Running an English winery
When Roger and Jackie Barber spotted a vineyard for sale in 1997, what followed was to change their lives forever. Situated on Mersea Island, off the Essex coast, the couple went to view the vineyard on a beautiful May evening. “The sun was just setting,” Roger recalls, “and as we sat in the gateway there was a barge going up the river under full sail. We didn’t say a word, we just looked at each other, nodded, and that was it.” The day jobsWorking as an engineer for the electricity board for 11 years had left Roger yearning for the days when, before he’d suffered a fall from a ladder, he had run his own electrical business with Jackie doing the books. Jackie was just as unfulfilled in her local government post. “When you’ve had your own business,” she explains, “it’s very difficult to work for other people.” They confess that initially the main attraction was the outline planning consent for a house. They had owned several houses before which they’d done up and sold on for a profit. To buy the vineyard the couple sold their house, arranged a bank loan and rented a home nearby. Roger took a part-time course at Plumpton College near Brighton to learn about viniculture (growing grapes) and viticulture (making wine). The first harvestIn October 1997 their first harvest was safely in, and the grapes sent away to be made into wine. Now it was time to take on the planning authorities. The outline permission already granted was for buildings that were inadequate to make a winery business viable. Drawings went back and forth, and in April 1999 they finally started building the house and winery. Two years later they moved in, and gave up the day jobs shortly afterwards. Now they make their living from a combination of the vineyard and a B&B business. Learning curveNeither Jacqui nor Roger had any experience in sales. “The main hurdle was English wine, to start with,” says Roger. “It’s not always had a good press, often deservedly. But we knew that once they tried the wine, people would buy it.” Today, alongside the house, the winery and a courtyard café, there’s a small brewery, run by their son Mark and built with help from Defra, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Their working days are long, but they are certainly yielding the quality of life the couple, now in their mid fifties, were looking for. “You’ll get a lovely evening, with the barges going past and you go out into the vineyard and think, ‘What a wonderful place to be’. I don’t think we’ll ever lose that,” says Roger. The Barbers’ tips for successDon’t rush into anything, take it slowly. If we’re really honest, we would probably have had second thoughts if we’d realised all the red tape that was involved. Get as much advice as you can. Speak to organisations such as Business Link, trade organisations, Chambers of Commerce, and, above all, to independent trade consultants. It will be worthwhile in the long run. Written by Paul Barnes
This article was created: 14 July 2006.
This article was last edited: 14 November 2006.
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