09/07/2020 // Paul Edwards
The last few weeks have been challenging for many of us. During lockdown we have been focused on ensuring we can continue serving our growing community of English Sparkling Wine lovers, with door step deliveries, free local delivery and beautiful new gift ideas to keep you and your loved one entertained at home.
At the same time, we have been busy planning how we can safely reopen the vineyard when it is the right time to do so. We have closely monitored official advice and, as the country starts to open back up, we believe now is the right time
We can’t wait to welcome you to our beautiful vineyard and share our story and refreshing wines with you.
Out in the fresh air
Being cooped up for so long has got many of us wishing for more time in the great outdoors. Fortunately, one of the many benefits of running a vineyard is that we are out in the open, come rain or shine!
At our vineyard, you can enjoy lots of space and stunning panoramic views of the beautiful North-West Essex countryside that surrounds us.
What you can expect
Those of you who have been on a tour before will notice a few small changes to our pre-lockdown tours.
When you arrive, we will greet you at the car park and direct you to the marquee where your tour will start and finish. We will begin with a short introduction to Saffron Grange and an outline of our safety measures.
To support social distancing and maintain small tour groups, your tour may be split into two smaller groups. Please note this may mean that you have your tasting first, followed by the vineyard tour or vice versa.
We will accommodate people who are visiting together in the same groups.
Your tour will take you on a walk through the vines with opportunity to learn more about growing grapes in the Saffron region, and ask our friendly team lots of questions.
The tasting will take place in the fresh air in our open sided marquee, where you can soak in the views and relax as you taste our range of three gorgeous sparkling wines and learn how they are made.
You will have the opportunity to purchase our wines and unique gift packages from our tasting room after your tasting. The tour will take approximately 1.5 – 2 hours in total.
Safety first
The health and safety of our staff and guests is our number one priority and so we have introduced some new measures in order to minimise your risk. Anyone attending our tours, will be asked to follow these measures:
• If you or a member of your household are displaying symptoms of Covid-19 you must stay at home and get a test. Please do not attend your tour.
• After booking your tour we will contact you to confirm the names and contact details of those attending, in compliance with NHS Test and Trace requirements.
• On arrival, you will be asked to sanitize your hands.
• Staff at Saffron Grange will sanitize and wash their hands regularly throughout the tour and wear face masks and gloves where it is deemed necessary in accordance with our procedures.
• All attendees and staff will be expected to respect social distancing of 2 metres.
Open for drop-in visits
Our tasting room is open from Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm if you wish to pop in and purchase some sparkling wine.
We recommend you give us a call or drop us a message via social media to let us know when you are planning to come, so we can ensure someone is ready to greet you.
We look forward to seeing you this summer and extending a very warm welcome to the Saffron Grange vineyard.