capacity from 500 litres up to 100,000 litres.

The process begins with an initial consultation to discuss timescales and the style of final product. Fruit is received at optimum ripeness, pressed on one of the two pneumatic presses (a stand-alone pressing service is also available), then analysed in the lab to confirm it will deliver a quality result. Juice is fermented in vat under close monitoring, with customers invited in to taste the evolving product. Blending, filtration, bottling, labelling, insulated bonded storage and dispatch follow.

Innovation is encouraged. The team welcomes briefs for co-fermentations, ice-ciders, wild ferments and other distinctive contract styles, and is happy to help bring unusual ideas to life.

Quality Grapevines for UK Growers

Bought in alongside the contract services is a dedicated vine supply business, run by people who are growers themselves. Quality Grapevines is PEACH-registered (soon to transition to IPAFFS), allowing procurement of carefully selected vines from EU and non-EU countries. The team treats vines with the same rigour as the rest of its horticultural crops, tailoring selections for the UK climate and prioritising early clones of varieties that can be tricky to ripen reliably.

Before any vine is recommended, the team considers site aspect, sea level, slope and soil type. The selection list covers popular white grapes such as Chardonnay, Bacchus, Solaris, Madeleine Angevine, Seyval Blanc, Reichensteiner, Siegerrebe, Ortega, Phoenix, Kerner, Orion and Schönburger, alongside black varieties including Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Early (Frühburgunder), Pinot Meunier, Cabernet Cortis, Rondo, Regent, Dornfelder and Triomphe. Vines are expertly grafted onto the preferred rootstock - common options include SO4, 125AA and 5BB - with bespoke orders taken for a minimum of 50 vines per variety.

Laboratory Services

The on-site laboratory supports both in-house production and external customers. Tests available on grapes, juices, wines and ciders include dissolved oxygen, free and total SO₂, pH and total acidity via pH meter and titration, a Carbodoseur reading for CO₂ in still wine, NTU turbidity, ABV, residual sugar by spectrophotometer, lactic and malic acid (used to track malolactic fermentation), acetic acid, and YAN (Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen) - a key indicator of nutrient-deficient fermentations and required nutrient additions.

Meet the Team

Haygrove Evolution describes itself as having the flexibility of a small team with the willingness and passion to produce the desired end product. Laurence Cocking is Head Winemaker; he joined having previously worked in both wine and fine cider making, with one unwavering goal - to produce the very best of British wines, still and sparkling. Hristo Yakovski, known internally as Itso, joined in 2017 and is the Production Manager, combining hands-on production with a deep technical knowledge of wine and cider making. Tracy Cale is Office Manager, the customer-facing hub for communication, relationships and administration, and the logistical representative for grape buyers. Martin Yakovski joined in 2019 as Production and Yard Assistant and is a vital support across every aspect of the wine and cider making process.

Community and Mission

The company's mission is to “Move Minds on What Defines a Great Business”, built on Haygrove's Triple Bottom Line of People, Planet and Profit. Beyond the winery, the wider Haygrove group supports Haygrove Community Gardens Charity, using horticulture to help people with a range of physical and mental health challenges. The first UK project was initiated in 2013 in Ross-On-Wye, where more than 50 regular users benefit from therapeutic horticulture and over 500 children visit the garden each year to learn about growing, healthy food and nature.

Once Upon a Tree: The House Cider Range

The cider brand that grew out of the contract business is Once Upon a Tree, a celebration of the rural Herefordshire home with rolling hills, abundant wildlife and wonderful orchards. Traditional cider apple varieties meet modern cider-making techniques and a touch of innovation in this craft range. All ciders are 5% ABV, gently sparkling where appropriate, and sold in cases of 12 bottles at £20.94 per case (including VAT). The current range includes:

• Raspberry & Blackcurrant - Warming aromas of ripe summer berries and caramel, a gently sparkling sweet cider with a delicious lift of raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, complementing the rich, ripe cider apple and finishing with soft tannins.
• Apple and Elderflower - A light, refreshing cider with a subtle sweetness; ripe apple with soft tannins is balanced against delicate citrus elderflower notes.
• Medium Cider - An easy-drinking style with a deep golden colour, aromas of apple pie and caramel, and flavours of ripe sweet apple balanced with sweet tannins and gentle acidity.
• Mixed Case Cider - Two bottles each of Medium Cider, Raspberry & Blackcurrant, and Apple & Elderflower, designed to showcase the range.

Practical Details

Haygrove Evolution operates by appointment. The team works with producers at every stage, from first-time vineyard planners to long-established wineries looking for a fresh contract partner, offering winemaking, cider making, lab analysis and vine supply. Telephone (+44) (0)1531 637119; email info@haygrove-evolution.com. Once Upon a Tree ciders can be ordered online for delivery across the UK.