Northants, Leics &amp; Rutland

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-005.jpg" alt="Belvoir Castle view from the vineyard" class="wp-image-61623" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-005.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-005-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-005-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



With incredible views stretching as far as Lincoln Cathedral more than fifty miles to the north-east, <a href="https://www.belvoircastle.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Belvoir Castle</a> sits regally at the confluence of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, having been located on the hilltop site it has inhabited in various forms since the Norman Conquest. But if you think that&#8217;s old, viticulture and viniculture here goes back even further than William the Conquerer, with a wine legacy in the region dating way back to Roman times. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="562" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/Belvoir-Castle-vineyard-arial-shot-3.jpg" alt="Belvoir Castle Vineyards" class="wp-image-61625" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/Belvoir-Castle-vineyard-arial-shot-3.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/Belvoir-Castle-vineyard-arial-shot-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/Belvoir-Castle-vineyard-arial-shot-3-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Admittedly, it&#8217;s been something of a neglected art in more recent years, but English wine is a thriving industry, with many of our sparkling wines now easily standing up to the more established French Champagnes, and the ironstone soil on these Leicestershire slopes makes for a thriving terroir. So the leap to Belvoir Castle&#8217;s very own wine label makes perfect sense, especially when you stand on the sun drenched slopes, the watchfully benevolent castle in the distance, sipping a fizzy rosé made from grapes grown right here. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-004.jpg" alt="Belvoir Castle wines" class="wp-image-61627" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-004.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-004-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-004-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



The USP here is as plain as day, I mean, it&#8217;s an actual castle, but do the wines stand up to scrutiny? I took one for the team and tasted the full range so you don&#8217;t have to. Though you should, of course. There are currently five acres of vines cultivated here in the grounds of Belvoir Castle, first planted in 2019 &#8211; so things are still fairly new &#8211; producing four wines: a sparkling white, sparkling rosé, still white and still red, with plans afoot for a still rosé too. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-006.jpg" alt="Belvoir castle gun bus" class="wp-image-61629" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-006.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-006-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/BELVOIR-006-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Before you fill your basket up at the Farm Shop, the ideal way to get started is with a <a href="https://www.belvoircastle.com/whats-on/vineyard-tour" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vineyard Tour</a>, where a reception in the castle&#8217;s Guard Room is followed with a ride in the gun bus to the vineyard, soaking in the stunning surroundings and quaffing the two very different sparkling wines being produced here. 



First up, the delicately sparkling rosé, a blend of Sayval Blanc, Solaris, Siegerebbe and Pinot Noir Precoce grapes, is refreshingly peachy, and then the brut sparkling, which is a blend of all those same grape varietals, has a much more vibrant fizz and a hint of lemon and apple. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/Belvoir-Castle-wines-image-credit-Sam-Churchill-4.jpg" alt="Belvoir Castle red wine" class="wp-image-61631" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/Belvoir-Castle-wines-image-credit-Sam-Churchill-4.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/Belvoir-Castle-wines-image-credit-Sam-Churchill-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/09/Belvoir-Castle-wines-image-credit-Sam-Churchill-4-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Back in the gun bus and already feeling more relaxed, it was down to Belvoir Retail Village for lunch in the bistro, where there&#8217;s a fantastic menu &#8211; I tucked into a Caprese salad &#8211; alongside a tasting of both the still white and red wines. The white &#8211; Siegrebbe and Solaris &#8211; which was delightfully melony, really complemented the dish, and the fruity red &#8211; Pinot Noir Precoce &#8211; a delicious way to round off the meal. It&#8217;s no coincidence that the Farm Shop is just next door, it&#8217;s impossible to resist going home with a bottle or two and, whilst they might not meet your midweek wine budget these wines aren&#8217;t prohibitively expensive either, retailing at £19.95 for the still wines and and £34.95 for the sparkling &#8211; ideal for a birthday or special occasion, or just because.



Vineyard Tours for 2026 will be available to book soon <a href="https://www.belvoircastle.com/whats-on/vineyard-tour" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.



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Tour de force: Belvoir Castle’s English wines hit the spot

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