We had a belated Christmas present this weekend. Our son and daughter-in-law gave us a voucher for a vineyard tour and wine tasting and the summer tours officially started in June so we booked ourselves in as soon as we had a free Saturday.
Now we had no idea we had a vineyard 35 mins drive from home, what a lovely discovery. The weather forecast was for light drizzle but it stayed dry for the hour we toured the vines and listened to the history of the vineyard and how the soil and weather affect the grapes. It was really interesting and I learnt a lot.
As our climate is changing and temperatures are rising the conditions for wine in the uk is becoming very similar to France which means that we will have a larger wine industry. Saffron Grange only make sparkling wine (I have no complaints about that 😊) and we tried one white and two rose
I had already drunk half of each glass before I thought to take a photo! We then had a cheese platter of a variety of cheeses that I hadn’t tried before and all in all it was a great way to spend a morning. Naturally we brought home a bottle of their sparkling rose even though it was a bit more than we normally spend on wine, but it seemed much so more of a bargain when I checked how much they charged for it at one of the big hotels in Cambridge ... £80! How can they justify almost doubling the price?
The logo for the vineyard is a woolly mammoth. Apparently when the ground was excavated, evidence of woolly mammoths was discovered. Hard to believe they were roaming the countryside near us all those years ago!
We ended off a very busy weekend (meal out with friends Thursday, friends over for the afternoon Friday, Vineyard tour Saturday ...) with a trip to visit our friends who live about 5 minutes from our favourite nearest beach. The weather was glorious and after lunch they suggested a walk along the seafront. A lovely way to end the visit. As we had Coco with us it was a perfect excuse to walk on the sand rather than the hot pavements, it was quite busy! Obviously we weren't the only ones to head for the nearest coast when they heard the weather report.
This week will be a little less busy than the last one although it ends with a sleep over for Leo and Rosie (and of course Daisy) as our daughter and husband are going to a wedding which is adults only. Wish us luck!
What a great Christmas gift the vine tour was; it didn't need to be dusted or any need for storage. I chuckled at the woolly mammoth & immediately thought that their droppings would have definitely enriched the soil. To finish off the weekend with a walk along the beach sounds perfect. I'll be sending lots of positive vibes for a successful, stress-less sleep over.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great gift! The vineyard looks lovely, as do its products! I agree that the mark-up on bottles of alcohol is outrageous.
ReplyDeleteMy but you are drinking in (no pun intended -lol!) all that is summer! Sounds delightful. I love the insight about woolly mammoths...and that choice for the label. Yes, it is beyond hot here but I am not complaining. Will not complain about summer. Isn't it just lovely!?:) I am dreadfully behind in blog reading (and blog posting!) but trying to get caught up. So glad you stopped by my blog the other day....and that I have not "lost" all blog friends! Enjoy the rest of your week! Oh, and Leslie mentioned a photo scavenger hunt. That sounds interesting - and I might try to join you!
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