Wine, Cheese & A Bit Of An Accident

A date night to remember for more than just the delicious wine..

Did you know that England is the fastest-growing wine-producing region in the world? 

If you're a wine connoisseur, then your answer is probably yes, but if like me, your knowledge about wine goes as far as knowing that you like the taste, then it may come as a surprise to you that vineyard owners can work all year on their trade only for it to result in zero bottles produced because the weather (namely, the frost) has ruined the one chance they had! 

This was explained to us by Tim Chafor, who owns and runs Chafor Wine Estate in Gawcott, Buckingham during a private vineyard tour and wine tasting experience that my husband and I booked. We got amazingly lucky with the weather - the sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. If you're going to go for a vineyard tour with the wine tasting experience, the summer is the time to do it! I noticed how quiet and peaceful it was out in the English countryside, it was a school night and we'd swapped doing the kids' dinner and bedtime routine for sipping wine in the sunshine. (Bliss! - thanks Uncle Mark for giving us the night off!). 

What we'd not got so lucky with was my ankle! It's weak from a sprain last year and I slipped and sprained it whilst exiting the taxi, right before our tour (to confirm, that was even BEFORE any wine was consumed!). Unable to walk on it, but not wanting to cancel, the lovely owners Sarah and Tim went seriously above and beyond to accommodate me with ice, cushions, paracetamol and even driving me around the tour instead of walking on the back of their farm vehicle. This was a complete testament to the sort of people they obviously are - incredibly kind! And to be fair, it certainly made for a date night to remember! (You've got to look at the positives, right?). 

On the tour, Adam and I found ourselves asking so many questions as Tim told us about how they grow and make wine. We had no idea that red grapes can make rose and white wine as well as red wine! Or that grape picking is a very popular volunteer role that they get oversubscribed for. People doing their Master of Wine qualification (who knew this was a thing?), even writers and those that work on wine buying teams for supermarkets volunteer to pick grapes there. 

After showing us the grape vines, it was on to the fermentation tanks where the crushed grapes are placed, and yeast is added. We learned that the added yeast converts the grape sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide, giving the wine its alcohol content! Then it's on to the ageing process and removing the sediment from the wine. By this time, I must be honest, my head became a little fuzzy from the delicious glass of rose I'd been given! Plus, I'd started to realise that the process of making wine was far more involved than I had imagined it to be - growing some grapes, crushing them with your feet and placing them in a tank is not exactly how it's done. 

The tour was fascinating, and we found ourselves so engaged in what Tim was explaining, but of course, the best part of the tour was the wine tasting itself. We tried three of their wines, each was as delicious as the next and I realised I liked white wine more than I thought I did, or maybe it was the quality of the wine from Chafor, either way, each glass of wine went down a complete treat, especially with the cheese board. 

The vineyard tour and wine tasting were the perfect escape from routine for a few hours, it was close to home so only a short taxi ride there and back and we could have picked from either a private or group tour, so it’s something to suit all budgets! We completely let our hair down, learnt something new and got to enjoy some quality 'us time' as a couple. And of course, my husband just HAD to purchase a bottle of the wine at the end, ‘as a souvenir' he said! 

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