Get creative at a vineyard

I’ve always thought vineyard tasting rooms offered the perfect environment to inspire creativity, but as someone who seems to be missing the artistic gene I was a bit scared to put the theory into practice. The opportunity to paint a wine bottle at Blabers Wine Estate in Warwickshire, run by the talented Amy from Brush & Easel, proved too tempting and I decided to give it a go.

The cosy fire, glass of wine and creative place setting immediately put me at ease and there was plenty of design ideas to offer inspiration. The advice was not to overthink things and just ‘go for it’. So with the safety net of a cloth to wipe it off if it all went wrong, that’s what we did.

So, am I a budding Picasso? Absolutely not. Is my bottle more likely to be drunk than admired – for sure. But I did surprise myself and my design got bolder as I grew in confidence. The experience was more than having a go at bottle painting. It was a fantastic evening with a great crowd of people in a lovely setting. I switched off from real life for a couple of hours and really enjoyed the vibe.

And if you're feeling inspired there are some fantastic creative workshops and events taking place at other vineyards over the coming weeks.

Sip & Sketch at Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey is hosted in the Wine Library on 6 November and 4 December. Guided by artist Tom Middleton you’ll be inspired to sketch wildlife at a fun, sociable session with zero pressure. 

Sussex has a wide variety of craft events taking place. Artelium has lino-printing Christmas card workshops on 13 & 27 November. Learn how to carve bold festive designs to create your own set of handmade Christmas cards.

Kinsbrook Vineyard have a range of creative workshops and activities including Wine & Christmas Candle Painting on 13 December – a relaxing afternoon with a guided wine tasting and the opportunity to paint your own set of candles.

Everflyht has four fantastic workshops; Arm Knitting on 15 November, The Craft of Leatherwork Gifts 0n 22 November, Festive Cards & gift tags 0n 23 November and Festive Candle Making on 30 November. Guided by experts you'll also enjoy a glass of fabulous Sussex Sparkling.

If you can get to Kent you’re also spoilt for choice! Yotes Court Vineyard has Paint & Sip with Eli on 16 November where you spend a relaxing afternoon in the tasting room learning how to paint a vineyard landscape. They’ve also got a Pottery Workshop on 15 November where you can craft a delicate ceramic house designed to hold a candle – a perfect Christmas decoration. 

Westwell Wine Estate has a Lino Greetings Card Workshop (23 November) which includes a walk around the vineyard and winery to inspire your designs. There’s a Ceramic Christmas Ornament Workshop (27 November) with a special version just for Kids (30 November).

Sip & Paint on 25 November is organised by The Mount Vineyard and hosted at their sister enterprise, The Samuel Palmer pub. It promises to be a magical evening of creativity, laughter and a little sparkle. The theme is Celestial Nights – think stars, moons and galaxies! The Christmas Bauble Painting in their wine loft is already sold out which just shows how popular creative events at vineyards are.

Maybe it’s time to discover your creative side, or pursue your artistic talent, at a vineyard.