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VineMAP testimonials

  • ‘VineMAP is absolutely crucial in the development of any new vineyard land, enabling costly mistakes to be avoided.  It has clear mapping of all the essential factors that make decisions as to the suitability of a site or parts of a site straightforward. This has the potential to revolutionise UK wine production and ensure that only the most suitable sites for grape growing are planted’

    Cameron Roucher Vineyard Manager, Rathfinny Wine Estate.

  • ‘With the accessibility of VineMAP in terms of cost and functionality, I would be professionally obliged to deploy most or all of its functions as a basis for evaluating client’s candidate vineyard sites; in any case, use of VineMAP would very likely be the most cost-effective way of accessing the data-set and then presenting it for a client.’

    Peter Hayes Wine Industry Strategist & Advisor (global)

VineMAP – Vineyard suitability Mapping and Assessment Program

VineMAP is an automated and objective tool for assessing the grapevine growing potential of English land. It’s a state-of-the-art land assessment tool, that can be run in a matter of minutes, and is underpinned by leading viticulture and climate expertise and supported by peer reviewed science published in the Journal of Land Use Science.

VineMAP’s ultra-high resolution mapping assessment program creates up to 8 different reports that work independently or collectively to inform and de-risk potential land investments for vineyards. These include topography, land use, land designation, climatic conditions & frost risk analysis. See report information tabs for further details.

Please note: Our Soil Suitability Report (report 2) is currently under development and will go live, with automated soil information and analysis, in October.

Who should use VineMAP

The UK is fast gaining a reputation for producing outstanding wines that can compete on an international stage. In tandem viticulture is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in England. However, this doesn’t mean that you can plant a vine anywhere and grow grapes commercially that will result in  award winning wines. Using VineMAP will inform potential land investments or investigations into viticulture suitability in an informed and objective way to identify and grape suitable land.

The product is particularly suitable for those:

  • Searching for suitable land in England to plant a vineyard
  • Land agents supporting customers with suitable land identification services
  • Land owners considering investing / diversifying in viticulture
  • Those wanting to understand the value and attributes of existing land. Potential for viticulture can increase land value per hectare (ha).
  • Insurers looking to understand vineyard site meteorological risks.

What geographic area does VineMAP cover?

VineMAP covers all of England and we have plans to expand to other regions of the UK soon. Each report is limited to 500 Ha. If you would like to assess an area larger than 500 Ha please contact Vinescapes directly at info@vinescapes.com. Also if you are interested in land assessments for viticulture outside of England please contact us directly to obtain a quote.

How much does VineMAP cost?

Each VineMAP report type is priced individually and prices can be found in the FAQ’s . There is a flat fee for the first 100Ha of selected land, then a supplementary cost added per additional 50Ha (up to a maximum of 500Ha). You will receive a 10% bulk buy discount if you purchase all the terrain based reports (reports 1–4) or a 15% discount if you purchase all the terrain based reports and the climate report (report 6) at the same time.

Regular Use

If you would like to use VineMAP on a regular basis we can provide a frequent users package with subscriptions or  discounts calculated on a volume basis. Please contact info@vinescapes.com for further details. 

Please note VineMAP gives an indicative review of whether a particular site may be suitable for planting a vineyard. Users should still seek expert guidance for soil sampling and analysis, amelioration requirements, variety selection, planting density, training, rootstocks and other viticultural considerations. For more information visit our services page or contact us at info@vinescapes.com

Unit 5
Dunley Hill Court
Dorking
Surrey
RH5 6SX

info@vinescapes.com

+44 (0) 1306 733960
+44 (0) 7967 602670

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Report Info

Report Information

Click on each title to find out what information each type of report will contain:

How much do the reports cost?

Each VineMAP report is priced individually, listed in the table below. There is a flat fee for the first 100 hectares (Ha) of selected land, then a supplementary cost added per additional 50Ha (up to a maximum of 500Ha). You will receive a 10% bulk buy discount if you purchase all the terrain based reports (reports 1–4) or a 15% discount if you purchase all the terrain based reports and the climate report (report 7) at the same time.

Report Number  Title  Price

(First 100Ha)

 Price

(Per additional 50Ha)
1 Topographic suitability & grading £575 £230
2 Soil suitability information, landcover suitability
and designated ‘protected’ areas 		£350 £140
3 Flood risk £125 £50
4 Bulk Buy all terrestrial reports (1–4) 1o% Discount £840 £335
5 Climate (including Frost Risk)  £575 £230
6 Frost risk assessment only £350 £140
7 Bulk Buy all terrestrial and climate reports (1-4, 6 and 7) 15% discount £1,575 £630
Report 1 – Topographic suitability and grading

Slope, aspect, solar radiation, elevation and geographic location all play a big part in determining the meso-climate and workability of a particular site. VineMAP gives you a very detailed insight into all these factors and maps them over your selected area at an ultra-high resolution, up to 1m x 1m gridded resolution using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data derived from airborne and satellite surveys. This report provides you with both mapped area suitability (colour coded) and a grading for the different variables by both suitability value and hectarage, i.e. the report tells you how many hectares of the selected land is suitable under the different variables, and collectively.  

View example report here

Report 2 – Soil suitability information, landcover suitability and designated ‘protected’ areas

Soil texture, drainage, pH, fertility, nutrient and organic matter content are all important attributes in determining viticultural suitability. It must be noted that the accuracy of any soil suitability dataset must be validated by a physical survey and we strongly recommend that you contact us, as a qualified agent, to carry out this work. Contact: info@vinescapes.com for more details.   

The suitability of land for viticulture will most likely depend on what the land is currently used for or composed of. Potentially suitable land for viticulture is likely to be limited to those classified as arable, horticulture or grassland because they are deemed most likely to exhibit viticulture suitability parameters. VineMAP references the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology’s land cover map (2015) provided at 25m resolution. The results are shown overlaid in an easy to read colour coded map.

This report also shows any protected environmental or historical areas within or near the selected land. VineMAP utilises Natural England’s and Historic England’s datasets to highlight any areas that would be restricted to viticulture due to specific designations related to wildlife, geological or historic interest.

View example report here

Report 3 – Flood Risk

Report 3 is useful for both planning purposes and vine growth. It highlights areas that are prone to flooding on a 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000-year basis, and which should therefore be avoided when considering a vineyard or winery site. 

View example report here

Report 4 – Terrestrial Suitability (including 10% Discount)

This reports contains all of the information included in reports 1-3 and is offered at a discounted price.

View example report here 

Report 5 – Recent Climate (including Frost Risk)

A detailed review of recent climatic growing conditions in the immediate vicinity (2.5km resolution) of the selected land over the last 10-years. This covers growing season average temperatures (GSTs), growing degree days (GDDs), growing season rainfall totals, June (flowering) rainfall totals) and frost days in April & May. This report also provides a grading/score for each of these variables and a combined score to determine how climatically suitable or not the selected area is for viticulture.

View example report here 

Report 6 – Frost Risk

Early growing season frost risk is one of the key factors in the UK that can severely affect grape yields and quality. This report relies on modelled meteorological conditions to review the number of frost days and associated sub-zero temperatures  in the near vicinity of the land selected (2.5Km resolution). Combined with cold air flow maps and accumulation risk zones this report sets out in detail and scores the sites frost risk. 

View example report here

Report 7 – Viticulture suitability (including 15% discount)

This report is a viticultural suitability scorecard which references a summary of the reports 1-3, 5 and 6 It gives an overview of the findings of the previous reports and rates the site for its holistic suitability for viticulture, considering climatic and topographic inputs. It is offered with a 15% reduction in price.

View example report here

VineMAP FAQs

VineMAP FAQ’s

The most frequently asked questions:

What is VineMAP?

The Vineyard suitability Mapping and Assessment Platform: VineMAP is a web based, automated and objective tool for assessing the grapevine growing potential of English land that can be run from anywhere in an instant. It’s a state-of-the-art land assessment tool underpinned by leading viticulture and climate expertise and peer reviewed science published in the Journal of Land Use Science: Nesbitt, A., Dorling, S. and Lovett, A. (2018) A suitability model for viticulture in England and Wales: opportunities for investment, sector growth and increased climate resilience.

Where does it cover?

At the moment VineMAP only covers England but we plan to expand to other regions of the UK soon. If you are interested in land assessments for viticulture outside of England please contact us directly.

Who can use it?

VineMAP has been designed for, and is available to:

  • Land owners
  • Farmers
  • Those looking to invest in / buy land for viticulture purposes
  • Agents involved in buying and selling land for viticulture purposes
  • Viticulture / vineyard consultants
  • Land use related policy advisers
  • or those  just curious to see how well suited a particular site is, for growing grapes to make wine.
Why should I use VineMAP?

The UK is fast gaining a reputation for producing fine wines that can compete on an international stage and viticulture is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in England. However, this doesn’t mean that you can plant a vine anywhere and grow grapes that will create award winning wines. VinesMAP creates up to 10 different reports on-the-fly that work on independently or as a collection of reports to help to inform and de-risk potential land investments for viticulture. 

What doesn’t VineMAP cover

VineMAP gives an indicative review of whether a particular site may be suitable for planting a vineyard. Users should still seek expert guidance for soil sampling and analysis, amelioration requirements, variety selection, planting density, training, rootstocks and other viticultural considerations. Vinescapes work with the best viticultural advisors and can help in this area. Contact Info@vinescapes for more information.

How much do the reports cost?

Each VineMAP report is priced individually, listed in the table below. There is a flat fee for the first 100 hectares (Ha) of selected land, then a supplementary cost added per additional 50Ha (up to a maximum of 500Ha). You will receive a 10% bulk buy discount if you purchase all the terrain based reports (reports 1–4) or a 15% discount if you purchase all the terrain based reports and the climate report (report 7) at the same time.

Report Number  Title  Price

(First 100Ha)

 Price

(Per additional 50Ha)
1 Topographic suitability & grading £575 £230
2 Soil suitability information, landcover suitability
and designated ‘protected’ areas 		£350 £140
3 Flood risk £125 £50
4 Bulk Buy all terrestrial reports (1–4) 1o% Discount £840 £335
5 Climate (including Frost Risk)  £575 £230
6 Frost risk assessment only £350 £140
7 Bulk Buy all terrestrial and climate reports (1-4, 6 and 7) 15% discount £1,575 £630
What if I want to use VineMAP on a regular basis?

We can provide a regular users package with subscriptions or  discounts calculated on a volume basis. Please contact info@vinescapes.com for further details. 

What If I need a different report?

You may have specific land suitability assessment requirements that are not covered by VineMAP. We have renowned expertise in this area and can probably helpprovide bespoke reports, whatever your requirements. Please contact info@vinescapes.com for further information.

What should I do If i have issues with my reports?

If you are experiencing difficulties or have any questions concerning your reports, you can contact us on:

info@vinescapes.com

How much land can I asses?

Each report is limited to 500 Ha, you can run as many reports as you like. If you would like to assess an area larger than 500 Ha please contact Vinescapes directly.