The Cecchi Challenge

Last Thursday I was invited by Brad (@winetimelondon) to take part in the Cecchi Challenge: a zoom event with other wine enthusiasts to learn more about Tuscan wine. The event included a quiz with the chance to win a case of  Cecchi wine. 

Hubby and I know a little but not much about Italian wine, especially wine from Tuscany and using Zoom is a very new experience for us, so we were excited but a touch apprehensive. This was added to as the quiz was using a totally new app to us, Kahoot. 

Our sample wines arrived for Ellen (@freerunpr) in a long thin cardboard box. I was so excited to open it hoping for some information, however it was just the wines .... this was certainly going to be a Challenge! 

Hubby and I set up my tablet for Zoom and I had my phone ready with Kahoot. It was lovely to see everyone online, some wine friends we have not seen for a while and Robb who we met last week at White Castle Vineyard. 

However we could only see four people at a time and had to keep scrolling. I now know that this is a feature of using an android tablet and had we used the laptop we would have seen everyone together; next time! 

Brad and Hannah (@the.british.bouchon) co-hosted the event along with Ben (@freerunpr). We had a fab presentation about Tuscany; the location, the vineyards, the wines. Hubby and I made notes, as I always do at a tasting, and learnt so much. 

The slides showing the vineyards locations, the map of Italy and especially the aerial photo of the vines were so informative. It was amazing to see how each, at times adjacent, field had vines planted in various directions depending on variety. We've added Tuscany to our holiday list, it looks amazing. 

We had set up four glasses each so we knew which was which. I do miss the wine tastings we used to attend and those we hosted, not only to see our wine friends again but now my tastebuds have returned it is great to start enjoying wine again.

And so to the quiz, Kahoot is a great app that was fun to use, the quicker you answer the better so fast fingers were a must. Of course you can't answer quickly if you don't know the answer hee hee. All the questions were mulitple choice based on Tuscany and the four wines. 

Some of the questions were quite tricky, we'd remembered (looked at on our notes) some answers from the presentation but had few wrong (guesses hee hee). Some took us a while to work out and answer, it was such fun.

The wines were lovely; white Litorale Vermentino, the first red was Maremma Toscana, followed by Chianti Reserva and finally Primocolle Chianti Classico. One thing I love about a tasting is trying a wine, trying another and seeing the differences. Our glass per wine meany we could go back to taste each one again, they were all delicious. 

To our absolute amazement when the final score was revealed we won .... we were so surprised. Our prize is a case of these lovely wines so we'll be able to taste them again and learn even more. 

There is nothing better than people together enjoying good wine, hopefully it will not be long before this can again be in person.

Thank you so much Brad, Hannah, Ben, Ellen and especially Famiglia Cecchi for a super time learning about Tuscany wines - saluti ! 

White Castle Vineyard

An absolute delight .... I don't really need to say more but here's how our visit came about and our super afternoon at White Castle Vineyard.

Photo: White Castle Vineyard 

Last year I was very lucky to win a competition for two bottles of Welsh wine. I had no idea which part of Wales the vineyard was in and was utterly amazed to discover White Castle is by Abergavenny and we must have passed nearby many many times as we travelled to South Wales to visit our daughter. 

The two wines we received were Regent and Siegerrebe, both new unknown grape varieties to us. We opened the Regent with our Christmas dinner, an absolutely superb red wine with rich cherries, soft tannins and a delicate long finish. Our white Siegerrebe is awaiting the summer sun to be enjoyed in the garden, it will be interesting to try this new grape variety.

Our daughter added to our Welsh wine discovery by gifting us an Adopt a Vine from White Castle for our Christmas gift. This means for 2021 we are the proud owners of a Phoenix vine. The perfect choice of grape name, quite symbolic as life begins to return to normality. 

Our adoption includes a tour of the vineyard and being as we were passing by, and as restrictions have lifted, we arranged a visit with Robb. We certainly chose the right day as the skies were blue and the sun shone across the fields. 

Robb and Nicola's story of how they became vignerons is amazing. They both grew up in the local area, Robb being a Postie and Nicola working in the NHS. They bought the ex-council tennanted farm in 1995, converting the cow shed into a lovely bungalow. The dream of planting vines began in 2008 when they purchased the perfect 5 acre sloping field behind the farm buildings.

Their original 4000 vines were Regent, Rondo, Seyval Blanc, Phoenix and Pinot Noir, added to in 2010 with Siegerrebe. It's quite a gradient up to the top of the field, passing the rows of evenly spaced vines, with it is most certainly a sun trap; there's a surprisingly noticeable increase in warmth as you walk higher. The surrounding views are just stunning; it was a joy to be amongst the vines in the peace and quiet of the Welsh countryside.

With 2019 being Robb and Nicola's tenth anniversary since their first planting they have added an additional 2000 vines; Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, the first of this grape in Great Britain. These vines are in one of the original fields of the farm and face the main vineyard, the two fields are separated by the farm buildings which include a magnificent restored 16th century barn. 

The 16th Century Grade 2 listed Croft Barn is a work of art: the beams, the floor, the wattle panels have all been beautifully restored. The Village Alive Trust working with Robb and Nicola received a grant from Cadw to restore the Croft Barn. It's an amazing story using traditional methods to bring the building back to life. The full details, along with photos, can be read on White Castle's web page following the Croft Barn link.

The final part of our tour of the vines was to see our adopted Phoenix vine. We were very touched to see each adopted vine has it's own label with the adoptees' name engraved on; a lovely souvenir for when the year is complete. 

Our Phoenix is looking very healthy and ready to be tied to the wires, a mammoth job this time of year. I would have loved to have stayed and helped, although with the weather turning very wet and windy the days after our visit it's perhaps best I couldn't.

It really was a super afternoon walking the vines and chatting with Robb, concluding with a glass of Gwin gwyn wine. This 2019 white wine is made from Phoenix and Seyval Blanc and has soft floral aromas of elderflower. It's a dry wine giving full citrussy flavour without harsh acidity. It was such a clear, clean wine, so enjoyable in the spring sun whilst looking across the Welsh countryside. 

We also tasted White Castle's Pinot Noir Reserve 2018 which was full of red fruit, vanilla and a hint of oak. In all honesty I've not had a Pinot Noir that has won me over but this did, it really was delicious. This was the nicest Pinot Noir wine I have ever tasted and it's no surprise that it has been awarded International Wine Challenge Silver Wine Winner 2021.

There was never any doubt that our car would be leaving White Castle Vineyard without any wine. We're looking forward to enjoying Gwin gwyn in our garden this summer, sharing a bottle of Regent with our friends and most importantly enjoying our bottle of award winning Pinot Noir. Our bottle was the first to be awarded it's silver sticker, I have the perfect place for our special bottle once we've enjoyed our wine.

Thank you Robb and Nicola for such a warm welcome and great time learning so much about Welsh wine. We will be back, hopefully when our Phoenix is ready for harvest to help with picking. We're looking forward too to our bottle of Gwin gwyn made from this year's grapes. 

It's Welsh Wine Week 4-13 June 2021 - we will certainly be opening a bottle of wine from Wales! 

Northumberland videos

Three videos from our time in Northumberland - they really do show the expanse of the views and I was so lucky to catch the heron even if it's shaky/blurred due to zooming in.

 

Lindisfarne, Bamburgh and Coldstream

Whilst on our break in Berwick-upon-Tweed we had two days out and about. Usually we'd do more travelling to see the area we're in but the purpose of this break was to have a rest in new surroundings. Added to which many places were closed due to the restrictions so even a pub lunch was out of the question (or was it?)

Watching the weather we picked a day with reasonably good visability to visit Lindisfarne (Holy Island). It was an early start as Holy Island is accessible via a causeway that can only be crossed at low tide. The crossing time for our trip north was early morning until just after lunch. It was quite surreal to drive over a wet road that you knew had been under water just a few hours earlier.

The island is National Trust and English Heritage but only the outside spaces were open and free to all to wander. We first strolled through the village to Lindisfarne Priory, now a ruin. There is much religious history on Hily Island, the first monastery dating back to 634. It would have be good to learn more so I'm sure we'll return one day when the visitor centre is again open. 

The views from the island were amazing, it's easy to see how you could be caught by the incoming tides. At low tide you can see masses of sand which are flooded at high tide; the tall obelisks given guidance to the safe channels.

After the Proiry we walked to the other side of the island to Lindisfarne Castle, again currently closed. It sits high on an outcrop of stone and can be seen for miles around. It was built in the mid 1500s and used stone from the then not used Priory.

It was quite a steep walk up but amazing views from the top. As well as the Castle there is a Lime Kiln built onto the rock. With the wind blowing in off the se if felt quite a remote place, hard to imagine living there in ancient times. 

The other side of the estuary is Bamburgh with it's castle sitting high on another outcrop of rock; it too can be seen from afar. It loomed ahead as we drove up to it, quite an impressive building. 

The castle belongs to the Armstrong Family, and has been since Victorian times although there has been a fort here since 420. The house is currently closed but the grounds were open and the one way route to the gift shop gave a glimpse of a few rooms. The Normans built the first castle which is still evident today with its typical square structure.

From Bamburgh Castle we could see Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands. This group of islands is a Nature Reserve for sea birds, visible using the camera's zoom, they made the rocks look white.

The Monday of our holiday was a significant day for Scotland; their indoor hospitality restrictions were lifted although no alcohol could be served indoors. Coldstream sits just across the River Tweed and therefore in Scotland. It's a place I wanted to visit as my grandfather served in the Coldstream Guards. Unfortunately the museum was still closed but we did make the most of our trip across the border and had our first pub lunch in over a year (I was shielding last summer when restrictions eased for a while). 

On our way to Coldstream we spotted an interesting bridge and decided to stop to find out more. It was Twizel Bridge that played a significant part in the Battle of Flodden. I still don't quite understand which side (English or Scottish) came from where, I need to do a bit more reading. 

We also discovered Twizel Castle, now a ruin in a field reached by a steep footpath .... and a stile! 

The final part of our trip upstream was a brief stop at the site of Flodden's battle. It is said to be the most preserved battlefield but that's all it is ... a field. Our visit was brief as dark clouds loomed; a quick short uphill walk to the memorial and a dash back to the car, just before the downpour.

Our two days out were as always full of discoveries but there was far more to see. I'm sure Hubby and I will return to Berwick-upon-Tweed to discover more about the history of this northern part of England.

Berwick-upon-Tweed - our first 2021 holiday

With life slowly returning to how it used to be Hubby and I decided to have a week in Berwick-upon-Tweed. 

Much as we love our house we both needed a change of scene, but why did we go north to Berwick?

Northumberland has been on Hubby's to visit list for a while and we thought it would be quieter than going to the south. I am still nervous in shops and busy places, using my hand gel all the time, even if touching handrails and doors.

Our journey looked a long one on the map, nearly 230 miles predicted to take over 4 hours. With check in at our Haven caravan being 1-2pm we set off bright and early. In actual fact the M1 was not as busy as expected and a much nicer journey than going north on the M6.

Berwick is a lovely town with the River Tweed separating it from Tweedmouth. Three bridges cross this wide tidal water: the oldest is currently closed as it's being repaired. The Royal Tweed Bridge is the road bridge, concrete in construction with four spans it's quite impressive, however not as impressive as the Royal Border Bridge.

This superb railbridge has 28 spans and sits at 121ft above the river. It was designed by Robert Stephenson and opened in 1850 by Queen Victoria. It was quite surreal to see the modern LNER trains crossing this nearly 200 year old structure, I would love to have seen a steam train travel over it before electric pylons, oh for a time machine!

We did an enormous amount of walking over the week, far more than I expected; 35 miles in total over the week. Considering on November 2nd 2020 my limit was the end of our cul-de-sac I am delighted to now be out and about, my new walking boots make a huge difference. 

Having somewhere new to explore certainly helps and Berwick had so much open space including ramparts that surrounded the town. Each route around the town gave a different view: inland over the rail bridge, towards the sea over the road bridge, eastwards towards the lighthouse, and out across the North Sea. One of my favourite views, and rest stops, was in the Castle Gardens looking over the River Tweed going  upstream. Although all these views around the town are superb the walks did involve a lot of steep slopes and/or steps, this view was from the top of a very steep slope.

Just 2.5 miles from the Scottish border Berwick has changed hands many times, being Scottish or English at various times in history. There is much military evidence all around; the town walls are Medieval, the ramparts date back to Elizabethan times and the Town Hall is Georgian. The hexagonal Bell Tower is part of the walls built by Edward I and the first Britiah barracks were built in the 1700s. We couldn't visit the Barracks and Main Guard as it isn't re-opening until mid May.

The views when walking the ramparts are amazing and we were very lucky that our first few days had clear blue skies. The path all the way round has plenty of benches for anyone wanting to sit a while (me); being quite high up we could see as far as Lindisfarne and Bamburgh. Surprisingly we saw very few ships, not even small fishing vessels. 

The Haven Caravan Park was an ideal location, close enough to walk to town but also close to the start of many coastal walks as it reached as far as the cliff top. Either side of the site was a golf course so plenty of greenery all around. At low tide it was amazing to see the seabed rock formations appearing, I have not seen circular ones before.

On our final day we walked into town and out towards the lighthouse. The 43ft red and white lighthouse is at the end of the pier. Although located on the Berwick side of the estuary it was built in the 19th century to protect Tweedmouth, a trading port but has no passenger boats. It was a blustery walk but the right choice as we had blue sky whilst the town was hit by a sudden downpour.

I will be writing two other blogs about our time in the north covering our trips out, this one has been just about Berwick-upon-Tweed itself. It was just the holiday we needed, a very gentle pace of doing new things but not rushing around to see lots of places. 

We found a lovely pub, The Pilot Inn, on the way to town and enjoyed our first pint in (outside) a pub since last summer. After a walk to Tweedmouth we tried some local seafood accompanied by a rose wine from Majestic (yes there is a Majestic in Berwick). 

Whilst away we were given the heads up by our daughter that Costa were celebrating their 50th and had ground coffee and pods on offer at 50p - seriously! Of course we headed straight into town to make the most of the offer, any excuse for a coffee.

On our last night we walked slightly out of town for a final pint at Meadow House. A tricky walk as it involved firstly crossing the golf course (proper footpath) and then the main A1 with no crossing, the cars and lorries do appear quite quickly. 

Thank you Berwick-upon-Tweed and Haven for a lovely, very much needed, holiday. We hope to visit again one day as there is so much more to see and do.