Hear all about the successes and follies of being an Anglesey vineyard owner on these tours and tastings for two! Visit the charming Red Wharf Bay Vineyard and listen to the story of an extraordinary viticultural gem on the beautiful North Wales coast that is really rather unique.
These fascinating tours are hosted by Kevin Mawdesley and last around two hours in total with tastings included. A few years back Kevin took early retirement and decided he wanted to grow his own grapes and make his own wine. Now how many of you have dreamt about the same thing but just settled for a buying a bottle from the supermarket shelf instead?
Well Kevin decided to go for it. It’s been a real journey with Kevin’s grape growing starting in Anglesey taking him to Andalucia and then back to Anglesey with (as Kevin himself admits) a massive learning curve along the way.
The result is a delightful vineyard on the island of Anglesey overlooking the lovely Red Wharf Bay with more than a hint of Spain about it. When you visit you’ll soon see those Spanish influences everywhere from the ceramics from the famous ‘Potters Village’ near Cordoba to olive oil from 100 year old trees. You can even admire and maybe even buy a leather handbag beautifully made in Spain!
It’s certainly an eclectic mix of Welsh and Spanish but somehow it all works. It’s a truly lovely location for these vines which are perched on the slopes of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Your tour will include a wander around the vines to see how the Solaris and Rondo grape varieties that were specially chosen for cooler climates grow.
Then back in the wine garden overlooking the bay nothing beats tucking into some delicious Anglesey tapas whilst sipping on some of Kevin’s wine as you listen to his brilliant story. There have been ups and downs along the way but now he is happily producing bottles of wine including that uniquley blended from Spanish and UK grapes. Inspiring stuff!
