Behind the scenes: How we harvest our grapes

Here at Three Choirs Vineyard, we are committed to being as sustainable as possible. However, the vineyard isn’t organic. We do believe it’s not possible to be fully organic in this country, but we do limit our use of pesticides to the absolute minimum. We probably use about a quarter of what we are legally allowed to use. One way we reduce our use of pesticides is by using foliar feeds made from seaweed extracts. Foliar feeds feed the vine directly through the leaf, allowing the vines to absorb essential elements quickly. The theory behind using these feeds is that, if we keep the vines healthy and strong, they will be better able to defend themselves from disease. In the UK, the biggest risk to vines isn’t from insects, it is from mildew. Mildew can slow down the growth of the vines and reduce both the quantity and quality of the grapes. It can also weaken the plants and make them more vulnerable to disease or insects. Grapes like cold weather in winter and warm, dry weather in the summer. But in this country, we have a lot damp, warm weather, which causes mildew to thrive. If we have a year like we had in 2024, there can be a lot of disease, which impacts our harvest. We don’t have any irrigation in the vineyard, so our water consumption is probably lower than you would expect for a business like ours. In fact, we don’t have a huge amount of water available, so we do have to be careful not to use too much. We use water sprays and pressure to clean out our tanks, which clean effectively using a lot less water than other cleaning methods. Glass production and transport uses a lot of energy. This can have a really negative impact on the wine industry’s sustainability, so it is important to us to use the lightest weight glass we can for our bottles. Thomas Shaw, managing director, said: “The problem is there’s a consumer reaction to the weight of a bottle. People pick up a light wine bottle and think it’s cheap, whereas we pick up a light bottle and say, ‘Isn’t that amazing?’” Although the bottles for sparkling wine are always thicker and heavier – they have to be to take the pressure of the secondary fermentation which takes place in the bottle and causes the bubbles.

There is nothing better than relaxing at our vineyard with a leisurely walk among the vines, a delicious lunch at our brasserie and a fun wine tasting session. But that’s not all there is to do here! Three Choirs Vineyard makes a great base to explore the Three Counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire. We’re located between Newent and Dymock in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, close to the borders of both Herefordshire and Worcestershire. If you enjoy walks in the countryside, you’ve come to the right place! The Malvern Hills are a half hour drive away and provide lots of walks of varying lengths with some fantastic views on a clear day. Or if you prefer your walks to be a bit flatter, there are plenty of options in the Forest of Dean. The circular 4.5-mile Sculpture Trail walk is perfect for working up an appetite. Or try the Cannop Ponds walk – just two miles and no stiles, talking in the ponds, a Forest Freemine and an unusual monument. Mallards Pike is one of the most scenic spots in the Forest of Dean and offers a variety of walking routes, as well as Go Ape for the most adventurous. You can also hire bikes at Pedalabikeaway Cycle Centre in Cannop Valley – the only mountain bike hire location in the Forest of Dean with direct access to all the mountain bike trails in the forest. Or for a more relaxing alternative, Dean Forest Railway runs steam trains on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sunday on a nine mile, 90-minute round trip with five stations along the way. We’re just 11 miles from Gloucester, with its historic cathedral and docks, as well as outlet shopping at Gloucester Quays and the new Gloucester Food Dock, with an array of independent local food and drink businesses offering something for everyone. And if you’re a rugby fan – why not catch a game at the legendary Kingsholm? Or stay on the A40 just a bit longer and head for Regency Cheltenham for shopping or its famous festivals – Jazz in May, Science in June, Music in July and Literature in October. And don’t forget racing at Cheltenham Racecourse if you enjoy a bit of a flutter! Closer to the vineyard, but only happening once a year is the Kempley Daffodil Weekend. Taking place in the middle of March, the weekend offers visitors daffodil teas, bacon butties, guided walks, the daff-and-ride bus and the main event of a glorious carpet of wild daffodils. And Dymock’s annual Daffodil Weekend and Spring Fayre takes place at a similar time (but not the same weekend) at Dymock parish hall. There is also the circular ‘Daffodil Way’ footpath covering around eight miles. The daffodils can be seen from the roads between Newent and Dymock in the spring and local maps showing the daffodil fields can be picked up from Kempley village hall. If you don’t mind a slightly longer drive, Hay-on-Wye is world renowned for books and bookshops, occupies a unique position on the border between England and Wales, and is a beautiful place to explore. The world famous, annual Hay Festival takes place at the end of May every year.

If you’re looking for a perfect day where you can relax, unwind and get away from it all, there is no better place than our vineyard.

Whether you’re a wine connoisseur, a wine beginner or you just want a peaceful stay in the countryside, there really is no getaway quite like a luxury stay at Three Choirs Vineyard. A visit to the vineyard is a chance to relax and get away from it all. We’ve got plenty of space to enjoy the vines and the landscape, which is beautiful whatever time of year you stay. In winter, it’s very atmospheric, with clouds settling in the valley below the rooms. We have two different types of rooms. The vineyard view rooms are in the block by the brasserie and the lodge rooms are individual. Whichever room you choose, you will be guaranteed beautiful views and an outside seating area to relax and unwind. The lodge rooms consist of a bedroom, a bathroom and a veranda set in the vines. They are about 500 metres from the other buildings, a bit more spacious and a bit quieter than the vineyard view rooms. But if you’re at all nervous about the great outdoors and wouldn’t like to have your sleep disturbed by a badger walking past or a bird scratching, you might want to opt for a vineyard view room. We want to be sure your break is a relaxing one, not a stressful one! All the rooms, whether lodges or vineyard view rooms, have 6’ wide superking beds for a really restful night’s sleep. Decorated in an eclectic mix of English and French design, the rooms also have a comfortable seat or two, and a desk. Tea and coffee are provided, and bathrooms have either a large monsoon shower or a bath with shower over.

Is it possible to tell a good wine from a bad wine just by looking at the label? It is, but you need to know what you are looking for! When you’re shopping for wines, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the range of labels on the shelf and to get drawn to the most attractive labels. Some of them look like miniature works of art. But going for the best looking label isn’t usually the right way to shop. A good wine is the product of good fruit, grown in good soil by someone who cares about the grapes, the soil and winemaking. But a good label is the work of a good graphic designer, possibly with the help of a marketing agency. The label on a good bottle of wine will have no problem in displaying the detail which matters and will help you to make a decision. The best wines will display grape variety, origin and age on the label. Our labels proudly display the term 'Hand Harvested'. Hand harvested grapes, are grapes that have been picked by hand, rather than by machine. Hand harvesting is a traditional method that involves picking grapes bunch by bunch, and is considered to produce higher quality grapes. The key information you should look for on a wine label is: Country and region Name and/ or producer Grape variety Vintage or non-vintage Alcohol level (ABV) Country and region Some wines are named after their place of origin (possibly the most famous being Champagne). But even if they’re not famous, most wine labels will include the wine’s country of origin. In some cases, producers will display the region as well as the country. Knowing your regions will help you to find better quality wine. A region like Rioja in Spain will give the wine enthusiast an indication of what they should expect from the wine, due to the region’s reputation and the unique flavour of the wine, influenced by the climate and soil in the region. A French wine produced in an area with minimal regulations is a Vin de Pays (VdP). One which is produced in area with strict regulations is described as Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC). Champagne is one example of an AOC wine. AOC is considered more premium than VdP. But be careful of vague words on labels. A phrase like Grand Vin de Bordeaux is just marketing-speak. It’s not a legally defined term and any producer in the Bordeaux region can include that on a label, whatever the quality of the wine. Generally, the more specific the location, the better the wine. A label just marked as ‘Spanish’ or ‘Wine of France’ will tell you that it is a cheaper, lower quality wine. Name and/ or producer The name of the wine producer will be included on the label on the front of most wine bottles. The producer could be a company, a family or an individual. Unless you’re a real wine enthusiast, or it is a famous brand, the producer might not mean a lot to you. But every producer will bring their own experience to their wines. Look out for wines marked ‘estate grown’ or ‘estate bottled’. Estate bottled wines are usually better quality than wines produced on a larger scale – because the person who grew the grapes has also made the wine and will be more likely to care about the finished product. For French wines, the phrase to look out for is ‘Mis en bouteille’ and for Italian wines it is ‘Imbottigliato all’origine’.