Staff day at Vineyard close to the company’s roots

Staff at what is probably the longest standing property management firm in the region returned very close to their 200 year old roots when they visited Rowton Vineyard recently (Sept 5).

The team enjoyed a guided tour of the vineyard – something the company’s founder, 200 years ago, Timotheus Burd of nearby Cardeston would not have thought possible. The tour included an informative glimpse into the highly involved world of vines, not least climatic conditions which now, in carefully selected areas enable vines to thrive, even in Shropshire.

Tour guide, Zoe Evans, who together with her twin sister Mel founded the business on the family farm, explained how the five-acre field was ideal, thanks to its light soils and gentle slope towards the southeast, maximising sun exposure and encouraging frost roll off.

Rory Galliers, Managing Partner at Balfours, commented: “It was a fascinating visit, informative and of course we got to taste some excellent wines too. Even in my lifetime the idea of vineyards in Shropshire has become a more realistic option; perhaps it is one of the positives to take from global warming.

“The Evans family are to be admired incorporating not only the vineyard but also converting traditional barns into a thriving bed and breakfast business, alongside mainstream agriculture. The ethos of innovation and entrepreneurship to find alternative uses for land and property is fundamental to the challenges facing farmers and landowners today – and core to our work as property managers and innovators,” Rory adds.