Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe with a toast at 6:00 pm with a glass of English wine! To help toast the anniversary get 10% off any order greater than £50 until midnight on Friday the 8th of May with the code: VICTORY10.
Lots of us were planning street parties with Union Jack bunting and getting together with our communities, our friends and our families this Friday. At West Street Vineyard, we were planning a VE picnic afternoon tea in the vines at West Street to celebrate the amazing sacrifice made by my Grandfather's generation during WWII. All of these plans are on hold of course but that does not mean that we can’t toast the likes of the bravery of Captain ( now Colonel) Tom with a glass of English fizz or a glass of chilled white or rosé at 6:00 pm this Friday – the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe. The current crisis, it seems, feels like the nation is on a war footing – the coming together to defeat a common enemy this time unseen but none the less one which has brought the country to a standstill – even during the worst days of the London Blitz the pubs and restaurants still welcomed their guests almost in defiance of everything that Adolf Hitler could throw at us. So on Friday, let's raise a glass of something English as a way of thanking our grandparent's generation for their sacrifice, the key workers who have kept us going over the last few weeks and the hope that as a family, as friends, as a community and as a country we will get through this! To celebrate VE Day there is a 10% discount on wine sales this week to celebrate – just put in the discount code of VICTORY10 to claim your discount.
While part of our lives is on hold: the vineyard and the vines continue to demand our full attention as the family & I focus on vintage 2020. We seem to be through the potential for frost which can be devastating for all vineyards. This year, we had decided that if we were frosted we would not light our fires to keep the vines warm. Some years, I get up at 3:00 am just as the temperatures are plummeting to light the fires under the vines to keep the wines toasty. During a pandemic which causes respiratory problems, this seemed to us totally inappropriate and so far the gamble has paid off even though there were one or two sleepless nights in the last few days of April as the mercury plummeted. We have weeded and mowed and kept the vineyard tidy and the new vintage is on its way. We will shortly be launching our new white wine from vintage 2019 so watch this space. We hope whatever you do on Friday whether that’s making your own victory bunting or getting out the bone china to enjoy an afternoon tea in the garden to celebrate this special day we hope you and your families stay safe and well and we thank everyone who has continued to support us at the Vineyard by buying our wine.
For those quick on the uptake, there is a free wine tasting live today at 18:00 on the West Street Facebook Page. We will be discussing Shiraz (Syrah), would be great for as many as possible to join in.