‘The estate has been in the Hawkesbury family for almost twelve generations, but it was Blake Hawkesbury who introduced the first vines to the acreage in the early 1980s. The land benefits from the location in the warm weather – with Indian summers allowing for extra ripening – and in the winters, which provide the colder temperatures to gently settle the wines without needing electricity to chill them. This means that we don’t have to rush our winemaking. But also important in allowing us to grow the grapes we do – and what makes our wine taste the way it does – is the quality of the soil. When Blake first planted the Pinot Noir and the Bacchus, he chose land that had been primarily used for grazing for at least thirty years at that point.’

She led them down towards the vines, the sun beaming onto the large green leaves and pearling over the ripening bunches of grapes. Henry couldn’t remember the last time he had walked amongst them – the way the vines had expanded in the last ten years was nothing short of startling. He looked down the south-facing hill, rows upon rows of vines reaching nearly down into the Bristol Channel and the Celtic sea below.

Henry only half listened to Lily describing the types of grapes grown and how they benefited from the streaks of limestone in the soil. He half followed along in the present, and dwelt half in the past as he remembered Blake’s words describing his endeavours, remembering the bitterness and resentment that had poured through his young veins wondering why his father didn’t realize that he couldn’t have cared less about the grapes that seemed more important to him than his wife and his son.

‘Do you use pesticides?’ asked Jameson.

‘Although we’re not an organic vineyard, we have virtually stopped using any weed spray, which is great news not only for the vines but the wine too. We make sure that any machinery we use has a limited impact on the soil in terms of compaction and only in extreme circumstances is insecticide used – though to be honest, we haven’t had to use any in the last ten years.

‘Our wines are made exclusively from our own grapes, which means that we have full control of the product, from planting, to harvest to when they are released. Which is only when they are absolutely perfect for drinking,’ Lily concluded with a smile.

‘Speaking of which …’ Natalie interjected.