OWNERS of district’s only vineyard have defied a miserable year for grape growers and bottled their first white wine.
While many English vineyards have left their crops to wither on the vine because of the cold and wet summer, Alison and Graham Bayliss, of Gravel Lane Vineyard in Chigwell, have produced their first batch of wine.
Mrs Bayliss, 48, said: “The rain earlier in the season got rid of some of the pollen, and grapes didn’t grow.
“You can’t spray in the rain either, so it’s been an ongoing struggle.
“We were really pleased to get something that’s drinkable first time round.”
The next step will be to think of a name for the wine and design labels before the bottles go on sale.
The couple, who currently live in Barking, but chose Chigwell for its warm temperature and low rainfall, want planning permission for a house on the vineyard and are due to submit a second application to the council before Christmas.
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