It’s been a long, long time since we first imagined the idea of building a shop and kitchen on-site here at the vineyard. We have had countless other ideas along the way too, some have stuck and materialised and some have been consigned to the ‘never talk about again’ pile. One great idea we did have was to write regular updates and blogs keeping everyone in the loop as to the progress being made on site. Then, as much as we wanted to 2020 came along and made us all even busier than we expected and here we are, our second update, 4 months after the last one.
But, we have been super busy making what we think is going to be a really special place for everyone to visit, so I hope you’ll forgive us.
What have we been up to?
Just after my last update, the country went into lockdown. Building materials suddenly seemed like gold dust and were almost impossible to get hold of. But while most were stuck at home, the weather was gorgeous. We were able to crack on with a lot of landscaping around the building, creating our new driveway and extending the area which will become the terrace. When we had the materials we managed to finish the internal walls and get the exterior covered and watertight.
In June, things really started to get exciting when our big windows arrived. Having ordered them the week before lockdown, we were not entirely sure how and when they were going to be installed and now they are in we couldn’t be happier. With such an amazing view from the new kitchen, we really didn’t want anything getting in the way and the big glass panels and sliding doors almost blend in, drawing your eye out and across the valley and beyond.
With the whole place watertight, we finished building and covering walls. With the help of our local building suppliers, we managed to get the whole place plastered, while a nationwide shortage of plaster was giving a lot of people a real headache. My job for the last few weeks has been to paint the whole place, so things are starting to look like real rooms.
What’s next?
We are getting so close to the finish line now and we are hoping that very soon we will be able to announce an opening date in August but in the meantime, there’s still lots to do. In the next few weeks, we will be building our new bar and putting together our new shop full of local delights. The decorating continues, with furniture being ordered and arranged ready for you to enjoy lunch, cake and coffee or a nice cold glass of wine. Even more exciting for me, is the arrival of the winery equipment next month. The vines are looking fantastic, with a good crop developing nicely. We couldn’t be more excited to create our very first vintage made here on site. When we reopen next month our tours will also be bigger, better and more importantly safer than ever too!
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