New aerial photos show the jackpot winner has planted a massive 40,000 square metres of vines – the size of six football pitches – on his Cambridgeshire estate. Bayford, 53, who landed £148 million with his now ex-wife Gillian in 2012, planted the vineyard last May and will be able to harvest his first grapes in two years’ time.
The meunier grape vines produce a yield of about three tonnes per acre, which Bayford will be able to turn into his own brand of Champagne. He appears to have chosen a wise investment after the English wine industry had a record year in 2023, producing 21.6 million bottles – a 77 per cent increase from 2022 and more than 50 per cent larger than the previous record year of 2018.
Experts say the excellent yields are attributed to near-perfect weather and increased plantings in the country. Bayford’s new vineyard, which appears to be thriving in the sunny weather, is believed to have been inspired by his fiancée Tracey Biles, 45, who has been helping him transform Horseheath Lodge, which comes with 189 acres of parkland, fields and woods.
The couple are creating a sustainable lifestyle on the estate by planting their own fruit and vegetables and have created a new kitchen garden, where they are growing produce under polytunnels and in raised beds.
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