WINERY & GROUNDS

The 6 acre vineyard was planted in 2019 with 60% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, 9% Pinot Meunier and 6% Rondo. At the same time, the vendor realised that vineyards were now becoming ‘experience destinations’ There was already a stocked one-acre lake onsite with plenty of wildlife; a winery was added and completed in 2022

The winery is in three parts. The far end, the tractor and machinery store, is high enough for wine tanks to be housed for wine making onsite; the middle section has a mezzanine floor for storing consumables and downstairs plenty of space for bonded wine. The final section has a tasting room with bar, catering kitchen and toilets on the first floor. In the tasting room upstairs the oak bar and windowsills were handmade from a 300 year old tree from the land There is plenty of space for tables and chairs, with access to the balcony outside for summer lunches enjoying the produce, with stunning views of the vineyard and countryside beyond. Downstairs there is room for a cellar door facility complete with more toilets with showers (ideal for vineyard employees or glamping guests in the future), staff kitchen and office space.

The first spray in 2020 led to another decision – the night before spraying with conventional chemicals, the vendor got cold feet. Why create something of a wine destination if the local biodiversity was going to be put under pressure? The answer – become organic. Bat boxes were hung in the trees and beehives added around the vineyard and winery, increasing the biodiversity and encouraging bats to help combat moths in the vineyard rather than just using chemicals. The hares, deer, badgers, kites, buzzards, pheasants, partridges, bats and pond-life would not be compromised The vineyard will receive full organic certification in March 2023.