- Since 1986 -

Oatley Vineyard

English Wine From Somerset

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

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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

First snowdrop by the vineyard gate.
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When we came to Oatley in 1985 there were snowdrops growing in the copses around us and some of our hedges, but none around the house. I moved a small clump from the hedge and divided it for the garden. In the 39 years they’ve spread into drifts across the garden and at the front of the farmhouse in our tasting area, including these newish pioneers at the vineyard gate by the stream.

Pruning the veterans. 28 years old, with two raises of height behind them (60 cm to 80 cm for our backs and later to 90 cm against the pheasants). And a lot of learning along the way!

Our home town! #bridgwater #somerset in the winter sun.

What a stunning morning! That’s #vineyardcollie Jack.

Twelfth night…
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Pruning afoot! Happy New Vintage!

Yay! A proper frost at last. The nasturtiums finally RIP!

STARTED PRUNING! It’s sunny and dry! Hooray!

Happy New Year! Our online shop is open! Free local delivery in TA5, TA6, TA2 in time for your New Year celebrations if you order before the end of 30 Dec or you can buy from the farmhouse door while we are closed for the winter (good idea to email to check we are in when you want to come wine@oatleyvineyard.co.uk).

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Have a wonderful day and best wishes for 2025!
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Couldn’t think of a better picture than this! Our granddaughter in Norway on a cross-country sledge with her Norwegian grandfather Claus, a couple of days ago.

Day 24: on Christmas Eve 2016 the #vineyardcollies , Jack and Benji, saw the vineyard for the first time. They have graced our lives ever since, shadowing us, sharing our holidays, looking out for our grandchildren, delighting vineyard visitors. Well, most visitors…
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But this year (photo 6) has been a tricky one for Jack. He had an unstable shoulder dislocation-don’t know how it happened but he is an inveterate 5 bar gate jumper, so probably got his leg caught. The only hope of a full recovery was a cutting-edge (sorry!) surgery at Bristol University Vet School,@langfordvets, to screw in a plate to hold the joint in place for 6 weeks while the tendons and tissues healed enough to hold it. Then another op to remove it and months of limited mobility as everything healed.
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Delighted to report it was a complete success and he’s now fully back in pestering-for-sticks and jumping the gates mode.(last couple of photos taken in September.)
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Many thanks to all at Langford. Super job!

LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEA

Our tasting experience vouchers are available online (link in bio). Buy your loved one an experience next year to treasure! Emailed to you as a pdf to print or email on, personalised with your recipient(s) name(s), for them to book a time of their choosing April to early September.
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Choice of a guided tasting with one of our family (£120), which they can follow by bringing a picnic to enjoy at a private spot in our tranquil vineyard, OR
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a “do-it-yourself” tasting with a box of chilled bottles to enjoy in the vineyard at their own pace, maybe with a group of friends picnicking. Tasting notes and vineyard guide included. (£96).

Available until 5 pm Christmas Eve for same day delivery. And then from Dec 27th.

Day 23: Another from the archives . Back in the day if the weather was dodgy, we’d have our harvest meal in the barn. Now it’s too full of stuff! This was the Kernling harvest in 2011. Many of these pickers, old mates, were here picking the Kernling this year too! #sustainability

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 🥕.
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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.
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Tank samples show the wine is clearing, it’s tasting great and will soon be ready to bottle.
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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!
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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!
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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!
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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.
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#plasticfree packaging #regenerativeviticulture #sustainablewine

Advent Day 11: Woohoo! Down to Devon for Ned and Paula yesterday to taste the new fizz!🥂🥂🎉🥳🥰.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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Can’t wait to taste it again!
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Photos @paulaawty

Advent day 10: Ten memories from this year’s tasting experiences at Oatley.
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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.
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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!
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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….
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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

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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