Frequently Asked Questions

Organic Wine

Organic wine is made using only organically certified grapes, grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilisers. Since the 2012 vintage, new winemaking regulations mean the whole process is certified from harvest to bottle and the term ‘Organic Wine’ can be displayed on bottles.

Benefits can be numerous! Taste for a start, organic grapes are healthy and balanced and are of course the raw ingredient for any great wine. Health benefits include ingesting less man made toxins, especially pesticide residues and less sulphur dioxide too which is the ‘wine preservative’. By drinking ‘organic’ you are also helping support a cleaner environment and protect soils and water.

Biodynamics goes further than organics. Based on a holistic system of agriculture developed by Rudolf Steiner back in the 1920’s, it’s grown in popularity hugely over recent years, on many top estates, showing great results. Focus is on improving soil and plant health, using specially activated composts along with herbal and mineral sprays. Applications and most other vineyard practices are carried out at certain times on particular days, predetermined by the movement and positioning of the moon and outer planets. Simply try the wine!

This more recent wine terminology relates to ‘low intervention’ wine. It includes organic growing, very low or even ‘no-sulphur’ in winemaking with the philosophy of ‘letting the wine make itself’. Natural wine makers are an enthusiastic and passionate group who have formed their own movement, though as yet the term ‘natural’ is not clearly defined. Indeed by default, many of our wines are ‘natural’.

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) is the most widely used and controversial additive in winemaking. Used as an antiseptic to kill off unwanted bacteria, yeasts and moulds, and as an antioxidant to inhibit oxygen spoiling the wine. An increasing number of people are sensitive or have allergic reactions to sulphur (headaches, wheeziness, a more groggy morning after feeling), and want to avoid it or ingest as little as possible. The good news is that organic wines have lower set levels generally, and within our List we detail ‘LS’ (Low Sulphur’) and ‘NS’ (No Sulphur Added) wines, giving you the choice. Low Sulphur: From the low initial ‘organic status’ level, we’ve taken wines which use only 50% of that or less to be in this category. (75mg/litre or less for whites and rosé and 50mg/litre for reds). No Sulphur: These are the wines with the lowest sulphur levels you will find anywhere. None at all is added, though tiny amounts can be produced as a natural by-product of the fermentation process.

This might sound strange, but some animal based products can be used in winemaking to ‘fine’ or clarify the wine. This is true for all wines, not just organic. Common products used include animal gelatin, isinglass (a fish based product), egg whites or casein (milk based). As we find out how all our wines are made each year, we pass this information on via the ‘V’ and ‘VG’ symbols. Vegan wine (VG) is often unfined, left to clear naturally by gravity or with a product like ‘Bentonite’ which is an inert clay.

There’s no doubt that prices for what you get in terms of quality are often ‘great value’. Organic is never going to be ‘bargain basement’ prices, what you pay is real and fair, if not we would not have lasted in business over 30 years, with so many long standing happy customers! A 2016 study by University of California looked at reviews of over 74,000 wines and found that on average, organic wines were rated higher, and cost less. (source: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fg7d7th)

Vintage Roots

You can trust us to safely deliver deliciously satisfying, certified organic drinks to your door, at fair prices. We run an ethical business, believe in our products and look after our customers. We’re an award winning drinks supplier and organic is not a ‘fad’ or sideline for us, we’ve been 100% organic since we formed, back in 1986. In 2015 Drinks Business named us Green Retailer of the Year.

We spend a lot of time selecting our wines, as at the end of the day it’s the foundation of our business. We are confident that you will enjoy them. If you really do not, or if there’s a quality issue, contact us to discuss and we’ll find a solution for you via a refund, a replacement or voucher as appropriate. We will need goods returned to us and delivery charges are not refundable.

Original founders and directors Neil Palmer and Lance Pigott still run and work closely in the business, our people include the wine team, customer service and office, warehouse, drivers and pickers (we pick and pack all orders ourselves), as well as a small sales team covering much of the UK.

We supply both on and off trade nationwide, and always have done. Call us on 0118 932 6566 for a trade List or to open an account, or email trade@vintageroots.co.uk. Click here for more information.

Ordering

The website is easy and secure, just register or log-in and off you go. Or call free on 0800 980 4992 to order and for help/advice during the week till 5.30pm. Fax your order to 0118 922 5115 or FREEPOST RSAJ-BJKU-JSSJ, Vintage Roots, Holdshott Farm, Reading road, Heckfield, Hook, RG27 0JZ (allow up to 7 days).

There is no minimum order.

Yes, you can mix any wines, spirits and liqueurs to make a case(s) in any amounts. You can also mix beers and ciders or add just a few bottles to wine orders.

Yes, by the case, in set pre-mixed cases or you can also mix your own too.

You can call us free on 0800 980 4992 to arrange this. Ask for one of our wine advisors.

Yes, please click here to order, or to send one to a friend.

To complete an order we will need your billing address and the delivery address. You do not have to have an account to do this.

You can pay once you have gone to the ‘checkout’. We accept most major credit cards, and PayPal. Cheques via the post or card details over the phone are also acceptable.

Congratulations, just put your order together as normal and you can redeem the voucher at the checkout.

Yes, we have advisors waiting to help you, just call free on 0800 980 4992 (Mon-Fri) or email info@vintageroots.co.uk

Delivery

Standard delivery is charged at £8.95. Orders of £125 or more will be free of charge. A 5% discount will be applied to all orders of 60 bottles or more (wines, spirits, or liqueurs, excluding already discounted goods). Regrettably, a surcharge will apply to deliveries to some postcodes on the Scottish mainland, Islands, Isle of Man and N.Ireland. For deliveries to the Channel Islands and Scilly Isles, please contact the office on 0800 980 4992

Delivery is guaranteed within 3-5 working days. Usual delivery time is within 2 days of order.

Yes if this is easier for you, just complete the necessary details at checkout.

We currently do not offer a tracking service. Please call 0800 980 4992 to ask about your order

Orders can be collected from our offices in Heckfield, and are eligible for a £5 discount for 12 bottles or more. We kindly ask that customers contact the office on 0800 980 4992 to arrange a mutually convenient time Monday – Friday. Our full address is Vintage Roots, Holdshott Farm, Heckfield, Hook, Hants, RG27 0JZ.

We rarely ship wine abroad, but if interested please contact us on 0800 980 4992 for a quote.

You can leave delivery instructions when placing an order by phone or on our website. If there are no instructions, the courier will leave a card for you to rearrange delivery.

After delivery examination, contact us immediately (within 3 days max) on 0800 980 4992 or via info@vintageroots.co.uk to report a problem, and we’ll help sort things out right away.

Website Queries

Please click the ‘Forgot Your Password’ link on the login page and we’ll send you a link to reset your password.

Login to you account and click the My Account tab at the top of the page. You will find all your past orders in there.

Click the ‘Out of stock request email’ button on the product and we’ll email you as soon as it’s back in.

You can call us on our free phone number 0800 980 4992 or send an email to info@vintageroots.co.uk

Gift Solutions

We can deliver wine, spirits, liqueurs, beers and ciders. We have pre-mixed cases, gift boxes and free gift cards.

We can deliver to any number of destinations, but you will need to checkout each order individually, entering the respective delivery address at the checkout.

Yes, we can include gift cards with your message at no extra cost. Please select ‘Add gift card’ at checkout.

Yes, we have gift boxes in one bottle, two bottle, three bottle and single magnum bottle sizes. Please add the box you want to your basket before checkout.