- Since 1986 -

Oatley Vineyard

English Wine From Somerset

Christmas Survival Six

£118.00

A SMALL, FAMILY-RUN, ECO-FRIENDLY VINEYARD IN THE SOMERSET COUNTRYSIDE

Old vines, red west country soil, dry white wines that have been winning international awards since 1990.

Located near Cannington, Somerset, Oatley is nestled in the foothills of the Quantocks, England's first area of outstanding natural beauty.

Over 30 years of low-intervention, eco-friendly vine growing makes Oatley a tranquil wildlife haven. The perfect place to get back to nature whilst tasting award winning wines, amongst the vines that made them.

We love to welcome visitors and offer a range of experiences: try-before-you-buy, picnic spots and tours and tastings for groups small and large. Hope to see you here soon.

A Taste of Oatley

Our wines are made from grapes grown only at Oatley, by us. Hand tending the vines brings an attention to detail that ensures quality and allows the grapes to express their natural character through the wines.

A minimalist approach to winemaking reflects the personality of the grapes and that vintage's conditions, creating unique, award winning wines that are different each year yet recognisably Oatley.

Our house style is crisp, dry and fruity, with minimal sulphites. All our wines are Vegan friendly.

About Oatley

Buy Wine

Vineyard Experiences

Moody image of Oatley vineyard vines in the mist

Bottle of Leonora's wine being held by hand next to Kernling grapes

A delicious picnic table spread under an oak tree at Oatley Vineyard

Follow us on Instagram: @oatleyvineyard

Day22: News from Norway! Our son Fred, living there, says that the bright snow, and the winter sport that accompanies it, is what gets you through the long winter darkness. The Oslo Awties will be at Nora’s family cabin in the mountains for a true Norsk Christmas.
.
Photo by @norafossum

Christmas countdown day 21. One from the archives, the friends who helped us pick our first harvest in 1989. 7 tubs of Kerner and Kernling grapes. Slightly less but similar amount that we harvested this year (9 tubs) from the first crop of Pinot Noir, replanted by Ned and Paula on the same area of field after 20 years of its lying fallow.

Countdown day 19: Our top 50 birds at Oatley! This year we’ve recorded the birds calling at Oatley using the wonderful, free, Merlin app by Cornell University. Here’s a chart showing the numbers of “sightings”. All these birds have been identified 5 times minimum. Our total number of species is over 70.
.
But not all birds sing or call much so there are more. Here are two Ned photographed in the vineyard that aren’t on the list, a kestrel and a red kite.
.
Bird species are a useful indicator of plant and insect biodiversity so now we’ve got a baseline we can see how nature is doing in the future.

Christmas countdown Day 18 (Yikes!): Delighted to welcome to Oatley in 2024 Wild Carrot, here in a recent frost and in its prime back in July. It established just this year on the vineyard stream bank.
.
It’s an escapee from Ned and Paula’s wildflower patch, sown next to the Cab Noir in 2023. Some of the flowers there have not survived into their second year, but others including this one are thriving and self seeding.
.
We see it growing wild locally on the cliffs of the nearby Bristol Channel coast and know it’s not that common nationally, so we are chuffed that it’s colonising our wild areas.
.
You can tell it from cow parsley, angelica and hemlock by the flatness of its flower heads and these distinctive closed seed heads. And if you are in any doubt, crush a leaf and it smells just like carrots 🥕.
.
But NOT a good idea to eat wild umbellifers unless you’re sure of your botany. Some are ☠️.

Advent countdown day 17: 2024 was our first, exciting, Pinot Noir harvest. Hooray, after 35 years of making only white wines!

Not enough grapes for winemaker Steve’s big presses, so Ned set up a small winery at home and made a rosé.
.
Tank samples show the wine is clearing, it’s tasting great and will soon be ready to bottle.
.
Just 100 bottles or so. Watch this space….Can’t wait!

Advent day 16: Stuck for ideas? Our website has personalised vouchers for idyllic summer tasting experiences, single bottles to send direct or our famous Christmas Survival Six, on offer (£1 a bottle off) with free UK mainland delivery to your recipient. Link in bio.

Advent day 15: Thanks to everyone who pitched up yesterday for hvid gløgg and mince pies round the fire pit under RARE BLUE SKIES! It was great to see you all and gratifying to be asked to share the recipe!
.
Always a thrill seeing a fair few bottles of Oatley going off to grace Christmas tables. We do a little dance inside on Christmas morning at the thought of those Oatley corks being popped!

Oatley mulled wine and mince pie day - TODAY!
#englishmulledwine #somerset #chrismas #cannington

Day 14: off to Bristol for Ned yesterday with urgent supplies of Leonora’s ’22 for the wonderful Bristol Cheesemonger’s shop in Gloucester Road.

Advent Day 13: After the storm…..FIREWOOD!
.
Don’t forget its mulled wine and minced pies at ours TOMORROW! 12-3

Advent day 12: Elves are working late up at Ned and Paula’s house lately!
.
Don’t forget we deliver cases and sixes free (UK mainland). Last orders for Christmas courier delivery 18th Dec. For local delivery to TA5, TA6 and TA2 we can take orders up to midnight on 23rd.
.
#plasticfree packaging #regenerativeviticulture #sustainablewine

Advent Day 11: Woohoo! Down to Devon for Ned and Paula yesterday to taste the new fizz!🥂🥂🎉🥳🥰.
.
They brought the open bottle back. Tastes really good, though not yet ready to disgorge - it was bottled under crown cap last August and we’re aiming for 9 months minimum on the lees.
.
Maybe we’ll get a few bottles to sell as a Col Fondo before it’s disgorged, to tide us over when our current fizz runs out?
.
Thanks to Rob at wonderful @castlewoodwines for letting us take up his time. Rob’s storing and will be disgorging and finishing this fizz. Our usual winemaker, Steve made the base wine from our Kernling harvest in 2023. Steve doesn’t do disgorging.
.
Can’t wait to taste it again!
.
Photos @paulaawty

Advent day 10: Ten memories from this year’s tasting experiences at Oatley.
.
Some are private tastings, under our big tent, often followed by an informal picnic in the vineyard. Some are “do it yourself“ tasting experiences, where we supply a box of chilled bottles with tasting notes and a guide to the vineyard, to be enjoyed at your own leisurely pace at one of our tranquil picnic spots…

Advent day9: Throwback to Summer. Antidote to the storm! Ned and #vineyardtwin Edie.

Photo by @paulaawty

Day 8: taken while we sat out the storm. Our medal winners at this week’s @winegbwest competition.
.
Both 100% Madeleine Angevine. Silver for the Jane’s, a beguiling, approachable dry white. Just right as an aperitif or a just-finished-work small indulgence!
.
Bronze for the limited edition “Fraîcheur Barrel Matured”. The same wine matured for 10 months in 2 Seguin Moreau “Fraicheur” barriques with fine grained Allier Forest French oak staves and acacia wood heads. Each of the 585 bottles made is hand-numbered. The barrel ageing gives more structure to complement light, and especially spicy dishes.

Advent Day 7: it’s starting to feel a bit like Christmas….
.
So far we’re all OK here in the red zone! But it’s certainly a bit blowy.

Eek! Just a reminder that our mince pie and mulled wine is postponed to the 14th due to storm Darragh!
#staysafe

Advent Day 6: Exciting day yesterday tasting our ‘24 tank samples at Steve’s winery. Blending and barrel decisions. We brought a sample of our chosen blend home and had a glass with lunch. So chuffed! Well done Steve!

ICYMI free mulled wine and mince pies at the vineyard rescheduled from tomorrow till next Saturday 16th (12-3) because of Storm Darrach’s 70mph wind forecast . We’ll still be here tomorrow if you want to brave the weather to buy some wine though.

Advent Calendar Day 5: last year’s Christmas hvit gløgg, Danish style mulled wine, made with Oatley Leonora’s.

We’ll be doing it again this Saturday, 12-3. Free mince pie and hot wine, and a chance to stock up with Oatley for Christmas with cellar door case discounts.

Why not pop in! Taste our medal-winners at Tuesday’s WineGBWest awards!

#somerset #englishwine #drinklocal #crispdrywhites #winesofthewestcountry #wildtastingatoatley

Advent, Day4: Yay! New medals for Oatley!
.
Yesterday was the @winegbwest competition meeting, bringing vigneron(ne)s from all across the West of England for the results of the annual regional wine competition. This year it was held at @aldwickestate, near Bristol.
.
It’s a chance for winegrowers to meet, compare notes about the vintage and socialise. But also to taste all the competition wines, tour the host vineyard, listen to the distinguished judges’ comments about the wines and GET THEIR RESULTS!
.
Ned and Paula were there. Delighted that our two entries, both dry still whites, got medals. A SILVER FOR “Jane’s “ 2023, and a Bronze for the Fraîcheur Barrel Matured 2023.
.
Congratulations to all the winners!

Day 3 of our advent calendar. And I couldn’t resist a bit more on Bridgwater’s beautiful, Grade I listed, St Mary’s church. Here’s Ned, serving Oatley wine there during @bridgwaterfooddrinkfestuk 2021 during Covid distancing restrictions, when the church opened up to give spacious shelter for stall holders.

The present church building was started in 1209 and has the highest spire in Somerset, described as “Extremely elegant” by Pevsner . It’s said locally to have been built like that, unusually for a Somerset church - which are known for their square towers topped by stone tracery - as a navigation aid for ships in the notorious tidal Parrett estuary in the days when Bridgwater was a busy port..
.
St Mary’s graces the centre of the town. We are very lucky that central Bridgwater is little changed by modern development. I guess Admiral Blake would still recognise quite a bit of it.
.
#ourtown #bridgwater #lovewhereilive #shoplocalsomerset #winesofthewestcountry #visitsomerset

Oatley Advent calendar Day2: On Saturday they were busy putting up the Christmas lights in our town, Bridgwater..
.
The statue is Admiral Blake, famous son of Bridgwater. His Wikipedia entry says: “Robert Blake (27 September 1598 – 7 August 1657) was an English naval officer who served as general at sea and the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1656 to 1657. Blake served under Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War and Anglo-Spanish War, and as the commanding Admiral of the State's Navy during the First Anglo-Dutch War. Blake is recognized as the "chief founder of England's naval supremacy", a dominance subsequently inherited by the British Royal Navy well into the early 20th century.[2][3] Despite this, due to deliberate attempts to expunge the Parliamentarians from historical records following the Stuart Restoration, Blake's achievements tend to remain relatively unrecognized.[1][4] Blake's successes, however, are considered to have "never been excelled, not even by Nelson" according to one biographer,[5] while Blake is often compared with Nelson by others.”
.
Blake grew up in Bridgwater, one of 13 children, was baptized in St Mary’s church in the picture, and attended Wadham College, Oxford. (As, by coincidence, did Oatley Vineyard’s founder, our Iain, 350 years later.)

1st Dec and we’re doing our advent calendar again. Here’s The First Day of Christmas!
.
It’s actually from 3 days ago , last Thursday, our first air frost of the season, unusually but not unprecedentedly late. Here are the young Pinot Noir vines sparkling in the dawn light, storing their energy in their trunks and roots, waiting for winter pruning to start.
.
We’ll be doing a daily post till Christmas!

A few small trees down, debris from a flash flood in the night. But now our streams are just within their banks, the vineyard is squelchy but not under water, and the yards and barns are only a bit muddy, so no major hassle from Storm Bert that a day’s clearing up won’t sort.

Sympathy for those in Wales and further north who’ve had it worse.

7th December, save the date.
As a thank you to all our local customers, we invite you to a free glass of Scandi style mulled Oatley wine, a mince pie and a seat by the warm fire pit (we might just also have a cellar door offer on our Christmas Survival Six).
🎄🥂🎁

Why not stop by to say hello?

#merrychristmas #drinklocal #drinkqualitynotquantity #somerset #christmas

Our famous Christmas Survival Six is now available to order online 🍾🍾🍾

Containing everything you need to make it through Christmas day and beyond (or before, or whenever really), we've also included some tasting notes and food pairing suggestions. Order now or tag someone to let them know you want one. Link in bio 🎄🥂🎁

Ned, busy at Hestercombe today. And yes, we ARE selling our famous Christmas Survival Six again this year! 🥳🎉🥂🥂

Prepping for @hestercombegdns Christmas market. All lovingly labelled by hand, resplendent in their @the.iewa silver medal stickers (restocked from IEWA after an Andrex Puppy/Spaniel moment with a roll of labels, thanks Alex @tastebristol 👍🏻).

Come along to Hestercombe for a free taste 😋

#drinklocal #somerset #englishwine #christmasdrinks

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Oatley Vineyard

A Taste of Oatley

Follow us on Instagram: @oatleyvineyard

Contact

Further Information

Oatley Vineyard

A Taste of Oatley

Follow us on Instagram: @oatleyvineyard

​

Contact

Further Information