Gwinllan Conwy Vineyard

A vineyard in North Wales is not the location you expect for producing award winning wines but Gwinllan Conwy Vineyard has done just that. Colin and Charlotte planted 300 vines in 2012 having no previous experience of wine making. Gwinllan Conwy is now 3 acres with 3000 vines.

Located on the edge of Snowdonia National Park the land is perfectly situated to grow vines. Being on a south facing slope, protected from the winds by the Orme on the north coast and the Snowdonia mountains taking all the rain coming from the Irish Sea, Gwinllan Conway has its own micro-climate.

The terror is perfect too as vines like to work hard and with the top soil only about a metre deep on top of the rock bed they certainly do here.

Countryfile recently filmed here as nature to nurture is something Colin and Charlotte are very passionate about. They are trialing using sheep fleeces around the base of each vine, this increases nutrients into the soil as the fleeces degrade. This isn't the only benefit of the fleeces; being white they reflect sunlight which ripens the grapes producing a higher sugar content.

Buying the fleeces from local farmers at a fair price is important to Gwinllan Conwy Vineyard, they believe in working together to produce the best from the Welsh countryside.

After our tour of the vines we returned to the lovely tasting area where Colin introduced us to four of their range. The room was so light with great views across the vines to the mountains beyond. 

Our four wines were presented in mini carafes one at a time as Colin explained about each; Chardonnay, Solaris, Rosé and Rondo, although I actually think our red wine was Pinot Noir.

Our first wine, Limited Release Chardonnay, was oaked for three weeks in a previous Chardonnay cask. In colour it has a slight green hue with a hint of oak on the nose. It was full of green apple in flavour with a slightly acidic finish. 

Solaris is a grape we don't often find and Gwinllan use it in four different ways; sparkling, still and dessert wines, and in gin. It had similar characteristics to Sauvignon Blanc but with a lighter aroma. On the palate it had a lovely tropical, slightly gooseberry flavour with a soft lengthy finish. 

The Rosé wine was made from Pinot Noir with coppery highlights in its salmon pink colour. Its aroma reminded me of candy floss and this slight sweetness continued in its strawberry and apply flavour. 

Our red wine was Rondo, slight oakiness from French oak casks the wine was light in colour, full of fruit with light tannins. 

The wines are not made on site, once the grapes sre harvested they are taken a few hours drive away to the winemaker. 

Talking of lunch after our tasting we enjoyed a lovely cheese platter. Charlotte served us a variety of Welsh cheeses, a delicious way to finish our tour.

Plas Mawr

Hidden away behind a substantial gatehouse in the centre of Conwy is Plas Mawr a fine Elizabethan townhouse. The gatehouse in the High Street sits alongside many independent shops and it isn't until you step inside into the courtyard you begin to discover this amazing house.

The house was built by Robert Wynn who amassed his fortune through many business dealing throughout Europe in Tudor times. He purchased the land in 1570 and commissioned specialist plasterers to produce the heraldic emblems of his and his wife Dorothy's families.

Sadly Dorothy died in 1586, Robert remarried, his second wife also being called Dorothy, they had seven children. 

Plas Mawr is a Cadw property and has been extensively restored with the rooms furnished as they would have been in the mid 1660s. The audio guide provided on admission was superb with Robert Wynn narrating and his wife adding her thoughts and opinions, it certainly bought the building to life. 

The kitchen played a very important part in the Elizabethan household with grand meals. Plas Mawr's owner enjoyed entertaining in the style of high Society and court, as such the house would have had as many as twenty servants.

An important room was the brewhouse, the room used to brew small ale which was drunk by most people as water was not as clean as it is today. It was also used to heat large quantities of water used for laundry.

Robert certainly put his mark on the house with many dated plasterwork in the rooms, particularly above fireplaces. 

The attic rooms had quite low ceilings as originally the floor below was designed to ha e high ceilings to the roof, displaying the well structured roof beams. A second floor was fitted and so only these attic rooms show the timbers with their original pegs. In subsequent years these rooms were let to tenants as after Robert's death in 1665 his daughter Elin marries and no longer lives in the house.

The history of the house, it's owner Robert Wynn, his family and the story of the house since the 1600s is amazing. It is such a surprise nestling in the middle of a bustling town. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit especially with the audio guide.

Conwy Castle

Our holiday stay in North Wales looked across the Conwy Estuary to Conwy castle, what a view, and so of course a visit was a must. As members for over two years of English Heritage we can also visit Cadw properties which opens up so many exciting places, Conwy Castle being just one. 

It is another of Edward I's fortress ring, this time he also built walls around the town. Using his architect Master James of St George Edward's castle and walled town was completed in just 4 years, 1283 - 1287.

Today there are three bridges crossing the estuary to give access to the town and it's Castle, however when built Edward I defended the water access with outer battlements. 

The road bridge was built in the late 1950s and was the main road through Conwy until a tunnel was built under the estuary in 1991 for the A55 tunk road to Angelsey.

The beautiful suspension bridge is one of Thomas Telford's finest and is the same design as his bridge to Angelsey, the Menai Bridge. It was built in 1826 and is now looked after by National Trust.

The third bridge is for rail, built by Robert Stephenson in 1849. It is the only example remaining of his tubular bridge made of wrought iron. All three bridges run parallel to each other, quite a feat of engineering spanning the Conwy river. 

Despite building this magnificent eight towered fortress with the high outer walls built to provide defence and safety Edward I only stayed once at the castle and his wife Eleanor of Castile died before it was completed. Maybe this accounts for the glum looking welcomer.

Edward II did however spend a number of months here in 1301. Richard II was also at the castle in 1399, unsuccessfully negotiating before being captured. The castle was used over time as intended with the royal apartments changed into one large chamber. As with many properties across England and Wales the castle was heavily damaged during the Civil War and never used as a residence again. 

There is so much to explore, many of the spiral staircases are still complete a d once climbed the views are amazing. The remaining walls give a good insight into how life was intended to be, if only for a few years by successive royals and not its builder Edward I.

It was another superb visit, you can easily let your imagination flow picturing the castle draped in royal banners with knights on horseback. It was certainly an imposing place in a stunning location, one of Wales' best, if built by an English King. 

Beaumaris Castle

Bank Holiday we drove over to Angelsey to visit Beaumaris, a bustling small town with a castle in its centre. Beaumaris means fair marsh and the castle was built by Edward I as the final castle intended to rule the people of Wales. 

The town itself is a mix of medieval, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian building now gift shops, cafes and bars filled with tourists. A walk along its pier gives great views of the Menai Straits and the mixture of boats sailing by.

Beaumaris Castle is famous as the 'greatest castle never built', a strange claim to fame but true. Edward I and Sir James of St George, his trusted architect, planned a magnificent castle to be the best of all they had built across Wales.

The castle has a symmetry that is almost true with a moat, strong outer walls and six towers in the inner castle. They were never completed to their full height which now gives the impression of a squat castle. The outer walls were built for defence, an abundance of arrow slits along the walkable walls.

Midway through building Beaumaris Edward I had to move his troops to Scotland. He is funds were also needed to be diverted to help the conflicts in the north and as such work on Beaumaris stopped in the 1320s leaving behind a superb but unfinished castle. 

We had a great, if at times challanging, exploration of the castle, including walking the walls and Hubby climbing the spiral stairs to the high levels. I wo der what it would have looked like finished, I can imagine the towers would have stood very tall and imposing.