Chateau Hearnden

Rhubarb Wine

Dandelion Wine

Wine is my hobby .... and not just drinking it but making it too. Before our children were born I made wine every year but this lapsed over time. 

In 2014 I started my hobby again, very successful but I didn't make any more ... I still have three bottles of my 2014 vintage !!

I made Rhubarb with some fruit a friend gave me from their allotment; Dandelion for which I picked a gallon of dandelion heads and boiled them (the things I do for my art) and Elderflower which also involved picking a gallon of flowers. 

Elderflower Wine

Final trio

My final three bottles have been sitting in a hessian bag for the last year - not my usual way of storing wine but they were ready to be tasted at the Cuvée Reserve Wine Weekend last April in Stratford-upon-avon. 

Unfortunately the weekend did not go to plan and although plenty of wine was enjoyed by others I was the one plastered and my wine came back home. 

So it is ready .... and I hope not over ready... for this year's Cuvée Reserve Wine Weekend which is at the end of April in Somerset. 

So it seemed an appropriate time to start making some more, it's not dandelion, rhubarb or elderflower season just yet so I made a wine from TEA !! When I made this years ago our neighbour underestimated it's strength.... hopefully this will be as good :)

A month to stew - looks so inviting !!

Time to transfer -
no better way to spend a snow day 

It's bubble time :) 

The book I use for my recipes is very special to me - it belonged to my Grandad who made lots of wine.....but didn't always leave it to finish before drinking it - he lived to 91 so it couldn't have been so bad.

My Grandad's book - it's in three pieces !!

Over the last year I have become very reliant on a particular bag of frozen peas - they have been in the freezer, on my ankle, back in the freezer, on my ankle many many times. Obviously uneatable but being as it still isn't rhubarb, dandelion or elderflower time I am experimenting - so this month's stew is PEA wine hee hee

I am sure my wine will not be anywhere near the standard of wine we will be enjoying this Saturday at Love Wine Festival in Guildford but it's great fun and who knows maybe Chateau Hearnden will be famous one day !