Wine tasting experience: How to avoid disappointment

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’.

Our beautiful accommodation here at Three Choirs Vineyard has been highlighted in a feature in The Guardian. The feature Walks with a focal point: five of the best UK hikes with extras appeared on the national newspaper’s website in September 2023. It features dramatic and interesting walks from across the UK – Glen Nevis (in the shadow of Ben Nevis) in Scotland, Blackchurch Rock in north Devon, The Eden Project in Cornwall and Flamborough Head in East Yorkshire. Each of the walks includes recommended accommodation. Much closer to home, the feature recommends exploring the Medieval art at St Mary’s church in Kempley, Gloucestershire. The featured walk is part of the 100-mile circular Three Choirs Way, which connects Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford cathedrals. So, it makes sense that the recommended accommodation to accompany the walk is right here at Three Choirs Vineyard! Kempley is a parish with just 280 residents, but it boasts two churches – both of which are very interesting. St Mary’s church is full of medieval art, which was lost for many years. The Guardian wrote: “Built in the early 12th century, the nave has the more earthly visions of the medieval artists, while the chancel gets the heavenly scenes of salvation and Christ at the Apocalypse. When such murals became unpopular, they were whitewashed over, and only rediscovered in 1872. Victorian conservation methods, however, backfired. The lacquer that was used to “preserve” the delicate paintings turned black with age and hid them for a second time.” The St Mary’s murals were rediscovered for a second time in the 1950s. St Edward’s church was built in 1903 of Forest of Dean red sandstone and is heavily influenced by the Edwardian Arts and Crafts movement. If you would like to follow this walk, visit the churches or experience Kempley’s wonderful daffodils in the spring, book one of our luxurious Vineyard View Rooms or Luxury Vineyard Lodges to really get away from it all. It is a real honour to get a mention on such a well-respected news site and we look forward to welcoming guests who have just discovered us through The Guardian article. Read the article here

Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or completely new to the world of wines, you might be confused about the word ‘terroir’