The Malvern Hills Vineyards
The Malvern Hills Vineyards is a new partnership of six independent vineyards, which have chosen to team up to highlight how local experience, expertise and reputation in growing great grapes and making excellent wines is going from strength to strength in this area. This announcement comes just ahead of English Wine week as an example of the growth of the wine industry in the UK.
Together the six vineyards grow no fewer than 14 grape varieties over a total of 35 hectares spanning three counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. They produce a wide range of still and sparkling wines, regularly winning awards in international tasting competitions.
The six vineyards are Three Choirs, Chase End, Bromesberrow Place, Foxbury Fields, Marlbank and Two Beacons. The character and story of each vineyard is unique, but what they have in common is people with a passion for the art and craft of viticulture, and a respect for the soils that nurtures their vines.
The new collaboration aims to raise awareness and interest in this burgeoning sector which has deep roots in the Malvern Hills area. Grapevines are taking over where apples, pears and hops used to grow.
“We’ve been growing grapes at Three Choirs since 1973, when this was a very innovative thing to do,” says Martin Fowke, Managing Director. “The terroir has always been good for vines, and the effects of climate change now mean that we regularly have excellent growing conditions. In that time, we have seen huge changes in the shape of the market, with food and accommodation complementing the tours and tastings. Today, we are seeing more and more interest and desire to understand how we grow grapes, how we manage sustainably the vineyard and the winemaking, and how the changing climate is affecting quality, choices and practices.”
The youngest vineyard in Malvern Hills Vineyards collaboration is Marlbank, where Manager Jeremy Macklin brings experience from working closely with vineyards in France. “When I moved here in 2020 I discovered the marl soils were very similar to those in Burgundy, which produces excellent pinot noir grapes, so it was a bit of a “no-brainer” to plant 1500 pinot noir vines in a field where apples and pears used to grow.
All six vineyards offer tours and tastings. For contact details please go to the website, www.themalvernhillsvineyards.co.uk.