“We are a Cotswold vineyard producing a Cotswold product and want our wines to reflect the soil and be able to tell a story”

We met with the owner and founder of Woodchester Valley Vineyard to find out how a local enterprise is now producing award-winning wines of international acclaim.

Sitting in the tasting room at Woodchester Valley Vineyard with the glorious backdrop of vines stretching out across the valley, it’s hard to believe that less than two decades ago only sheep grazed this hillside with no whiff of a grape in sight.

Vineyard founder and owner, Fiona Shiner, has the confidence and knowledge of a lifelong vigneron, yet Fiona’s world today is a far cry from her former life as a corporate tax lawyer in Hong Kong.

Chatting over a glass of award-winning Sauvignon, Fiona told Murrays’ Liane Wheeler how it all began.

Growing up locally and attending school in Bath, Fiona’s heart was always in the Cotswolds but upon marrying her husband, Niall, they departed home soil and moved to Hong Kong for two years. Seventeen years later they finally returned! On return to the UK in 2002, Fiona and Niall bought his parent’s house in Amberley and Fiona contemplated next steps. “I was at a crossroads; the children were growing up and the choice was to update my training as a lawyer or do something completely different.”

Fiona describes how walking along the drive of her new home with her mother-in-law, contemplating what could be done with the land surrounding the house, wine sprung to mind!

Fiona explains it was around this time the English wine industry was beginning to look interesting. “Nyetimber was making a name for itself in Europe for making better sparkling wine than champagne. English wine was on the up, we had some land, and we had limestone which is good for wine and not that dissimilar to the soils of Burgundy.”

Small beginnings

In 2007 the decision was made to trial an acre of 800 vines with three grape varieties, pinot noir, bacchus and seyval blanc. Described by Fiona as, “a more intriguing option than retraining and going back into the office!” Intrigue revealed itself in the form of two of the wettest summers on record with Fiona explaining, “we were quite glad we’d only planted the one acre!” Extreme flooding resulted in a national crisis with the Australian press reporting the UK and Gloucestershire in particular, having ‘water, water everywhere, with not a drop to drink!’ and the army guarding bottled water in local supermarkets.

Unperturbed by this less than auspicious start,  Fiona pressed ahead embarking on various short viticulture courses, attending Plumpton College in Sussex where she learned how to grow and look after vines and also the basics of how to make wine.

Unlike brewing or creating spirits where you buy-in your ingredients and make the beverage all year round, with wine or cider you get ‘one chance a year.’ Fiona explains, “We’re pretty much on the edge of viticulture here with the cool climate, so there’s a lot of hand tending that goes into looking after the vines and at times I did think I’d bitten off more than I could chew.”

The first grape

The first crop came along in 2010, four years after initial planting. The grapes were taken to the Three Choirs Vineyard in Newent and used to create a Bacchus, most of which was sold to Nailsworth based delicatessen and fish restaurant, William’s Kitchen.

“It was at this point, once we’d tasted the wine, we thought this is a viable option”

Fiona explains they weren’t really ‘thinking big’ at this point but decided in 2011 to plant up a further three acres.

The first vintage

Confidence grew and within five years from initial planting it was decided the best way to take the business forward was with its own winery and the addition of a talented winemaker, Jeremy Mount. Fiona goes on, “We were patient to start with, tasted our first vintage and thought the grapes had the potential to make good wine.” In order to justify the winery, a suitable quantity of grapes was required which meant the acquisition of more land, including a plot from Woodchester’s former convent along with further land in nearby Stonehouse, bringing today’s acreage to circa 57 acres.

Accolade: award winning wines

Fast forward just over ten years from that first nervous taste of the initial Bacchus and 2022 saw the vineyard’s Sauvignon Blanc winning a Master Medal at the Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters Awards where judging is conducted in a blind tasting competition. “We sold all our Sauvignon Blanc in half a day; it was mayhem, and the website collapsed,” exudes Fiona.

Sauvignon Blanc was seen as an unusual grape in the UK with Woodchester Valley among the first to plant the variety. The award changed this and many other English vineyards are now planting Sauvignon Blanc. Fiona explains, “Global warming has made ripening grapes like Sauvignon Blanc in the English climate possible.” More sunshine and a longer growing season leads to riper grapes and a higher alcohol content.

When they first started making wine at WVV it was a struggle to get the alcohol content up to 11% but with the warmer weather it is getting easier to ripen grapes and the vineyard now has a red Pinot Précoce at 13%.

“We sold all our Sauvignon Blanc in half a day, it was mayhem”

A Fizzy future

Despite warmer temperatures in recent years the UK still best suits cool climate grape varieties and styles; Sauvignon Blanc is a good example of this along with traditional method sparkling wines. It used to be the case that 60% of the crop was used for still wine but the balance between still and sparkling is now equal; this is partly explained by the longer ageing process for sparkling varieties which can take up to 5 or even 6 years with the latest Chardonnay based Trigonia. Testament to being worth the wait as the vineyard recently claimed three gold awards in The Wine GB Awards with a joint first placing for the sparkling Blanc de Blanc, awarded ‘Best in the West.’

 ‘Still’ can’t get enough

Despite the increase in sparkling wine over recent years, Fiona explains the major emphasis of the vineyard remains on still wines. “Still is really important to us and I really believe in the still potential for the UK. The plan was always to have a balance of still and sparkling but we are seeing an increase in demand for still, winning a Gold Medal at the Global Wine Masters for our unoaked Pinot Gris, we can see real potential for the still wines and the sparkling is the icing on the cake.”

The secret to success:  Provenance and People

What is it that makes Woodchester Valley so special and the recipient of so many awards?

Fiona explains the emphasis has always centred around the vineyard’s location. The region benefits from excellent limestone soils with historic vineyards recorded in Stonehouse dating back to  the Domesday Book. The fact the vineyard is a single estate only producing wines from its own grapes is also cited as a key contributor to the vineyard’s success.

Plantings have been adjusted over the years, and the team has learned what grapes grow well and the wines best suited to Cotswold soil.

“Defra cites winemaking as the fastest growing edible agricultural crop sector in England”

A strong team is also vital to the vineyard’s success. Fiona explains, “Our winemaker Jeremy, has made wine all over the world, supported by the vineyard team who work tirelessly to look after the vines. We also have superb sales and support teams who ensure our customers have a wonderful experience at the vineyard.”

‘Local’ is at the heart of the business and the vineyard only sells to independent suppliers. Fiona explains this is partly out of respect to local farm shops and delis who don’t want to be price fighting supermarkets but also to allow local suppliers to stock a genuinely unique and local product.

Sustainability has also played an increasingly important role with the vineyard and winery gaining certification from Sustainable Wines Great Britain (SWGB) in 2022. The balance between the positive carbon footprint of the vines sequestering CO2 is recorded against the CO2 emissions from the winery; as a result, measures have been put in place to improve the vineyard’s carbon footprint, including the introduction of solar panels, sustainable packaging and even carrying out worm counts… yes, actually digging a hole and counting worms… the vineyard scores highly!

Beyond the grape

Never standing still, Fiona has recently branched out into holiday lets offering the ultimate holiday break with three luxury vineyard barns, a two-bed farmhouse and the 6 bed Woodchester Valley House which sleeps up to 14. As you’d expect, each of the properties is stylishly presented and each with glorious views of the vines. A stay in one of the holiday lets can be combined with a tour of the vineyard and of course, wine tasting.

Aside from the holiday lets the vineyard team also run year-round tours and tasting, ‘wine and charcuterie’ and ‘fish and fizz’ evenings, as well as coupling with local businesses to host team building and corporate events.

Fiona laughs and describes how she went into the business expecting to grow grapes and make wine but now finds herself working across multiple sectors including hospitality and tourism as well as working with local businesses and trade customers. “It turns out wine making has many facets!” exclaims Fiona.

Always one step ahead of the game, the vineyard has created its first non-alcoholic drink, Verjuice. Made from the greener fruit using Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, Verjuice can also be used as a condiment or flavour enhancer for cooking. Fiona explains it’s important to be aware of changing habits and whilst she’s a firm believer wine will always ‘remain resilient’, she explains the Verjuice makes a mighty fine mocktail.

Here’s to the future

What does the future hold, both for Woodchester Valley and English wine generally?

The English wine industry is still very new and whilst wines have come a very long way from the early days of English wine making, key now is to ensure the quality remains at its current level.

The industry is not without its challenges. Warmer weather may at first seem a blessing but the unpredictability of today’s weather brings its own challenges. Pricing too is also a challenge with smaller producers in competition with some of the larger growers who can produce more cheaply due to economies of scale.

One thing is for sure, Fiona and her team at Woodchester Valley are moving forward with gusto. Whilst English winemaking may be a relatively new industry, Defra (Department for Environment, Farming & Rural Affairs) nonetheless cites it as the fastest growing edible agricultural crop sector in England.

The future’s bright, dare we say it, even rosé.  We’ll drink to that!