Penarth Vineyard

Bernard and Tanya Herbert
Penarth Vineyard
Pool Road
Newtown
Montgomeryshire
Powys
SY16 3AN
Wales U.K.

Vines

  • Madeleine Angevine
  • Pinot Noir
  • Pinot Meunier
  • Chardonnay


    • Newtown, Powys is probably best known for its famous sons, Robert Owen and Pryce Jones. Owen was the founder of the Co-Operative movement and an acclaimed social reformer, while Jones’s claim to fame is that he founded the world’s first mail order business in the town. It lies on the Aberystwyth-Shrewsbury railway, and is a communications and light industrial centre for the area. Despite its name, it dates back to 1270, when Edward I gave it a market charter. The river Severn has proved both an asset and a liability, with serious thought being given to relocation of major buildings after the floods of the 1960s.The original industrial strength came from the flannel industry, now remembered only in the local museum.
    Now, there is a new agricultural enterprise in the area. In a unique location above the River Severn just outside Newtown lies the Penarth Estate Vineyard that combines the growing of classical grape varieties with the ‘traditional’ Welsh varieties.

    Bernard and Tanya Herbert planted their first vines in 1999, and the acreage was increased 2 years later, so that all 10 acres of vines are now bearing fruit. Varieties that are grown include German and French varieties such as Madeleine Angevine. However, the majority of the vines are the classical ‘sparkling wine grapes’- Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. These are vines that the experts believe cannot be grown outdoors in Wales- however the health of the grapes suggests that the experts may be wrong.
    Given that the Severn Vale around Newtown is sheltered, with westerly winds warming as they descend from Plynlimon, the site has many advantages, including adjacency to main roads through the region.

    The vineyard has no winery, and wines are being produced by Three Choirs at Newent. A still Pinot Noir 2005, a Pinot Chardonnay and a brace of sparkling wines are currently being sold, both in London restaurants and at the new ‘Feast of Food’ delicatessen, owned by renowned Welsh cook Lavinia Vaughan in nearby Caersws. In addition to its viticultural activities, the estate maintains Egyptian horses. The straight Egyptian Arabian breeding program is aimed at producing horses of a classic desert type, with delightful temperament, excellent conformation and athletic movement. The estate site is excellent for horses, providing meadows by the river as well as hillside land. After training, the horses were entered in shows during 2007.
    The current status of the vineyard is not known. For information, contact direct.

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