Powys vineyard was the subject of a talk at the first Howey Women’s Institute meeting of 2025

Following the business section of the Howey WI monthly meeting, Mike Phillips of Blue Moon Vineyards took the floor and gave a fascinating account of the development of the Vineyard. 

Starting in the 1992 when he bought the derelict farmhouse and 63 acres of land which had been tenanted in 1890’s by his great grandfather and later worked by his great uncle and grandfather. 

It took four planning applications and as many years to obtain the planning permission to rebuild and restore the farmhouse, parts of which are thought to date back to 1690 and beyond. 

Pictures of past and present buildings showed how well and authentically the renovations have been achieved.

After a holiday in 2012 in the foot hills of the Pyrenees, where apparently the vegetation was so similar to mid Wales, that Mike and his wife decided to have a go at growing some vines.

Mike visited UK Vineyards and got some professional advice and decided, although the land chosen was “marginal” even for the three varieties of hardy grapes chosen, they would have a go. 

In 2014 some 1200 holes were dug, staked and planted, of those original vines some 200 were eaten by slugs. The vines need no late frosts in May, for that destroys all the buds and then sunshine to ripen the fruit in September, so not all years are successful.

In fact growers even in sunnier climes, expect to lose a crop around every four years. The gardeners in the group could only sympathise, especially with the unsuccessful attempt at growing the vines on lower, wetter clay ground. 

Now some 3000 vines in over 3.5 acres are well established, and producing, the grapes being picked and pressed in Ledbury, within 12 hours, then left maturing in vats. The slopping ground means that all the work planting and tending the growing vines has to be done by hand and it is certainly a costly investment in both time and money. 

For example the UK government takes over £2.60 in tax on every bottle sold. Imported wines pay around five pence a bottle in their country of origin. While oak barrels from France cost £800 each plus £600 per barrel in import tax. He has also had to obtain seven different licenses including Food Hygiene, Alcohol, Food Standards, and Bonded Warehouse...

Mike is trying to keep all elements of the business as local as possible being particularly pleased that the striking silver labels for the Blue Moon wine were designed and produced locally, while he is using local sheep wool as a weed suppressant.

After a tasting of all three wines, the white wine was a clear favourite of the members of Howey WI. Mike hopes to start vineyard tours later in the year and Howey WI has already booked their slot, a local business which it will be a pleasure to support.