Hello Reader !This is our first Blog ever!
What about that. I am very excited and hope to get some response from you guys. I dont know what i am doing, but it is all great fun.
Right here goes.
We run an organic vineyard here in the South east, in east sussex , near hastings: 7 miles north of it. Hastings is by the seaside, great beaches and great for Holidays because you get the best Fish and Chips you have ever had in your life.
I came from Germany 25 years ago and could not believe the Beauty of the Place. And the fresh Air, out of this world.
Now to the Facts: if you think growing organic grapes and making wine is very glamourous, you are quite mistaken. Its very hard work, but also amazingly satisfying.
And, of course, plenty of lovely wine to drink.
With all this hard work, you need lots of help and we have had such lovely helpers over the last 25 years!
We are members of the organization WWOOF: Willing Workers on organic Farms, and that has been amazing for us. We could not have survived for so long without such lovely students, from all over the world. They usually stay 1 week or 2 weeks in a Caravan, and help us with all aspects of the work at the time.
Lets say at the moment (February 2010): It has been a very hard January, I don't have to tell you about all the snow, etc. So it meant we could not prune the vines out in the vineyard yet, we have just started two days ago!
Two lovely helpers from Germany are staying with us at the moment. They love wine and all aspects of it and are taking a course at the Plumpton Agricultural College for two years.
At the end of that, they will have a certificate and they can go anywhere in the World and run a Vineyard! How great is that!
I think you will need to hear some more about How it all started!
There once was this german chick, 24 years old, met this lovely English bloke, 35 years with an turquoise old morris minor (Car) telling me he had a vineyard in England! I thought that was a great pick-up line, but once I visited him in England, I totally fell in love with the Place and still am.
Its peaceful , right down the bottom in a quiet place, 10 acres of beautiful countryside and a gorgeous 1 acre wood! You can even play Pooh sticks (we are not far from that wood).
There was one vineyard here and we planted more vineyards together and Roy made the Wine.
I always liked the wine he made, but friends and customers tell me that, of course, the wine is much better now. We were always organic, from beginning on.
What does that mean? No weedkillers, no systemic sprays and a lot less sulphur--much better for these hangovers and headaches! Its soo clean and tasty , its quite difficult to stop because it tastes so good! Dont i know it. We make White Wine, Rose Wine, Red wine , Bubbly , Liqueurs and also Apple Wine, Elderberry and Cider.
I am just so proud of it all, the wine and wine making, the vineyard and the House we built !
With a group of 20 people, only 4 of which knew what they were doing!! We built it in 3 weeks, I will find some pictures to show in a few days!It looks like a swedish wooden house. We did do B&B for one year, but then we had lovely baby Alex (now a strapping lad of 20!) and had to stop doing that.
We do have a vineyard shop here and meet fantastic people all year long. Even in January! I had some people from Texas on Holiday here in little old England, enjoying the great Sussex Flair...old houses and little country lanes.
Right i am stopping for now, cooking dinner :organic curry!! and chickpea stew..
great, talk tomorrow. bye for now
No comments:
Post a Comment