“Wine is Sunlight Held Together by Water”… Galileo

Tuesday began as an unusually bright day, we decided to get a morning hike in. We had cut short a hike in Chipping Campden due to rain so we decided to go back and finish it out first.

As with our most recent hikes, we see a turn in the weather from sunny and blue to grey and rainy. This day, Middle-earth is clear and we can see Wales off in the distance. We tromp through the high wet grass and wind our way through the woods through several sheep gates to another beautiful vista.

This part of the trail is a steep descent toward Santbury. The sky is dry, but all the recent rain leaves the ground damp and deceivingly slippery. We each nearly land bottoms up but recover if not gracefully at least with dignity and dry bottom. The nagging realization is… if what’s up must come down, then what’s down will inevitably go up…. and soon we recognize we must face the inevitable! Well stay in the moment. There are farms and Manor Houses of various stature. Some are rustic and small, family owned with chickens and dogs roaming the yard. Some are larger and look out to sheep or cows grazing. Lawns are usually trimmed close as the livestock grazes daily. We remember our lawnmower broke just before this trip…. wonder how our neighbors would feel about sheep?

Well just a short jog in the road to the gate marking the trail. A few steps in and we embrace the inevitable …uphill climb. While previously in Lucca, we looked out over the Apuan Alps and thought about the Von Trapp Family hiking high and away to freedom… this uphill hike on a very wooded area.. looked more like Swiss Family Robinson. We steeled ourselves for the climb and pressed on. Funny thing… as slippery as mud is going down.. it is equally as slippery going up. We had visions of sliding all the way down like a snowball gaining momentum.. just as a light rain began to fall…

Well this too shall pass. The chortling chuckle of the pheasants ( who do not mind the rain at all) and the sheep who occasionally shake like a wet dog to dry out a little, take no notice, so we take our cue to just continue. Going uphill is a lot warmer than going down. We will definitely close our exercise ring on our watches today! As we finally reach the top, navigate across the stretch of road and find our way back to the beginning… the sun breaks through the cloud cover and we are graced with another stunning view.

When we announced we were retiring and heading off on this trip, our kids threw us a party.

We are blessed with very cool kids and very cool friends. Lauren and Phil ( who are friends and still kids, though not our kids) surprised us with a wine tasting at a little town they hoped would not be too far from Blockley- Chipping Campden! Well Chipping Campden is not far and is a favorite of ours…. who knew they had a vineyard?! We wove our way along from the hike to find the Little Oak Vineyard.

 

If you are ever in the Cotswolds, this tour and tasting is a treat! We nearly drove past, then pulled right in to the vineyard. There was a newly built building which was

all glass one one side looking out to the vines. We rang the bell and an older gentleman spryly strode over to us- would you like a little walk around and taste some wines? He had us at hello! Steve, now retired from his career as a chemical engineer, ( he worked to invent the UV drying technology that dentists use to dry a filling and car manufacturers us when gluing interiors together, etc… bright guy!) showed us the vineyard. As we walked we chatted. Steve is a very curious and absorbing man. He had the interest as a wine lover to try growing grapes and making his own wine. He definitely understands the subtleties of wine and the restrictions a little vineyard in the Cotswolds would face. When he first planted vines, he did not realize it would be three years before the would produce grapes enough for wine. He has persisted and now has hundreds of vines and would like to expand if he can purchase the fallow lot behind him. He talked about the two types of wines they currently produce-one sparkling and one still. The grapes for the still wine had been harvested this past weekend.

As we walked we talked about climate change and it’s impact on wine production. When he started in 2005, he had to chose the grapes that would develop here. Certain grapes would not have be possible as the growing

season in England was too short to develop the balance between sugars and acids in the grapes. Now, the sparkling wine grapes ( which were beautiful ) were still on the vine. The winery has won some awards and is bridging to enter the world market. Steve’s assistant at the winery entered the sparkling wine in a completion, not realizing how prestigious the completion was. They won a bronze medal! First time out of the gate that is more than impressive.

The vineyard is a local gem. They sponsor a “rent a vine” opportunity which draws people in. You can rent a vine for a year.., you tend it and assist in the harvest. The vineyard hosts a harvesting party where all the renters come help pick the grapes and then later, they  host a party when the wine is bottled. The renters get bottles from their vine with their name on the label. It all sounds like good fun.

As we reach the end of the the row of vines there are two very active beehives. We talk about how since this area has committed to more organic farming techniques and a reduction on the whole, in pesticide usage, the bee population is strengthening. As we walk back along the sparkling wine vines, we pass the chicken coop. The chicks small enough to squeeze through the fencing have made their way out of the coop and are free-ranging. The pear, apple and plum trees are all ripe with fruit. This small vineyard is alive with all types of nature.

We settle in the tasting room ( a sprinkle of rain wards us off from the outdoor seating).

While we were walking, we had discussed  how the sparking wine is very consistent year to year in its flavor and its production. The still wine, grown from a Siegerriebe Grape is very different year to year depending on the sun/rain and hot/cool ratio. We taste the wines from 2016 ( a wet, cool summer), 2018, a somewhat moderate summer, and 2017 a hot dry summer. As we are tasting, Gemma, Steve’s assistant who now leads the tastings arrived. She joined us. We shared the sparkling wine and then a surprise sample of Cotswold Gold brandy. When the vintage year was not so satisfactory, they tried distilling it to produce a very smooth delicious brandy.

No wine left untasted..

We left after 2 hours feeling we had learned so much and made new friends. The wine is very good – light and flavorful! They are cultivating Pinot noir grapes for possible bud grafting! Red wine to follow. What an enjoyable experience! If we lived closer…we would rent a vine.