Planting the vines to make English wine on Dartmoor

our story

Born from a challenge to redefine how our family used our slice of Devon, we wanted to grow something unusual that we could all be proud of. With a love of wine and the land, we jumped feet first into the world of English wine. Who knew the edge of Dartmoor could be the perfect home for 5,000 vines!

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our purpose

To inspire and nurture a love of wine, far beyond the bottle

BE BRAVE + DEVOTED

Growing vines on the edge of Dartmoor is no easy feat. That’s why bravery and determination are always at the heart of everything we do, in and out of the vines. 

KEEP IT PERSONAL + casual

We want to demystify the world of wine, so we can all share a love for English wine, far beyond the bottle.

SHARE MEMORABLE Experiences

We strive for everyone to walk away seeing English wine in a new light. From the vines and grapes, to how to taste it. We want to share something memorable with you.

LEARN TOGETHER

Jumping into the unknown has been a part of us from the start. We love to learn, it’s even better when we can do it together and share it with you!

Who are we?

English wine on Dartmoor - Mikei

mike hodgetts

Co-founder & head of vine care

‘With a lifelong love of agriculture and the outdoors, starting our own vineyard from scratch was the perfect challenge towards our future together.’

English wine on Dartmoor - Sarah

SARAH HODGETTS

Co-founder & head of experiences

‘I have always loved our little bit of Devon, watched over by the hills of Dartmoor. All that’s left for me is to share that experience with everyone who comes to visit us.’

English wine on Dartmoor - Tom

TOM HODGETTS

Head wine wizard

‘I’ve loved the family challenge of nurturing vines for the last 10 years. I’m so excited for the next challenge in the winery!’

English wine on Dartmoor - Adam

ADAM BIRCH

Head of creativity

‘Caring for vines in front of the tors of Dartmoor, I never saw that coming. The only thing better is sharing a glass and our journey far beyond the bottle!’

Our history

Planting our first English wine on Dartmoor

As a family, we’ve always been huge fans of the outdoors. We’ve been based at Alder Farm, in glorious Devon, for generations and it has become so much more than a farm. In fact, we’ve not actually properly farmed since the 60’s when the old sheds were converted into the home of my grandparent’s surf brand, Alder Sportswear.

In the same spirit of diversification, Alder Vineyard was born. Taking that love of the outdoors and a good bottle of English wine we embarked on a huge challenge, to grow grapevines at the foot of Dartmoor. We planted our first vines over 10 years ago, with the aim simply to enjoy the process and sell the crop at the end of each year.

Then came 2014, and the sunshine which spoilt us with the most perfect harvest. We took a chance and decided to start selling a small number of bottles, made by our friends at Polgoon Vineyard in Cornwall.

We also started doing tours of the vineyard and from here we never looked back. We planted more vines, made more English wine, showed more people around and generally fell in love with every aspect of English Wine. I (Tom) went back to college to learn how to make our wine here at the vineyard and we set about planning our next big challenge. In 2020 (what a year to pick to open our new doors!) we finally open our brand new winery, kitchen and shop. Taking our vineyard to the next level, welcoming so many more wonderful faces and supercharging our mission to share our love for English wine, far beyond the bottle. 

Starting to grow English wine on Dartmoor
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Come find us in the vines

Why not come say hello and join us for a walk in the vines, for a journey far beyond the bottle.

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Opening times

9-5pm wed-sun

10-4pm BANK HOLIDAYS

We have your Booking!

We will check our availability and be in touch soon to discuss your private group tour booking via email. 

We are Covid secure

Yours and our teams safety is our number 1 priority. We have made a number of changes in the vines to keep us all safe. This is under constant review and will be updated when the government advice changes.

safe travels

We have been verified by Visit England as ‘Good to go’

Social distancing

Please keep to a 2m distance when you visit. We have set all our tables at least 1.5m apart and do recommend face coverings in all indoor areas. Our team will still be wearing face covering when around you too.

Tables size limits

To continue to keep us safe in the vines we are keeping our tables limited to 10 people. We can accommodate larger groups but please get in touch to discuss any 10+ bookings with us.

Hand washing & cleaning

We have introduced a number of hand cleaning stations and guests are required to use hand sanatisor on entry. Our team are washing their hands between each customer and we are disinfecting all tables and chairs between use.

Payment

We are offering table service in the kitchen and advice using contactless or card payments where possible.

We have your Booking!

We will check our availability and be in-touch soon to confirm your table via email.

Booking for today?
Please call us on 01566 783 409 as we may not get to your email in time. 

We have your entry!

We’ve got our fingers crossed for you. We will send you an email to confirm your entry and we will be back in touch once the competition closes. Good luck!

Welcome to the club!

We are so glad you decided to join us. We have just sent you an email to confirm your email address then you’ll be a fully-fledged member of our Vine Club.

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