'It's a magical place' - Family behind historic West Midlands vineyard ready to pass on their beloved estate

‘It’s a wonderful life and a magical place but it’s time to think about retiring properly,’ vineyard owner says as family-run wine estate near Stourport goes on the market.

Astley Vineyard, in the parish of Astley, Worcestershire, has been listed for sale after a record year.

The vineyard, one of the oldest in the UK, is on the market with Strutt & Parker with a guide price of £1.9 million.

“We’re the fourth or fifth oldest vineyard in the whole of the UK and when it was first planted it was the most northerly vineyard in the whole world,” said owner Tim Haywood who runs Astley Vineyard with his wife Beverley and their family.

The Haywood family have been at the helm since 2017 and have turned the vineyard into a thriving leisure and tourism business.

Originally planted by the Bache family back in 1971, today the award-winning independent vineyard produces around 7,000 bottles of boutique wine each year.

The estate, which stands 95-metres above sea level, has enjoyed a record year this year and has built up a strong programme of summer vineyard tours.

So it’s somewhat bittersweet that the family has decided to sell up.

Tim said: “It's quite a special asset, but Bev and I are in our mid 60s. It's a full-on busy business.It's time for us to think about retiring properly now.”

The couple took on the vineyard as a “step-change” in their 50s, with their son Chris and daughter-in-law Matleena also joining them.

Tim said: “I used to be in finance in the city and wanted to do something that was engaging and I very much found it here at the vineyard.

“I've loved it. It's been literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air. It's a wonderful life and the vineyard is a magical place.

“It's with mixed feelings that we think about selling it but it's a sport for younger people.

“It definitely suits people like we were 10 years ago - a multi-generational family looking to step into something different.

“It could be attractive to people who are really into wine, or it might work for people into ecology and nature.

He said the business has won awards for its responsible and sustainable practices - adding: “We have five acres of wines, woodland and gardens, 65 different bird species and wildflower meadows.”

The 8.5-acre freehold Astley Vineyard site, located nine miles from Worcester, comes with a newly-fitted winery, chilled wine warehouse, plus a retail shop/tasting room with terrace.

It also includes two contemporary homes - the 2,725 sq ft Crundles and 1,868 sq ft The Stables , which between them have five reception rooms, eight bedrooms, four bathrooms and garaging; with two fully-furnished shepherd huts on site, plus a tractor shed and storage units.

Although looking for a slightly less demanding future, Tim and Bev, who hail from the Black Country originally, are keen to stay local.

Tim, who was born and bred in Walsall, said: “We’ve always been Midlands and lived in Worcestershire for 30-plus years. We love the area. Worcestershire is a very nice place to live - it’s a bit under-rated.”

Although looking to move into retirement - they’re not ready for a life of armchairs and slippers just yet.

Tim said: “I don't know if we've got it in us to retire completely but we'd like a change.I don't think watching daytime TV every day is something we've got in our sights but something a bit less than the business we've built.”

The family, which also includes Tim and Bev’s four-year-old grandson Arlo and pet dog Otso, will be leaving the vineyard in good shape. It has enjoyed a very good year with the scorching summer temperatures yielding a bumper crop of grapes.

“It’s been a brilliant year,” Tim told the Express & Star- noting that climate change has impacted favourably on English grape growers.

“We’ve had a record harvest - really early, really healthy and really large.

“The weather is very important in English grape growing. We've now got the climate here in Stourport that the Champagne region of France had in the 1970s. We’ve had a very hot couple of years. It just shows how the world is changing, and this all helps us make better and better wine.”