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Bride Valley Wines

Picnic in the Vineyard; An afternoon with the Spurrier family

Picnic in the Vineyard; An afternoon with the Spurrier family

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£15.00 GBP
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An afternoon with the Spurrier family; A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris Tasting, hosted at Bride Valley Vineyard
 
Sunday 24th May, 1pm - 4pm
Bella Spurrier and Bride Valley invite you to the vineyard in Litton Cheney to celebrate this special anniversary, as Bella shares memories and anecdotes of Steven and the world’s most famous wine competition.
On 24th May 1976, Bride Valley Vineyard’s founder, wine merchant and author, Steven Spurrier held a wine tasting which revolutionised the world wine trade. The competition became famously known as ‘The Judgement of Paris’ and involved a blind tasting of California wines from Napa against some of the best wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux. Believing that the California wines would not stand up against the quality of the French Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons, eleven of the best wine judges in Paris took part in the blind tasting. The results were astonishing– the California wines achieved the highest score against their French counterparts.  The results infuriated the French wine trade and opened up a new global wine market for Californian and new world wines.
Bring along a picnic and enjoy a glass or two (or three!) of our beautiful still and sparkling wine in the vineyard. Enjoy the stunning location of the vineyard whilst soaking up the views of the surrounding vines.
Tickets are £15 per adult (children free) and include a glass of Bride Valley sparkling wine. Wine by the glass and bottle will be available to purchase throughout the afternoon. There will be tables and chairs in our Tasting Tent for you to enjoy your picnic on and we encourage you to bring along a picnic rug.
Please Note: Dogs allowed on short leads only.  Parking in the vineyard is limited and if you live locally we encourage you to walk on foot from the village (we are a ¼ mile up the track from the village’s thatched bus stop.)
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How to find us

Postcode: DT2 9GE 

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Travelling west on the A35:  

Approximately 4 miles beyond the village of Winterbourne Abbas the A35 becomes a dual carriageway as the road climbs, and you get a first glimpse of the sea in the distance. As the road flattens out at the top you will pass a P parking area. Take the next turning, on the left, named Whiteway Cross, immediately after a bus stop. West Compton is signposted right, but you need to turn left, down a steep hill, Whiteway.  

Turn right at the T junction at the bottom and follow this narrow road around, past a sharp left turn with a thatched bus stop on your right. The next entrance/driveway on the right is Bride Valley Vineyard and you will see a vineyard sign. Turn here and drive along a long gravel track until you reach the parking area signposted on your right hand side. From the parking area walk towards the Tasting Tent where the tour begins. Should you miss the turning on the A35, take the next left hand turning, just after a large Bride Valley Vineyard roadside sign. Then follow the details for Chalk Pit Lane as below.  

OR 

Travelling east on the A35:  

Approximately 4 miles east of Bridport turn right into Chalk Pit Lane. Unfortunately, this turning is very easy to miss but you will see no entry signs to prevent traffic turning the wrong way onto the A35(!) which helps pinpoint the turning.

Follow this road for about a mile to its end. The next entrance on the left is Bride Valley Vineyard, the turning is directly next to the thatched bus stop. 

Should you miss Chalk Pit Lane, take the next turning on the right at Whiteway Cross and follow the directions above for travelling west on the A35. 

On Arrival

Please park in the area indicated on your right as you proceed along the track – from the parking area you will see our Tasting Tent. Please head to the Tasting Tent on arrival where our tour guide will greet you. 

Whilst we hope for warm and dry weather for both visitors and our vines, we can’t guarantee it sadly, so please dress for all seasons, with appropriate footwear for uneven, sometimes muddy ground walking up to and around the vineyard, which can also be quite breezy. The tasting may be conducted outside if dry, but if the weather is against us, we will be under cover in our Tasting Tent. 

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