Estate walk, tasting and lunch with Jon Pollard, Chief Vineyard Manager

This event has now sold out. 

You might have spotted our ‘meet the winemaker’ lunches, but we’ve never given fans of Gusbourne the chance to ‘meet the grape grower’.

On Saturday 12th June, join us on this guided walk, featuring wine tasting and a picnic lunch, and meet our Chief Vineyard Manager, Jon Pollard. Originally from Yorkshire, Jon has lived in the local area for almost 20 years, and has worked with Gusbourne from the very beginning, planting our very first vines. He brings a wealth of knowledge about the history of the local area, the estate, grape growing, agriculture, wildlife and sustainability. Arriving at 11.30am, you’ll meet Jon, who will take you on a guided walk around lesser-known parts of our estate, not usually open to visitors. We will stop en route to taste one or two wines, before sitting down for a picnic lunch accompanied by a selection of our wines. This will be served at picnic tables underneath an oak tree, tucked away amongst the vines in our Boot Hill vineyard, and one of Jon’s favourite locations on the estate. We expect to finish the event by 2.30pm.

Jon has been the vineyard manager at the Gusbourne Estate since the first vines were planted seventeen years ago in 2004. He is responsible for Gusbourne’s vineyards and works closely with Charlie Holland, Chief Winemaker and CEO, on the day to day operations of the business. He is also our Chief Operating Officer. Jon holds an honours degree in general agriculture from the University of Aberdeen and is also a graduate in wine studies from Plumpton College. He worked closely with Gusbourne founder Andrew Weeber to establish the vineyards, which are widely regarded as some of the best in the country in terms of both grape quality and yield.

Please note that if the weather is inclement, the walk will still go ahead (please bring wellies, umbrellas and wet weather clothing as appropriate), but the wine tasting and picnic lunch will take place inside our tasting room. We expect the walking part of the event to last around an hour and a half, and we will be walking over some uneven ground.