A Devon vineyard has been recognised for its café in this year's South West Tourism Awards. The Alder Vineyard was given the gold award for its café/tearoom less than four years after opening their doors to their vineyard kitchen and shop.
It also received a silver award in the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year category. This follows its recent success at the Devon Tourism Awards having been awarded Gold in both categories as well as the ‘Winner of Winners’ Award.
The vineyard, near Lewdown, is run by a small yet passionate family team of four - founders Sarah and Mike Hodgetts, their son Tom and his partner, Adam. The vineyard was planted in 2009 and sat alongside ‘real jobs’ for the small team who boast backgrounds and full-time careers in horticulture, construction, design and marketing.
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That was until 2020, when the family jumped feet-first into creating their own wines on-site. They decided to do what they love full-time and opened the kitchen, shop and winery situated in their slice of one of the most idyllic parts of Devon.
In a statement, it said: "The team was beyond thrilled to have been awarded three gold awards at the Devon Tourism Awards in November 2023 and were over the moon to find out that this meant they were not only shortlisted for, but finalists in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards too. This continued accreditation gives acclaim to the dedication and hard work put into the now well-established tourism business and their passionate team.
"Running their popular vineyard tours and wine tastings is the flag-ship element of the experience on offer, with thousands of visitors joining the team for their highly sought-after and all-year-round vineyard and winery tours. Reviews often note the passion and drive of the team as they share with you an insight into the world of English Wine, far beyond the bottle."
One of many visitor Tripadvisor reviews sums the Alder Vineyard experience up: “This really is a family business spanning three generations. The views are stunning.
"The wines are very unusual and delicious. The cafe serves very high-quality food. The service is fabulous.” Tracy R, 09/10/23
The vineyard has also received a gold award for Café/Tearoom of the Year at the Devon Tourism Awards for the second year in a row. This has been followed by the recent gold at The South West Tourism Excellence Awards.
Using the very best quality, local produce in everything they make, the team serves up a range of delights from sharing platters and quirky open sandwiches to local drinks, fresh coffee, and homemade cakes. Thinking outside of the box is a trait of the team as they serve up their famous ‘Roast on Toast' and freshly baked Devon Splits.
Their ‘Live in the Vines’ events continue to be a hit with local musicians lining up to play for visitors on the last Sunday afternoon of every month. Be quick though, these events usually book up well in advance.
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Adam, Head of Creativity, says: “Whilst we celebrate the success of these latest awards, rest assured we are also busy crafting our new summer menus, promising to champion the very best of the local produce we have on offer in the area with a fresh exciting range of delicious treats!”
Alder Vineyard’s ‘Head Wine Wizard’ Tom, who has been creating wine for the vineyard’s first few harvests on-site - including their first multi-award-winning wines - has also been guiding visitors through the vines on their popular tours of the vineyard and winery.
He says: “We can’t believe it! We are blown away that the South West Tourism Excellence Award judges thought so highly of our café, team, tours, and visitor attraction to award us these awards. We are very proud and grateful to be able to do what we do.”
Sarah, founder of the vineyard, says: “We are delighted with this news! Our small family-lead team is just a super bunch and it’s a pleasure to be able to tell them how well they have all done and what they have achieved through their hard work.”
You can experience this award-winning venue for yourself by joining the team for a tour and tasting or visiting their kitchen serving up breakfast and lunch Wednesday to Sunday.
