Discovering the Vineyards of Shropshire

We often talk about Shropshire being a county of rolling hills, festivals and castles but not many people know that our county is now home to several vineyards. As English Wine Week draws to a close, we thought it was time we told you about the vineyards that you can visit on a day out from The School House B&B.

Visiting a Vineyard in Shropshire

Hencote Estate

On the outskirts of Shrewsbury, an hour’s drive from The School House, is the Hencote Estate, which we recently visited as members of Visit Shropshire. It’s not just a vineyard – there’s a large restaurant (aptly named The View) with stunning views across the estate towards Shrewsbury.

The tour and tasting experience begins with a taste of each of Hencote’s five wines (spittoons are available if you’re driving!) - a white, a red, a rose and two sparkling. We’re no wine connoisseurs but we know what we like and the depths of flavour in these wines is quite remarkable given that we’re in the middle of England. Those Shropshire Hills do make for great vine slopes particularly when they’re south-facing!

After the tasting there’s a tour of the 60-acre estate – it was raining when we visited so it was kept fairly brief, but our tour guide gave us a fascinating insight into how a hobby has turned into a successful wine-making business for the Stevens family, from an initial 160 vines to over 24,000 today. The grape varieties are predominantly Seyval Blanc and Pinot Noir with some Chardonnay and Solaris, all of which seem to thrive in the soil rich in glacial till.

After the tour there’s the obligatory browse round the shop – not as scary as you might think as Hencote wines are very affordable and you get a discount if you’ve been on a tour. All in all, this is a very pleasant way to spend a few hours on a day out from The School House B&B. Tours can be booked here.

Kerry Vale Vineyard

Right on the border between Shropshire and Wales, Kerry Vale Vineyard, run by Jan and Russell Cooke, is just half an hour’s drive from us. We often mention it to guests who are heading to Powis Castle, as it’s just a small diversion from the main route there.

Once the site of a Roman fort, Kerry Vale Vineyard is much smaller-scale than Hencote with 6,500 vines. Not surprisingly the grape varieties are similar - Rondo, Pinot Noir, Phoenix & Solaris are all grown there. But despite its more diminutive size, Kerry Vale do produce a wider variety of wines, currently 13 in total - five white, two rose, three red and three sparkling. Tours & Tastings can be booked online here.

As with Hencote, Kerry Vale isn’t just a vineyard. There’s a café selling (among other things) some of Jan’s delicious home-baked cakes – and they are masterpieces! The shop is great for Christmas and birthday gifts, not all of the liquid variety we hasten to add.

We’d recommend a visit to Kerry Vale Vineyard if you’re staying with us, but make sure you book in advance if you want to do a tour.

Other Vineyards to Visit in Shropshire

Here are some other vineyards that we haven’t yet visited.

Wroxeter Roman Vineyard

Near the ruins of the former Roman City of Uriconium, Wroxeter Roman Vineyard is just over an hour’s drive from The School House B&B. It’s close to Attingham Park National Trust, so could easily be combined with a visit to this impressive historic house and parkland.

Wroxeter Vineyard produce eight different wines – five whites, a rose and two reds. Tours can be booked here.

Colemere Vineyard

A little further afield, about 1.5 hour’s drive from us, is Colemere Vineyard. This small family vineyard was planted by hand 6 years ago in 2014 and now produces six different wines – one red, one white, one rose, two sparkling and a dessert wine. Tours can be booked here.

Enjoy a Taste of Shropshire Wine

If you browse the wine section at Ludlow Farmshop you’ll see that there are two or three other wine producers in Shropshire, but not all run tours. It’s fair to say though, that if you do enjoy a glass of wine then Shropshire does have plenty to offer. We’ll definitely raise a glass to that this English Wine Week!