Great West Way Travel Magazine | Issue 07

Left to right: Enjoying the tour at a'Beckett's Vineyard; a'Beckett's Vineyard

“Take a vineyard tour or attend a wine sampling session and you'll see for yourself why English wines are winning prestigious international awards...” Roman Baths). Bath gin is distilled using eleven of the finest botanicals from across the world, including bitter orange, kaffir lime leaf and English coriander. Floral, exotic citrus and deep spice notes are followed by a mild sweetness, creating a light, aromatic and balanced gin. There's also the delightful (and tiny!) distillery Scout & Sage to visit in the village of Semington, Wiltshire. Join a master class and sip a delicious Scout & Sage G&T crafted using a tradional hand made copper pot still named Maud. Hear all about the history of gin, how it’s made and the process they use. There’s a tasting session of three Scout & Sage Gins and a Scout & Sage Gin cocktail – before making a shot of your very own gin from pre-distilled botanicals. Vineyards The chalk soils and temperate climate of the south of England are perfect for creating crisp, white, bubbly wines. Take a vineyard tour or attend a wine sampling session and you'll see for yourself why English wines are winning prestigious international awards. Discover the local wines of the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong> with a tour and tasting at Alder Ridge Vineyard, nestled into the chalky slopes of the North Wessex Downs between Hungerford and Marlborough. A'Beckett's Vineyard near Devzies also offer wine tastings and walks around their impressive 20-acre site. Bluestone Vineyards based just outside of Salisbury run morning and evening walking and wine tasting tours with one of their resident experts, Nat or Jack. Following an in-depth stroll around the vineyards learning about growing grapes in the UK, the challenges, and what it takes to produce high quality English sparkling wines, you’ll then be wowed with an expertly tutored wine tasting of four wines; two of Bluestone’s sparkling and two local still wines. Aldwick is a 300-acre family-run farm nestled serenely beneath the northern slopes of the famous Mendip Hills - the largest vineyard in Somerset. The team on the estate are devoted to producing quality wine and offer tours of their 11 acres of grape vines. Witness the development of grapes from which their wine will be made before sampling a selection of their available vintages. <strong>Great</strong><strong>West</strong><strong>Way</strong>.co.uk 35