|
The Vineyard and Apple
Orchard |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
 Vinyard Summer 07 |
 Vineyard Summer 07 |
 Olives on young trees |
|
|
Having moved into a house with traceable history going back to 1300s, we
were anxious to be sensitive to the traditions and culture of our
surroundings. In line with this we have recently received a grant
from the
AONB ('Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty') to establish and
add to our area of orchard. At one time orchards surrounded this
house and most others in the Coly Valley and cider making was big
business.
Part of the work of the AONB is to preserve local traditions and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape. The designation covers the landscape, scenery, wildlife and cultural heritage within the AONB. Much further back - in Roman times - there were productive vineyards in the area and, as our climate gets warmer and the varieties of vines available increase it means that wine production is again viable. We planted our first fifty red variety last year called 'Triomphe d'Alsace' and this year have doubled the quantity by planting a white variety, 'Bachus'. We're looking forward to our first picking in 2008! It's a new and exciting project for us and we're getting plenty of expert advice from our friends at Willhayne Vineyard in Colyton who have 600 vines and are already into production in a big way, having won awards for their rose wine in their first year.
When we moved here the apple trees were so overgrown
we couldn't get to them but gradually we've reclaimed the area and last
year we bought a press, borrowed a friend's crusher and used the huge
crop of apples to make apple juice, which next year we hope to make into
cider. The new trees we've just planted are traditional varieties
which originate in the Sidmouth area, a few miles away.
|
|||
