THE HILLS of Malvern may not be the first place people would expect award-winning wine to come from - but this vineyard proves it can be done.
Two Beacons vineyard straddles the border between Worcestershire and Herefordshire. The altitude of the hills, along with the south-facing slopes, is a perfect location for grape vines.
Ceri Phipps and Tim Dutton co-founded Two Beacons in 2018 planting 4,000 vines in a former bean field.
"The first vineyard was a test to see if you can grow good grapes here and make good wine," Mr Phipps said.
"And the answer was yes."
Tim Willder, who works in the fields, explains the process of farming the grapes: "We start pruning at the end of February, as we like to leave it as late as possible to avoid disease.
"Then, when the weather allows us to, we pull the prunings off the vines.
"Once the buds begin to burst in April, we tie down the branches and spend the next month worrying about frost."
Mr Willder has known Mr Phipps since childhood and grew up on Herefordshire hop farms.
"After that time has passed, the vines look bare, and then over the course of a weekend, it becomes just covered in greenery.
"From June until mid-July, we train the growth of the vines to keep them in the wires.
"Then harvest comes round in the autumn and we finish that around the end of August."
After a successful first six years, Two Beacons are expanding their vineyard. A new field of 12,000 vines, treble the number in the first field, was planted this year.
Winemaking in Britain has become significantly more common in the past two decades Mr Dutton said: "If you look on a map, Southern England isn't much further north than places like Champagne.
"The climate isn't too different than in Spain and France.
"The number of vines planted in the UK in the past 20 years has increased tenfold."
This massive growth of the wine industry in the UK has also seen the introduction of the WineGB Awards, a national competition for the English and Welsh wine industry.
At the 2024 awards, Two Beacons picked up four awards for its wines, and we gave all four a taste.
Sparkling Pinot Noir 2021 Rose
This pale-pink sparkling rose won a silver award at the ceremony. Made with pinot noir, one of the three types of grape used in champagne, this sweet and delicate wine has strong hints of apples and cherries, with a ripe aroma.
Bacchus 2022:
This white wine was also awarded a silver award by WineGB. Bacchus grapes are a commonly grown fruit in British vineyards, with this vintage offering a sweet and crisp taste, while remaining remarkably refreshing while keeping a citrusy taste.
Pinot Noir Precoce 2021:
The 2021 vintage of this red wine was awarded gold thanks to its complex taste. The wine is bittersweet and acidic and has continued to mature since bottling.
Pinot Noir Precoce 2022:
Thanks to a different growing period and production, the bronze award-winning red wine has a fruiter and smoother taste, with a slightly more purple tint.
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