About us
Hello, we're Susan & James.
We're two people making natural wine on a hillside in Wales. Whinyard Rocks is the wild idea of the next generation to create a sustainable future.
It all began in 1913 when James’ great-grandfather bought a sheep farm in his homeland of the Mid-Wales borders. Fast forward 100 years later to London where we were living and working – James as a scientist and Susan at a sustainable food & drink startup. Then one grey day at our flat south of the river, James had the wild idea of planting vines back at home on the farm.
Inspired by our travels unwittingly shaped by the incredible winescapes of California, Sicily, New Zealand and Australia, the time finally came for us to make the leap and bring some of these ideas home.
Together with friends we planted our first half acre in 2017. After a year of commuting we escaped the city and moved to the family farm in Wales to tend to our low-intervention vineyard.
In 2020 we harvested our first grapes and renovated the family's fairytale Highbrook Cottage ready for guests. In 2023 Susan added cut-flower growing to the mix. Today we regeneratively grow and look after 6100 vines together.
We hope that our regenerative approach to making natural wine and a restful, restorative stay in the breathtaking setting of James’ rural home brings you a little joy and happiness.
Our story
Discover how we left city life behind to start a regenerative vineyard in Wales
The landscape that gave us our name
Our name comes from a distinctive upland rocky outcrop of exposed late Silurian rock on our farm called Whinyard Rocks. It's a dramatic and enigmatic place, towering at 600 meters high, dotted with sheep and and lined with rocky stacks opposite Whimble Hill, our farm's whimsically bulbous mound with incredible views stretching from the Black Mountains and the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (Brecon Beacons) to the Malvern Hills. Whinyard Rocks and Whimble hill overlook our vineyard and lie in the unique habitat of the Radnor Forest, inspiring us everyday.
