Chilford Hall Vineyards

 As part of Steven's birthday, he was given a voucher for a wine tour and wine tasting for two at Chilford Hall Vineyards. Tucked away in Cambridgeshire, just a 30 min drive outside of Cambridge is the most beautiful family owned vineyard and we were lucky enough to go and explore this past week.



Our tour included a tour of the beautiful vines on the grounds of a beautiful old hall, where we learned about the history of Chilford Hall Vineyards and the process of growing the vines. Did you know that England has become one of the best places to grow vines in the world? Turns out climate change is good for something... ha! Due to the increased temperatures here in the UK, even French winemakers are planting vine here and producing better wine than they do in Europe. Who would have thought it? 

OUTFIT DETAILS

Dress - here

Sandals - Similar

Denim Jacket - Similar

Bag - Similar

After our tour of the vineyards (and running around in them), we were taken to the processing barn where we got to see how the wine was made. All their wine is processed right onsite, making white, reds and sparkling wine. We got to see the massive steel press and the big units used to turn the grapes into alcoholic wine.

Then for the good bit, we got to taste the wine! Wine is actually so fascinating, I really knew nothing about it. We were taught how to test the acidity of the wine (a funny process of leaning over with your mouth open and waiting until you dribble - I don't recommend trying it in public. Ha!) We learned how to look for 'legs' in the wine to find out how alcoholic it is.

Apparently, 2016 was one of the best years for winemaking, due to the lovely long hot summer we had. We know all about how hot that summer was, as 2016 was the summer we got married, where I almost passed out in the church due to the heat. So, of course, we had to buy a couple of vintages as a cheers to our wedding! Which we might have already drunk ... don't judge. 

Following the tasting, we enjoyed a lovely lunch too. It was such a lovely day out, and so nice to do something a bit different too! And not too far from home either, meaning I can go and restock on the regular now.  If you're looking for something a bit differnt to do this summer, I highly recommend booking on to one of their tours - it lasts about 4 hours in total. You get wine, food and to frolick in vines - what more could you ask for? XO