Corks pop as Northamptonshire couple celebrate ten years of winemaking
Most people celebrate success with a glass of bubbly, yet one Northamptonshire couple doesn’t have far to reach when it comes to cracking open a bottle!
Husband and wife team Bill and Flora Hulme from Brixworth run Fleur Fields Vineyard, and corks there are currently flying as the pair celebrates ten years in business with a host of top wine-making awards. Indeed, fresh from being shortlisted for their Champs D’Amour Sparkling White in the ‘Best Local Drink’ category of the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards (devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd), the couple have just picked up a handful of gongs at the recent Mercian Vineyards Association 2010 Wine Challenge, a competition open to members from across central and northern England, Scotland and northern Wales.
The sparkling white picked up a bronze medal while its sister wine, the Champs D’Amour Rosé, went one better, securing one of just five silver medals granted to the 150 entrants. It was also named Best Sparkling Wine, Best Vintage Wine and Best Wine in the East Midlands.
For Bill and Flora it marks a fantastic achievement since the idea was born to set up their own vineyard. Said Bill: “After a holiday in Tuscany, Flora and I decided to bring a little bit of the life home with us and resolved to have a vineyard. We had the perfect spot in mind - a south facing meadow at the top of the hill over looking Pitsford Reservoir. With the help and support of our friends and family we planted the vines and now we have bottled the sunshine and laughter in both our still and sparkling wines”.
For Flora the recent success is real reward for the efforts of their labours: “There were many who said we simply couldn’t do it but a decade on, we’re proving our doubters wrong! We’ve known for a long time that our wines rival any from around the world and these awards are the seal of approval that we’re getting it right. What’s even better is that some of our wine is sold in France – so it’s a real ‘coals to Newcastle’ success story!”
Despite the couple’s obvious joy at their achievements, they’re not resting on their laurels - as Bill explained.
“Until now we’ve been sending our grapes to a facility in Gloucestershire for pressing and bottling but with the expansion of our vineyards to some 5,000 vines over recent years, we’re now looking to build our own winery within the next two years. That will mark a really big step for us because then we can truly claim it as a Northamptonshire wine – the county in which the Romans first brought wine-making to Britain more than 200 years ago.”
As well as their outlet in France, the couple retail their wines at food shows – only last bank holiday weekend at the Northamptonshire Food Show @ Holdenby – specialist markets, select local venues and direct from their vineyard in Brixworth. They also provide guided tours to groups and organisations (subject to advanced booking).
Posted by: Carlsberg UK Ltd
