Page 15 - SIP DRINK TOUR HEREFORDSHIRE 2022 DIGITAL

Prior to the vineyard, we grew strawberries the cancellation of our weekly tours and
for the ‘pick your own’ market and potatoes tastings and all but put a complete stop
for a few years. to all trade sales. Long term however we
have seen an increase in sales with people
Looking to the future, our desire is to ensure now far more concerned and aware as
the estate, which has been in our family for to where their food and drink is coming
over 500 years and never been sold, is in a from. People appear keener than ever to
strong position for the next generation to ’support local’.
take over.
We love Herefordshire for its unspoilt
The vineyard is integral to helping fund nature and the humble attitude it has
Wythall Estate and the upkeep of the towards the incredible scenery and tourist
magnificent manor house, through attractions, which are among the best in
producing wine of only the highest quality. the UK by-the-way.

In the last couple of years, Covid resulted in Jamie’s business tip: Keep your integrity.

and printed onto recycled paper. Our
favourite way of distributing is at markets
TOM AND or other local events as we love meeting
LYDIA the people drinking the cider (as well as
Artistraw reducing the need for extra packaging!)
Hay on Wye but we also sell in selected bars and bottle
Tom previously worked in renewable energy shops and via our online shop, where
as a researcher into ultra high efficiency solar the cider is delivered in recyclable boxes
cells, that can convert nearly half the sun’s and sealed with compostable packaging
light into electricity. Lydia had a previous tape. Where possible we encourage our
career in costume, working on shows in the customers to return their bottles to us so
West End and Broadway for theatres such as that we can re-use them.
the National, ENO, Shakespeare’s Globe and
the Royal Court to name but a few. We opened the online shop during Covid
and Lydia began working on the cider
We have both been deeply involved in the business full time. Tom became busier
green movement for most of our adult lives with a solar R&D contract and organising a
and after spending a decade in London we citizen science programme to protect the
felt it was time to get back to the land. We local River Wye.
founded Artistraw Cider in 2017, although
Tom has been making cider since 2003. It is The Wye is a favourite part of
our way of living an even more sustainable life. Herefordshire, and the long open views
to the SW of the Black Mountains and the
We don’t add anything to the pressed juice Brecon Beacons never gets old.
(no water, no sugar, no sulphites). It is left
to gently ferment over Winter then hand- Their tips for operating sustainably:
bottled and labelled using an upcycled, Work in sustainable practices and
water soluble, natural corn starch glue that measures from the off. It will not only set
we developed ourselves. Our labels are you up well for the future, but reduce your
designed and illustrated by Lydia using running costs and help inspire everyone to
natural inks and paints, hand-made by us make the changes necessary to eliminate
from plants grown on our small holding, carbon emissions.
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