UK vineyard service contractors VineWorks has won the Contractor of the Year silver prize at the British Farming Awards 2023, bringing recognition of the growing vineyard sector in British agriculture.

Founded in 2006 by CEO James Dodson, VineWorks has established over 300 vineyards, planted over 4.5 million vines and hand-harvested thousands of tonnes of grapes.

The British Farming Awards (BFAs) were announced at The Vox Conference Centre, Birmingham last night (19 October), hosted by Agriconnect, the parent company of Farmers Guardian, Arable Farming, LAMMA and many other agricultural brands. The Awards recognise British farmers and agricultural businesses for their commitment, resilience and innovation to an industry that consistently serves the nation. The Contractor of the Year award is sponsored by Kuhn, an international agricultural machinery producer.

“It is a real honour for VineWorks, a viticulture consultancy, to be recognised by the wider British agricultural sector,” commented James Dodson. “As a business owner myself, I know first-hand how challenging it can be to run your business day-to-day while addressing bigger challenges like sourcing labour, mechanisation, cost of living increases, and climate change. I’m so proud our team has been singled out for the silver Contractor of the Year award. It motivates us to continue to work hard to support the UK wine industry, one vine at a time.”

Chris Buckley, Business Director of VineWorks, added: “This is the first time we have won an industry award. Our whole team is really pleased to have our work recognised. This award helps us to advocate for the UK’s growing viticulture industry and generate awareness of viticulture amongst landowners as a viable way to diversify their crops and income stream.”

Photo credit (featured image): Daria Szotek