Susie & Peter's Big English Wine Adventure
We thought this was a pertinent time to remind you of the project we created with Susie Barrie MW & Peter Richards MW back in 2016. Susie & Peter's Big English Wine Adventure is a fantastic project where all the profit from two unique, delectable wines goes directly to the Marine Conservation Society here in the UK. Find out how you can support this amazing cause and read below for more about the Marine Conservation Society and their Great British Beach Clean.
What is Susie & Peter’s Big English Wine Adventure?
The Big English Wine Adventure is about making money for a brilliant charity. To do that, Susie and Peter helped make a couple of delicious wines here at Hattingley Valley, and we would love you to buy and enjoy them – ALL profits go to the charity, and you’ll be helping a great cause while you’re drinking in style!
How did the Big English Wine Adventure start?
Susie and Peter describe this idea as ‘slightly madcap’, one which began in 2016. They were excited about the potential of English wine and wanted to make some noise about it in a fun and constructive way. Hattingley Valley offered their full support right from the start, and they went on to make two exceptional wines – a 2016 Blanc de Blancs and a 2017 blend of equal parts Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. All Hampshire fruit, part oak-aged, finely balanced: wines they helped harvest, blend and then made with our then Head Winemaker, Emma Rice. These unique, limited-edition bottles sport bespoke labels that are collectors’ items in their own right having been designed by local Winchester street artist Hendog. Wine luminary Jancis Robinson MW OBE described the Big English Wine Adventures wines as ‘delicious…fabulous’ while The Wine Society’s Director of Wine, Pierre Mansour, deemed them to be ‘stunning.’
What can you do to help support this project?
So far, the Big English Wine Adventure has raised more than £20,000 for the Marine Conservation Society, which is doing outstanding work protecting our seas while also combatting climate change. We’d love to boost that total by selling out all the remaining bottles.
How can I help the Marine Conservation Society?
Aside from buying these Big Wine Adventure wines, if you fancied doing something else to support the Marine Conservation Society, there is no better time to support them than during their 'Great British Beach Clean' which is happening right now, 16th-25th September. We are sure that most of us have enjoyed a few drinks on some of the UK's stunning coastline so what could be better than helping to keep these beaches clean than buying some fantastic English wine? You could even go one step further and sign up to join a beach clean here or to find out how to organise your own event. If you can’t get to a beach, you can still take part–by doing an inland Source to Sea litter pick. Or you could just purchase some of the special gift packs that we have which will contribute to their efforts.
The Marine Conservation Society's Great British Beach Clean, has done a stellar job over the years. Just last year alone, volunteers cleaned and surveyed 55,776 metres of beaches. 1638 bin bags were filled with litter, 75% of which was plastic or polystyrene. The good news is that following the ban on cotton buds, the average cotton buds found per 100 meters fell from 14 cotton buds in 2020 to 6 cotton buds in 2021. The other positive change was that the number of plastic bags on beaches continued to drop from a high of 13 in 2013 down to just 3 in 2021.
Here is a final note from Susie & Peter themselves;
“We’re very grateful to everyone who has kindly supported the project this far and to those of you who will be doing so now! We, as well as Hattingley and the Marine Conservation Society, appreciate your support immensely” Susie Barrie MW & Peter Richards MW
About Susie & Peter
Susie Barrie and Peter Richards are writers, broadcasters, and Masters of Wine. They also happen to be married to each other – theirs is a funny old household, with more than a waft of wine about the place... With over 20 years of TV and journalism, including their award-winning Wine Blast podcast, they are also acknowledged experts on English wine.
