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.