Tuesday's Fizz Feast Taster - Greyfriars Vineyard

Each week on a Tuesday and a Thursday in the run up to Fizz Feast we’re focusing on one of our fabulous exhibitors to give you a flavour of the treats in store at Fizz Feast on Saturday 17 November.

Today’s Fizz Feast Taster is all about Greyfriars Vineyard who I’m delighted to be welcoming back to Fizz Feast again this year.

No, Greyfriars Vineyard is nothing to do with our Edinburgh four legged friend but I couldn’t resist taking the photo which certainly raised a few eyes amongst the tourists.

Greyfriars Vineyard is a small, boutique family business owned and run by the charming and charismatic Mike and Hilary Wagstaff. Perhaps not the obvious career leading to winemaking, Mike studied engineering and spent several years working off shore in the North Sea. Mike and Hilary moved to the North Downs, purchasing the 1.5 acre winery on the south facing chalk slopes of the Hog’s Back in 2010.  Since then they’ve worked tirelessly and are now the proud owners of a very respectful 50 acre vineyard producing over 70,000 bottles a year of award winning English Sparkling Wine in their state of the art winery.

Naturally all the wines are made by the traditional (Champagne) bottle fermented method and ageing now takes place in their brand new 3,500 foot natural chalk cave.  Quality and attention to detail is key when it comes to Greyfriars but one of the aims is to make the wines extremely good value for money. I’m sure you’ll agree this is certainly the case when you try them at Fizz Feast.

The range includes eight sparkling wines ranging from a fresh, clean, aromatic Sparkling Fumé to the elegant Limited Edition Cuvée Royale. These wines are aged for a minimum of 15 months on their lees to give plenty of depth of character.  Naturally, winemaker Mike focuses on the traditional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grape varieties.  All in all since the soil, the grapes, the traditional sparkling method and ageing in a cool, chalk cellar are in line with the methods used in Champagne it's not surprising these wines are scooping up medals at all the awards.

The wines are modestly priced, ranging from £15.00 to £30.00 per bottle and you’ll be delighted to hear they’ll deliver within 2-4 days for £12 with no minimum order. Better still, spend £63 or more and it’s free delivery.

Mike and Hilary’s vision is for Greyfriars to become a highly regarded boutique producer of world-class sparkling wine and to encourage the British public to drink a lot more English Sparkling Wine!  I think it’s fair to say they’re not far away from achieving their vision.

Make sure you have a taste of this fabulous award winning English Sparkling Wine at this year's Fizz Feast.

Fizz Feast is a true Celebration of Sparkling Wine & Artisan Food being held on Saturday 17 November at The Edinburgh Academy on Henderson Row. There are two sessions to choose from 12-3pm and 4-7pm.

Tickets are available from £22.50 and Masterclasses are a modest £5.  Join us!