An award willing Ross vineyard is offering up a tour and a taste for English wine week, which is set to take place June 18-26.

The Wythall Estate vineyard, near Ross-on-Wye is inviting visitors on a 4.7-mile circular walk which starts and ends at the Walford Church.

The highlight is the Wythall Estate vineyard, which was planted in 2010 with four grape varieties. Each variety has won prestigious awards with the 2019 Pinot Noir recently winning a gold at the Independent English Wine Awards this year.

As well as enjoying the gorgeous grounds, visitors can book a vineyard tour followed by a tutored wine tasting. Tours take place on a number of Saturdays; information can be found at wythallestate.co.uk.

The estate’s pinot noir has been described as having a beautiful rich garnet colour which fades to a pinkish tone at the rim of the glass. Black cherry and fresh raspberry fragrances hit the nose and appear again on the palate, with a touch of rich earthiness. There is good acidity, barely perceptible tannin which gives a very appealing mouth feel, all leading to a soft, velvety finish.

By using the pinot noir mutated fruhburgunder grape on the vines ripen two-to-three weeks earlier than the original pinot noir grape. This early ripening means that the fruits on the vine escape the effects of a colder British winter.

During the judging process, the only information given about the otherwise ‘blind’ samples is grape variety and vintage. Wines are tasted by category and assessed on their merits against a structured scoring matrix. Judging is restricted to a half-day session, to keep palates and minds sharp.