A RUSTIC and traditional country barn has been converted into a charming new gateway to acres of land and 38,000 vines deep rooted in Dorset.

Sparkling wine producer Langham Wine Estate, near to Dorchester, recently opened its doors of a brand new tasting room to the public.

Before enjoying a taste of the finer wines, winemaker Daniel Ham took me behind the scenes on a tour of the estate to see just how you do make a pristine sparking glass of English wine.

From grape to glass, the entire process of winemaking takes place on Langham Estate, a fact owner Justin Langham and Daniel are incredibly proud of – and producing an impressive 30,000 bottles a year.

The company’s wines are made solely from the classical Champagne varieties Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier.

Driving down the winding country lanes to the vineyards, it’s easy to not even notice it’s there. But once you arrive, you might forget you’re even in Dorset and mistake it for France especially on a sunny summer’s day.

Bright green vines line acres of land and are immaculately kept.

Walking down one line of vines, Daniel stops to share the story of how a Dorset farmer, Justin Langham, decided to plant a vineyard.

Daniel said: “It was 2007 and a terrible August pouring with rain. Justin was already interested in wine and came across a crazy idea of planting a vineyard.

“He Googled how to plant a vineyard and enrolled on a one year course at college and soon realised the idea wasn’t so crazy.”

The grounds sub-soil is solid chalk on a south-facing slope with huge sunlight throughout the day, which Daniel said reduces the likelihood of frost and made it a good spot for planting some vines. ‘Some’, transpires to 38,000 covering 30 acres.

“It all made sense,” Daniel said. With all the equipment and areas for the process in one place, Daniel said the grapes can ‘literally be picked and then be pressed in 20 minutes’.

Daniel said the most important factor for good growth is dry weather with a gentle breeze.

The vineyard had its first full harvest in 2011 after only first planting the vines in 2009.

Each year, buds begin to burst and shoots begin to surface around the middle of April.

Daniel said: “At the end of August the grape’s skins soften and swell and the vine transfers sugars and carbohydrate reserves into the grapes.

“We want acidic juice that should make you salivate for a good sparkling wine.”

The unpredictability of British weather is possibly the biggest problem the winemakers have to contend with.

Daniel said: “The weather in this country is very variable. Harvest can be anytime between the first week of October to November.

“It’s a gamble and tough call to make when to pick.

“We bring in contract pickers, the vines can grow six centimetres a day and so picking has to happen very quickly.

“The vines are picked into crates in bunches and we have to treat them very carefully.”

The bunches are checked and selected in the vineyard before being transported to the winery.

With thousands of vines, the job is a massive undertaking, and how precious each one is shouldn’t be underestimated.

Daniel said: “The vines have to have a passport before they are sent out of the nursery.”

But a good vine means good wine, well – with the right touch and dose of a few more ingredients.

A good year can see four tonnes of grapes per acre picked on the vineyard, but in reality, Daniel said it’s more like two and a half tonnes.

Leaving the vineyard behind and walking to an old barn where the wine is made, it’s clear that Langham Estate is a very modest winery.

Unfortunately though, any thoughts of standing in a bucket and pressing the grapes with your feet are crushed, even traditional methods still have to move with the modern times.

Daniel said: “Imagine an elongated tumble dryer with an inflated bag to press the grapes.

“We weigh the grapes and load them in whole bunches, the cycle takes about three hours.

“The pressure and how many rotations is very important. There’s many factors that can affect the quality of the juice.”

The next step is for the wine to get pumped into stainless steel tanks in the barn.

Daniel said the different varieties are kept separate and the tanks produce very clear wines.

“In the tanks we then add the yeast culture. Fermentation takes about 10 days and is very quick.”

But Daniel admits he often prefers wine from the wooden barrels which line the other half of the barn.

He said: “For me, they do add an extra layer and complexity to the wines. You get a bit more flavour and it’s a bit more interesting and fun.”

And while everyone else after the Christmas holidays is busy with their January detox, things are a bit merrier on Langham Estate.

Daniel said: “After Christmas, we taste everything completely blind.

“We try and maintain a house style, but most of our wines are vintage.

“All we can do is produce the best possible wine we can year on year.

“On the morning of bottling, we put a small amount of sugar and yeast. If there’s any fractures in the wine bottles they would then explode.

“The dead yeast then breaks down and gives a nice subtle foam on the top of the glass when you pour it.”

Then, they use a machine to remove the yeast before labelling up and boxing the wine – which is all done by hand.

Daniel said: “We will have to expand quite soon as we are outgrowing this area, but we want to keep it small and the quality high.

“We don’t want to run before we can walk, we try and keep everything as pure as possible.”

Leaving the winery behind and visiting the new tasting room, awards line the shelves from the UK Vineyard Association.

Alison Honnor, from Weymouth, is at the estate to learn more about the wine and Dorset business.

She said: “What I love is it is promoting Dorset and smaller businesses.

“Not many people know about it here, and here we are in this beautiful location.

“Realistically, we should be doing more of this and promoting local products. What better way than with local bubbles.”

The stunning tasting room, simply and tastefully decorated with natural wood, great big tables and country leather worn chairs, will be used to host tours, and provides a beautiful space for tasting Langham’s wines.

Justin and Daniel plan to host ticketed dinners with well-known local chefs.

Owner Justin Langham said: “Dorset has everything required to produce wines of the highest quality: chalk soils, a warm climate and long growing season.

“Our tasting room opens up the opportunity for even more people to come and enjoy our wines just a stone’s throw from the vineyard and winery where they are produced.”

Daniel added: “We hope that it will encourage people far and wide to discover what Dorset has to offer, to taste, to visit the estate and get a personal insight into how we go about producing world-class wines.”