One of England's oldest vineyards is celebrating 50 years since the first vines were planted on the estate.  Local wine retailer Alan McKechnie planted just half an acre on the south-facing Gloucestershire slopes in 1973 to see how the vines would grow.  His experiment paid off - 50 years later Three Choirs Vineyards boasts 75 acres of vines, growing grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Bacchus, Siegerrebe, Seyval Blanc and Phoenix.

In 1990 the vineyard opened its state-of-the-art winery and visitor attraction, followed a decade later by eight hotel rooms, complete with stunning panoramic views over the vineyard from sun-soaked patios. In 2008, three beautiful oak and cedar lodges were built, nestled amongst the vines, offering guests complete privacy and seclusion. Wildlife thrives in the rows of vines and surrounding ponds, with guests able to enjoy a relaxing glass of wine on their veranda whilst admiring sparrow hawks, buzzards, foxes, finches, and woodpeckers. 

Martin Fowke has been the winemaker at the vineyard since 1989, making this his 34th vintage when the harvest gets underway in September.   The vineyard currently produces around 250,000 bottles of wine a year.  Best sellers include Classic Cuvee, Coleridge Hill, Rose and Bacchus.

According to Managing Director, Thomas Shaw, “Three Choirs Vineyards' focus is the quality of the wines and the visitor experience.  We have 11 bedrooms carefully positioned to allow guests to fully immerse themselves in the vineyard.  The Brasserie offers a tapas-style menu of delicious small plates designed to be accompanied by Three Choirs' wines, or a wine tasting experience.  With a maximum of 30 covers, on tables of up to six, guests are ensured a relaxing, welcoming ambience with personal service.  Visitors can pick up a few bottles of their favourite wines in the Cellar Door shop as a memento of their visit or buy by the bottle or case on our website.”.

In the current climate there's no reason why Three Choirs Vineyards won't continue to sparkle - the English wine industry is buoyant – over 9 million bottles of English wine are sold every year, produced by 195 wineries with grapes from nearly 900 vineyards 1.  The demand for experiential travel is also strong with no shortage of guests keen to eat, drink and stay amongst the rolling Gloucestershire vine-clad valleys. 

For more information visit www.three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk

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Notes to editors

For media information please contact Rachel Corcoran @ Lily Pad PR 07791 110910 rachel.corcoran@lilypadpr.co.uk 

1 Source – WineGB 2022 Industry Report