Category: Uncategorised
The Wine Widow on a Loss In The Family
“The micra has got to go” was the very surprising statement made by our youngest son. Previously he had said, in a variety of ways but with equal weight, “That car means more to me than any family pet.”
The Nissan micra, our second, has been in the family for over 14 years. It has never let us down but it has, for the past few years, accumulated enormous amounts of water in every footwell and a squeegee is needed on the inside of the windscreen at all times or the condensation builds to impenetrable levels. It has been slept in at countless teenage parties and festivals and therefore smells indescribable. Moss, grass and mushrooms are growing out of all trimmings and a sinister mould covers the back of the front seats and headrests. I have no idea what’s in the boot because it doesn’t open and the back seats no longer fold down. I know it’s full though.
I take it to a man in a booth at a shopping centre a few miles away with our elder two children following in another car. The man steps out of his booth and says “bloody hell, has Shrek been living in that?” As with any family member, we can make jokes but other people can’t and I give him a black look. After much tapping on his iPad he says he can offer me £180. I mutely nod. We take photographs because we all feel this is a little bit of a moment.
A woman walks out of Pets At Home nearby and glances at the car. “they really do buy any car.com” I say. “Oh I bet that car’s got a lot of memories” she says and I instantly warm to a stranger who gets this. “It really has” I say, remembering the time Will gave it two punctures on Christmas Eve.
Two days later, with a micra shaped hole haunting us outside the house, we have a car crisis because four people need to go in four different directions. The available car is making terrible grinding noises and everyone is late for everything. “Who knew” says Alf who is about to miss an appointment, “that the micra was the glue holding this family together.”
Thursday Lates 2026
Day: Every Thursday from May until it gets too cold in September,
Time: 5:30pm – 9pm,
Where: The Winery, Alresford Road, Itchen Stoke, Alresford, SO24 0QW
We’re back for 2026 with Thursday Lates, starting this May. No need to book – just turn up and grab a seat!
The Lates run throughout the summer and into September and, as always, we will be bringing out the Landy Bar where you can get hold of our award-winning wines, chilled to the perfect temperature and available by the glass, bottle or case.
Each week we’ll be spotlighting a new local caterer, so there’ll always be something new to try. On the 21st you’ll find Field and Furnace at the winery their steak (by the way) will be a pretty perfect pairing with the WHITE FROM BLACK 2019.
After this we’re being joined by the likes of Pala Food, OFM and of course, Becka Cooper with her delicious (and hyperlocal) game treats. Make sure to follow @thegrangewine on Instagram to discover what nights your favourite foodstuffs will be with us. It’s first-come, first-served - so when the food is gone it will be gone…
Line ups:
MAY
21st – Field & Furnace
28th - Pala Food
JUNE
11th – Field & Furnace
18th – Chaat Street food
25th – Pala Food
JULY
2nd – Becka Cooper
9th – OFM
16th – Down D’Islands
23rd – Chaat Street Food
30th – Pala Food
AUGUST
6th – OFM
13th – Forte Kitchen
20th – Field & Furnace
27th – Pala Food
SEPTEMBER
3rd – Field & Furnace
10th – Chaat Food
17th – Forte Kitchen
What started as an after-work get together for the team (on a Friday) has blossomed into a perfect way to spend a relaxing Thursday evening - lovely food, award-winning wine and those beautiful sunset views.
Khal, our Events supremo, has upped the décor and the comfort levels, so you can enjoy it even better (thought there will still be some straw bales…), come on over and compliment his fantastic work!
The Makers’ Sale 2025 – Thursday 27th November
We love getting together with other people who also make fabulous things and this year we have 18 new Makers along with our regular favourites.
Art, books, brocante, ceramics, clothes, vintage textiles, baskets, bags, candles, organic sausages, belts, jewellery, t-shirts… along with a liberal sploosh of olive oil, cordials, honey, bath oils, wine and other delicious Christmas essentials.
There’s Coop’s pop-up cafe for lunch, Hannah’s van for coffee and cake and, of course, our Land Rover fizz bar.
We will be welcoming our marvellous makers at The Grange Winery on Thursday 27th November between 10am & 4pm
Entry is free but we will be taking donations for Allegra’s Ambition on the door. This wonderful charity aims to enable, engage and empower young, disadvantaged people to fulfil their potential through participation in sport and outdoor activities.
Take a look at the names joining us for this year's curation:
Nick McMillen - Bark weaving and botanical charcoal drawings that unveil the hidden wonders of the woods.
Mollie McMillen - Contemporary Basket Maker and Willow Weaver in Hampshire. Specialising in woven fence panels, garden arches, coffins, baskets, and seating restoration.
True Grace - Hand-poured scented candles, made using renewable vegetable and natural waxes.
Mariana London - Luxury artisan soap, bath oil, body butter, reed diffusers and other bathroom gifts, handmade in small batches.
Lucia Constant - Handmade ceramics.
Beyond the Barn - Floral design studio offering wreaths and seasonal displays.
Sarah Tyssen - Woven textiles, scarves, blankets and journals.
The Stores - Sustainable homewares, clothing, preservatives and beautifully curated offerings from the brilliant Hambledon store.
Fine Fettle - Elderberry Syrup
Acre & Holt - Tweed clothing and accessories for gardeners and people who live, love and work outdoors.
Forget Me Not London - Nightwear, dressing gowns, kaftans, pyjamas, bags.
Two & One -Authentic and healthy olive oil crafted by British hands in Spain.
Bespoke Block Printing - Block-printed textiles
Fifi Leuchars - Decorative antiques and objets.
Louise Brown - Willow weaving and baskets.
Silo Studio - Design studio consisting of Hannah’s artwork as well as homewares. Cushions and ceramics.
Faite Design - Hand-embroidered t-shirts and clothing.
The Silk Road - Vintage coats and stunning textiles.
Jonathan Garratt -Terracotta plant pots, sculpture and glazed slipware from local clays.
Augustine Jewels - Successful British luxury jewellery brand now sold globally.
Maiden T Shirts - Original t-shirts with printed designs.
Noble & Stace - Hampshire chocolatiers - truffles, tablettes and choclates. Perhaps some even containing our wines...
Ant Elias - Hand-crafted and tailored womenswear designed in UK and using the craft, fabric and technique of Lebanese artisans.
Eliza Beatrice London - Leather belts in brilliant designs and colours.
Eland Books - An unrivalled collection of books about the world and its societies. Keeping the best of travel writing alive.
Rufena - Italian olive oil
The Hudson Honey - Delicious jars of local honey.
The Grange Wild Venison - Organic wild venison sausages from The Grange estate.
Islands Chocolate - Truly delicious and ethical cocoa products. Chocolate buttons, spreads and cocoa powder. Stocked in Fortnum & Mason.
“No Name” - Selection of waistcoats handmade in Pakistan.
... and a few more purveyors of all things home and handmade.
See you on the 27th November!
A Gilded Partnership – The Grange x The Goldsmiths’ Fair 2025
In 2024, The Grange were very proud to enter into a partnership with The Goldsmiths’ Company to become the official English sparkling wine of the Company and Goldsmiths’ Fair.
Every autumn, Goldsmiths’ Fair brings together a curated selection of the UK’s best contemporary jewellers and silversmiths. Each exhibitor has a unique approach to working with precious metals, fusing techniques and inspirations in innovative ways. Together, their work demonstrates the breadth and depth of talent in precious metalwork in the UK today.
With this year’s event now coming up, it seems the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on the dazzling event and encourage you all to grab a ticket. We are delighted to be able to offer you these at 50% off by entering this code at checkout – Grange50
Week One: 23rd -28th September | Week Two: 30th September – 5th October
50% OFF TICKETS with code Grange50 – Goldsmiths’s Fair Tickets 2025
For more than 40 years, Goldsmiths’ Fair has provided private collectors, international museums and world renowned collections with the opportunity to see, try, and buy pieces from the most talented independent silversmiths and jewellers working in the UK today. The Fair gives visitors the opportunity to buy directly from makers and to discuss their skills, practices and inspirations, accompanied by a dedicated talks programme and exhibitions.
From last year, we were proud to be able to share this space with all of the amazing makers serving our CLASSIC NV from THE GRANGE bar.
An altogether felicitous pairing of sparkling wine and sparkling jewellery.
The Goldsmith's Fair is the leading selling exhibition of contemporary jewellery and silver made by more than 130 of the most talented craftspeople working in the UK today and is held over two weeks every autumn in the beautiful Goldsmiths' Hall, London, with exhibitors changing between Week One and Week Two. It serves as a platform for the launch of new work within the jewellery industry, with curated selections and awards for innovative and exciting creations.
It is also a supporter of emerging talent, highlighting The Emerging Business Bursary Scheme which was created to celebrate and nurture talent in the design and making of jewellery and contemporary silver. Goldsmiths’ Fair 2025 has 10 Bursary stands available for emerging makers who may not have access to university education or indeed would previously not have qualified due to age-related parameters.
Of 2025’s 136 exhibitors, there will be 15 craftspeople that will be exhibiting at Goldsmiths’ Fair for the first time: 5 new exhibitors and the 10 makers that form the second ever cohort of the new Emerging Business Bursary scheme:
Emerging Business Bursary Recipients 2025
Lucy Anderson | Isabella Bedlington | Monica Findlay | Wenyin Jiang | Liu Yang | Alice Biolo | Emma Lawrence | Francisca Onumah | Alewijn Slingerland
The Goldsmiths’ Company
The Goldsmiths’ Company is a cultural institution and membership organisation – one of the Great Twelve City of London Livery Companies. The Company advances the trade and craft of silversmithing and jewellery through training, exhibitions and fairs, operates the London Assay Office which protects the trade and consumers by testing and hallmarking precious metals, and works with charitable, educational, and cultural partners to improve life chances for people.
Established in 1327 and now with over 1500 active members the Company has contributed to national life for eight centuries. In 2027, it will celebrate it's 700th anniversary.
Here is the link to book your tickets - Goldsmiths's Fair Tickets 2025
THURSDAY LATES 2025
Every Thursday from May 22nd – September 11th, 5:30pm – 8.30pm, The Winery, Alresford Road, Itchen Stoke, Alresford, SO24 0QW
Running every Thursday evening from May 22nd, throughout the summer and into September, we will be bringing the bar built into our 1982 Series III Lightweight Land Rover out under the canopy of the winery for a gentle evening of sunset watching… The Landy will be filled with our award-winning wines, all chilled to the perfect temperature and available to buy by the glass, bottle or case.
Just turn up, take a seat at one of the tables and keep hunger pangs at bay with food from a selection of BBQ from the best local cooks. The brilliant Becka Cooper (who caters to the thousands at The Grange Festival) will be starting us off, with game from the estate, Worthy Earth salads, delicious sauces along with some lighter snack options. The roster thereafter includes Forte Kitchen, Hampshire Pantry, Comanche BBQ and The Grange Hampshire's very own Baring brothers pizza, spun and delivered by Fred and Paddy! Follow @thegrangewine on instagram to discover which of these culinary genii will be with us when…
It’s first-come, first-served - so when the food is gone it will be gone…
JULY
3rd July - Hampshire Pantry (Tacos)
10th July - Forte Kitchen (BBQ skewers)
17th July - Becka Cooper (BBQ Game Buns + Salads)
24th July - The Grange: Baring Bros - Pizza
AUGUST
7th August - Becka Cooper
14th August - Forte Kitchen
21st August - The Grange: Baring Bros
28th August - Hampshire Pantry
SEPTEMBER
4th September - Forte Kitchen
11th September - Becka Cooper
We started Thursday Lates in August last year as a way of showcasing our wines to any one with a half hour to spare but it quickly grew to be a popular place for friends to meet for a quiet evening. It‘s rustic - hay bales, fire-pits, pallet tables and deck chairs sheltered from any shower (heaven forbid!) by the canopy of the winery and bathed in the golden light of the sinking sun, setting the dark steel of the winery ablaze…
The wine widow on being practical, shattered greenhouses and the ‘f’ word (April/May)
I have only done one really practical thing in my life which is when I sucked a Hama bead out of our son’s left nostril using a straw. He was 2. That I mention this quite often, 19 years later, is because that Hama bead is my proudest moment as a mother, a little beacon of common sense in an otherwise pretty arid landscape, which may explain why I thought a bird had crashed into the greenhouse and a vandal had sprinkled concrete powder around the veg beds.
When I noticed that the tomato and salad seedlings were covered in shards of glass, it took me a moment to look up and realise that the end of the greenhouse looked like an old fashioned windscreen, shattered from top to toe.
Shards of glass continued to drop as I moved around so I went outside to look for a potential culprit - a dead bird on the ground. I walked round paths that were peculiarly greyish white. On closer inspection I identified a layer of dandelion fluff such as I’d never seen. I sent photos to Zam. Willow he declared. And the greenhouse… well it was possible that a tiny stone had been thrown up by his mowing, unnoticed by us the evening before but creating a dink, which later shattered.
I was incredibly nice about it. Because just for once ….
It has however left the seedlings we are not going to eat - the salad and tomatoes have been binned - vulnerable to frost. And it’s all about the F word this week because following that little heatwave, the temperature is falling and a polar air mass is coming. As he keeps saying while watching the weather app 24 hours a day. I wouldn’t dream of mentioning the tomatoes.
The Wine widow on house clearing, lost letters and vinegar wine (March/April)
We are clearing out my mother’s house … a desk full of blue Sellotape tins that now hold bent paper clips and desiccated rubber bands. There are photographs of people we can’t identify, ration books, her school certificate, unfinished rolls of tapestry, incomplete sets of playing cards, discoloured bits of tissue paper. That’s just the top drawer. We have filled three skips from the cupboards and when we began we dithered over what to chuck but now, now we’re getting pretty ruthless.
Although I find it incredibly hard to throw anything with human handwriting on it, including pocket diaries from 1983 in which my father itemises every expense (“fuel £10.20, parking 10p”) and their address book which has been by the telephone as long as I can remember. An address book. Imagine.
As we were preparing to throw this leather volume away, a letter fell out. I have no idea who it is from as I can’t read the signature but it is a thank you letter for lunch. On the second page it says “Finally, I am so sorry for what my father did on Sunday.” There is more. “Chuck”. Says my sister. I’ve brought it home. I’m going to try to track the letter writer down.
And then we tackled the larder … and the wine. I took about 11 bottles of white wine home. These have price tickets in francs and lire so I can see they were cheap in the first place. They have not stood the test of time and of the 5 we have opened, 5 have been poured down the sink. Zam says he’ll use the rest for vinegar. My mother would approve. She never threw anything away.
The Wine widow on pinxtos, ghost hotels and washing windscreens (February/March)
We adapted to the Spanish hours pretty easily – lunch at 3 and dinner at 10 – until last night when it all seemed to catch up with us and we bought queso and jamon in a supermarket before retreating to our hotel room to watch Netflix. We have covered 1000 miles in 5 days including a drive to the top of the Picos Europas that had even Zam, an unflappable driver, gripping the steering wheel as we squeezed past oncoming cars on hairpin bends with a substantial drop on the driver side. The driver being on the wrong side, as it were. Booking hotels as we go has born some surprises including a hotel in which we were the only guests. Provided with a door code via WhatsApp it was like arriving at a ghost hotel – very comfortable but definitely eerie. We went to the nearest town for food where the waitress tried to explain that we were having potatoes with potatoes as we made our pintxo choices but we took no notice and downed a couple of glasses of Albariño. With 2 plates of potatoes. An elderly couple wandered in with a dog the size of a donkey. They sipped coffee and exchanged not a word but stared at their dog whose bouffant hair was so beautifully coiffed that I stared at it too. It sat as still as a statue, quite used to being stared at.
Back at the ghost hotel the wind roared round our window and I thought I could hear footsteps on the balcony that overlooked a slightly spooky estuary. In the morning I was surprised to smell coffee. I descended to the basement, lured by this delicious scent but half wondering if it was in my imagination. And there was a very elegant woman welcoming me to the best breakfast of the trip and the whole experience became even more baffling.
Then the rain came down … torrential rain… as we headed towards Vigo. Unable to see much out of the filthy windscreen, Zam pulled over and got his shampoo out of the boot in order to clean it. His familiarity with this procedure leads me to think he does it quite often. Tomorrow we visit a winery, the first and I think only one which is a good thing. I mean obviously I love a winery, but one is enough. As I told the driver.
The Wine Widow on fruit, theft and varifocals
“A man watches his pear tree day after day, impatient for the ripening of the fruit. Let him attempt to force the process, and he may spoil both fruit and tree. But let him wait, and the pear at length falls into his lap.” Except Abraham Lincoln didn’t live where we do.
We have a pear tree growing, espaliered, against the side of our cottage that faces the lane. We planted it five years ago and Zam has pruned it beautifully. We love the blossom. We love the shape. And we love the pears which we watched, as Lincoln suggested, without rushing them but going out each morning for a gentle squeeze, waiting, waiting. Still not ripe we mutter before coming inside for coffee. And then … oh then… we go outside one morning and every single one of the seven beautiful pears has gone. Overnight. Not a shred of evidence to show they ever existed.
Squirrels? Seven? Or a random act of theft which in this case I would call vandalism because, BECAUSE, they weren’t YET RIPE.
I stare at the denuded tree through my new glasses which are varifocals and which are causing me some issues. My legs seem to be about 6 inches long, depending on how I tip my head. Escalators are a terrifying hazard. On Monday I smiled warmly at a vicar coming towards me in a London venue where I was waiting to see my godson play drums in a band. I always smile warmly at vicars because I worry that nobody else does and I thought he might be feeling a bit out of place. As he came closer I realised that he wasn't wearing a dog collar but a small white goatee beard. And a black polo neck.
In the winery, I take care not to trip over the pipes and hoses that are in full use as the freshly picked grapes ferment and everything is continuously scrubbed to a spotless clean. I notice that a couple of deliveries have come back, one because it was the wrong item and one because a bottle of the new pinot noir was insufficiently wrapped. By me. I formulate excuses involving my new glasses but in the end, I just fall on my sword and wonder if, or when, I will be sacked.
The Grange x Stem & Green – Wreath making workshop
Join us for a festive evening of wine and wreath-making at our state-of-the-art, working winery. A perfect workshop to do with friends or family in the build up to Christmas.
TICKETS – Stem & Green x The Grange
Friday 29th November, 6.30 - 8.30pm
Location: The Grange Winery, Alresford Road, Itchen Stoke, Alresford, SO24 0QW
After a short demonstration, you’ll be given your own table as a group or family to have fun, get creative and make your very own fully natural wreath.
Your luxurious wreath will be 100% sustainable and completely biodegradable, made from locally sourced foliage, berries and dried flowers, a perfect Christmas decoration.
Alongside this wreath-making workshop, you'll get a mini-tour of The Grange Winery and a taste or two of The Grange wine to enjoy as part of your ticket. More wine will be available for purchase to fuel your creative flair.
Participants must be 18 or over to take part. All materials and scissors will be included, though you might like to bring your own apron and any of your own decorations which you might like to add.
Price includes VAT
£75 pp
