About Yearlstone Vineyard - the Story so far!

Yearlstone vineyard is located on a steep southerly slope on a hillside above the lower valley of the river Exe at the picturesque village of Bickleigh in mid Devon. It is 200 feet above sea level and has natural protection from the west, north and east. The soil is a silty clay loam over fragmented Devon red sandstone with excellent drainage and is perfect for vines - red soils are the most sought after for vineyards all around the world. In all, Yearlstone's position is perfect for growing vines and ripening grapes.

The vineyard was started in 1976 by pioneering English viticulturist Gillian Pearkes. She planted many different wine varieties collected on her worldwide travels and experimented with wine growing techniques for the English climate. The vineyard had an international reputation thanks to Gillian's pioneering efforts.

After Gillian's sad demise in 1991, Roger and Juliet White bought the vineyard, which at the time had no buildings at all on it, and in the 17 years since 1991 have built:

• A private house to live in, using traditional materials.
• A vineyard shop and office.
• A complete winery to make the wine onsite.
• Most recently, a café with a lovely outdoor terrace looking out over the beautiful river Exe valley.

They have also expanded the vineyard from the original 1.5 acres of mature vines to over 7.5 acres. As well as the vineyard, there is a mature orchard with many apple trees, from which excellent cider is made.

Yearlstone is now open 11am-4pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Easter until May 1st, then Wednesdays-Sundays 11am-5pm. See the opening times section for more information.

During the the Devon Wine Week at the end of May 2008, which we organise, there are several special events both at Yearlstone and many of our sister vineyards around Devon.