East of England
Published in Woman's Weekly 20th October 2009
Published in Woman's Weekly 20th October 2009
East of England vineyards and breweries trip.
Where can you visit a variety of vineyards and sample wines that remind you of France? Sample a diverse range of fabulous beers, yet isn’t in Belgium and discover a new whiskey distillery outside of Scotland and Ireland.
Believe it or not, my leisurely tour took place in East Anglia and I can highly recommend it as a gentle way to explore this varied area of Britain.
For many people, the idea of a thriving wine industry in the UK is treated with astonishment and derision thanks largely to the sale of appalling “British” wines made cheaply from imported wine concentrate. Cheap, characterless and disgusting, discerning consumers give them a wide berth yet the modern, independent home wine industry is not the joke it once was and is worth seeking out.
We have a tradition of growing vines in Britain which can be traced back to Roman times and continued to prosper long after the Norman Conquest, when a substantial number of vineyards where planted at monastic institutions. The industry virtually fizzled between the two world wars until a number of pioneers re-introduced the English wine revival.
Modern, professional techniques and a greater understanding of the blending process have enabled growers to compete with the best in the world by adapting our longer and slower ripening season to bring out greater flavour. My first port of call was at Carter’s Vineyard near Colchester where I met the remarkable Mary Mudd who originally established the vineyard back in 1990. Mary’s original idea was to plant a woodland and flower meadow for wildlife but she soon took to the daunting challenge of wine production despite having no qualifications or experience in the wine trade. At first, things were tough and some people were questioning Mary’s sanity but her determination and thirst for knowledge paid off. By 1995 Mary had gained a winemaking qualification from Plumpton College in Sussex and expanded the business to incorporate a nature trail, picnic site and an alternative green energy project to power the enterprise harnessing the wind and sunshine to produce electricity. These days Mary continues to work alongside a small team of people headed by Ben Bunting who are committed to producing wines of the highest standards.
Carter’s Vineyards
Tel: 01206 271136
www.cartersvineyards.co.uk
Open 7 days a week from 11.00am to 5.00pm Easter Monday to the end of October
Shawsgate Vineyard is one of East Anglia’s oldest commercial vineyards producing a range of white, red and rose wines. Visitors are welcome to walk around the vineyard at their own leisure complete with an information sheet and vineyard map or you can book one of their a special tours. The Experience day includes a comprehensive guided tour, wine tasting, lunch and a complementary bottle or their favourite wine. Alternatively the vineyard run evening tours from May to Mid September.
Shawsgate Vineyard
Tel: 01728 724060
www.shawsgate.co.uk
If you have time, a visit to the nearby historic market town of Framlington is well worth a detour. Dominating the skyline is the 12th century Castle where the views from the upper battlements are spectacular. An audio tour, exhibition and animated film help to make the most of your time and the 16th century Crown Hotel in market square is the perfect place for a light bite and refreshments.
Continuing on the winery trail leads me to the ancient estate of Wyken, featuring the romantic Elizabethan Manor House and gardens of the remarkable Carla Carlisle who runs the estate alongside her husband, the politician Sir Kenneth Carlisle. Carla was born and raised in Mississippi but has embraced the English country life style with defiant utopianism through a series of projects including the planting of a vineyard, converting a 400 year old barn into an award-winning restaurant and country store and writing an amusing weekly ‘Spectator’ column for ‘Country Life’ about her life in Suffolk. The wines aren’t bad either and go splendidly with the locally sourced seasonal food served in wonderful surroundings. I thoroughly recommend a visit.
Wyken Vineyards
Tel:
Restaurant: 01359 250287
Shop: 01359 250262
Estate Office 01359 252372
www.wykenvineyards.co.uk
My final vineyard destination near Bury St Edmunds is set in the old walled kitchen garden on the grounds of Ickworth House, the 18th Century mansion formerly owned by the fun loving Marquises of Bristol and now run on our behalf by The National Trust. For a real treat, look out for special promotional offers to stay in the East Wing of this beautiful house which has been sympathetically converted into a luxurious family hotel surrounded by 1800 acres of stunning scenery.
Ickworth wines have won many medals and trophies over the years and there are regular open days for wine tasting, talks and a self guided trail.
Ickworth Vineyard open days are on the first Sunday of each month from June to October
www.ickworthvineyard.co.uk
Ickworth House Hotel
Tel: 01284 735350
www.ickworthhotel.co.uk
For real ale enthusiasts, all roads lead to the heart of the bustling market town of Bury St Edmunds where the Greene King Visitor Centre is located. Beer has been brewed on the site since at least the 1700 and it is now home to a selection of great brews including Abbot Ale, Green King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Ruddles and special limited edition seasonal ales.
The guided tour of the museum, art deco brew house with Italian marble and tasting in the Brewery Tap room is extremely popular and it’s advisable to book well in advance to ensure a place.
Greene King Visitor Centre
Tel: 01284 714297
www.greeneking.co.uk/visitor_centre.htm
My greatest discovery was finding the first and only registered whisky distilling company in England fittingly called St. George’s near Thretford in Norfolk. The £1 million modern distillery, whisky shop, café and conference centre opened its doors to the public back in the summer of 2007 following a visit from Prince Charles and hopes to be selling around 100,000 bottles by the time of the London Olympics in 2012. During the fascinating guided tour I discovered that the county of Norfolk is an ideal location for making whisky as it’s a prime barely-growing area and has good sources of underground water. Experts have given it favourable reviews in blind tasting tests, which bodes well for the company as they prepare to compete with Scotch and Irish malts in the bars around the world.
The English Whisky Co
www.englishwhisky.co.uk/home.html
Tel: 01953 717939
For a breath of fresh air I couldn’t resist the charms of the quintessential English resort town of Southwold on the Suffolk Heritage Coast. I could have wept when I compared the brilliantly renovated Southwold pier with the sadly neglected and closed down pier in my home town of Hastings. Nothing is quite so depressing at a seaside resort than a unloved pier. So it was heartening to see Sothwold’s greatest attraction and winner of the prestigious title of ‘Best Tourism Experience 2008’ looking so splendidly traditional yet with a hint of contemporary style and humour.
Where can you visit a variety of vineyards and sample wines that remind you of France? Sample a diverse range of fabulous beers, yet isn’t in Belgium and discover a new whiskey distillery outside of Scotland and Ireland.
Believe it or not, my leisurely tour took place in East Anglia and I can highly recommend it as a gentle way to explore this varied area of Britain.
For many people, the idea of a thriving wine industry in the UK is treated with astonishment and derision thanks largely to the sale of appalling “British” wines made cheaply from imported wine concentrate. Cheap, characterless and disgusting, discerning consumers give them a wide berth yet the modern, independent home wine industry is not the joke it once was and is worth seeking out.
We have a tradition of growing vines in Britain which can be traced back to Roman times and continued to prosper long after the Norman Conquest, when a substantial number of vineyards where planted at monastic institutions. The industry virtually fizzled between the two world wars until a number of pioneers re-introduced the English wine revival.
Modern, professional techniques and a greater understanding of the blending process have enabled growers to compete with the best in the world by adapting our longer and slower ripening season to bring out greater flavour. My first port of call was at Carter’s Vineyard near Colchester where I met the remarkable Mary Mudd who originally established the vineyard back in 1990. Mary’s original idea was to plant a woodland and flower meadow for wildlife but she soon took to the daunting challenge of wine production despite having no qualifications or experience in the wine trade. At first, things were tough and some people were questioning Mary’s sanity but her determination and thirst for knowledge paid off. By 1995 Mary had gained a winemaking qualification from Plumpton College in Sussex and expanded the business to incorporate a nature trail, picnic site and an alternative green energy project to power the enterprise harnessing the wind and sunshine to produce electricity. These days Mary continues to work alongside a small team of people headed by Ben Bunting who are committed to producing wines of the highest standards.
Carter’s Vineyards
Tel: 01206 271136
www.cartersvineyards.co.uk
Open 7 days a week from 11.00am to 5.00pm Easter Monday to the end of October
Shawsgate Vineyard is one of East Anglia’s oldest commercial vineyards producing a range of white, red and rose wines. Visitors are welcome to walk around the vineyard at their own leisure complete with an information sheet and vineyard map or you can book one of their a special tours. The Experience day includes a comprehensive guided tour, wine tasting, lunch and a complementary bottle or their favourite wine. Alternatively the vineyard run evening tours from May to Mid September.
Shawsgate Vineyard
Tel: 01728 724060
www.shawsgate.co.uk
If you have time, a visit to the nearby historic market town of Framlington is well worth a detour. Dominating the skyline is the 12th century Castle where the views from the upper battlements are spectacular. An audio tour, exhibition and animated film help to make the most of your time and the 16th century Crown Hotel in market square is the perfect place for a light bite and refreshments.
Continuing on the winery trail leads me to the ancient estate of Wyken, featuring the romantic Elizabethan Manor House and gardens of the remarkable Carla Carlisle who runs the estate alongside her husband, the politician Sir Kenneth Carlisle. Carla was born and raised in Mississippi but has embraced the English country life style with defiant utopianism through a series of projects including the planting of a vineyard, converting a 400 year old barn into an award-winning restaurant and country store and writing an amusing weekly ‘Spectator’ column for ‘Country Life’ about her life in Suffolk. The wines aren’t bad either and go splendidly with the locally sourced seasonal food served in wonderful surroundings. I thoroughly recommend a visit.
Wyken Vineyards
Tel:
Restaurant: 01359 250287
Shop: 01359 250262
Estate Office 01359 252372
www.wykenvineyards.co.uk
My final vineyard destination near Bury St Edmunds is set in the old walled kitchen garden on the grounds of Ickworth House, the 18th Century mansion formerly owned by the fun loving Marquises of Bristol and now run on our behalf by The National Trust. For a real treat, look out for special promotional offers to stay in the East Wing of this beautiful house which has been sympathetically converted into a luxurious family hotel surrounded by 1800 acres of stunning scenery.
Ickworth wines have won many medals and trophies over the years and there are regular open days for wine tasting, talks and a self guided trail.
Ickworth Vineyard open days are on the first Sunday of each month from June to October
www.ickworthvineyard.co.uk
Ickworth House Hotel
Tel: 01284 735350
www.ickworthhotel.co.uk
For real ale enthusiasts, all roads lead to the heart of the bustling market town of Bury St Edmunds where the Greene King Visitor Centre is located. Beer has been brewed on the site since at least the 1700 and it is now home to a selection of great brews including Abbot Ale, Green King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Ruddles and special limited edition seasonal ales.
The guided tour of the museum, art deco brew house with Italian marble and tasting in the Brewery Tap room is extremely popular and it’s advisable to book well in advance to ensure a place.
Greene King Visitor Centre
Tel: 01284 714297
www.greeneking.co.uk/visitor_centre.htm
My greatest discovery was finding the first and only registered whisky distilling company in England fittingly called St. George’s near Thretford in Norfolk. The £1 million modern distillery, whisky shop, café and conference centre opened its doors to the public back in the summer of 2007 following a visit from Prince Charles and hopes to be selling around 100,000 bottles by the time of the London Olympics in 2012. During the fascinating guided tour I discovered that the county of Norfolk is an ideal location for making whisky as it’s a prime barely-growing area and has good sources of underground water. Experts have given it favourable reviews in blind tasting tests, which bodes well for the company as they prepare to compete with Scotch and Irish malts in the bars around the world.
The English Whisky Co
www.englishwhisky.co.uk/home.html
Tel: 01953 717939
For a breath of fresh air I couldn’t resist the charms of the quintessential English resort town of Southwold on the Suffolk Heritage Coast. I could have wept when I compared the brilliantly renovated Southwold pier with the sadly neglected and closed down pier in my home town of Hastings. Nothing is quite so depressing at a seaside resort than a unloved pier. So it was heartening to see Sothwold’s greatest attraction and winner of the prestigious title of ‘Best Tourism Experience 2008’ looking so splendidly traditional yet with a hint of contemporary style and humour.
