The Little Wold Vineyard Gift Guide 2023

17/12/2023

In case you missed it (I’m not too sure how you could, here in South Cave the houses are well and truly festooned, with so many lights and wreaths that Santa Claus won’t be in need of Rudolph to light his merry way) there’s just under two weeks until Christmas Day. If you’re anything like me, this announcement won’t have set off the alarm bells – your presents are already wrapped and sat prettily under the tree (or they’ve been shipped off to the North Pole for The Big Man to deliver). If you don’t see anything adorning the space below the tree, do not fret, for we have constructed the perfect list for you to pick from. 

While our love for grapes, wine and weddings is what brings the LWV team together, we have plenty of hobbies and loves outside of work that makes us all a little different. With this in mind, we’ve created a wish list for each member of the team, which you can peruse to help find the gifts best suited to the loved ones in your own life! 

Alice

Our Alice has always been a woman on a mission. And as a woman with a million things to do, having the energy to keep going is a top priority. For the Alices in your life, we recommend purchasing something to help them in their aim of world domination. Coffee related gifts come to mind first; be it a set of artisan coffee, a new favourite mug for them to sit and mull their next big idea over, or a whole coffee machine. These are gifts that let your Alice know that you see their chaos and say, ‘let me help with that’. Alices also have one true love in their lives – aside from their family of course – and that’s their horses. Riding accessories, horse grooming gear, or equestrian-themed items will always go down well with an Alice.

Looking over the LWV shelves, Alice naturally gravitates towards the Chalk Hill White. Our driest white, this wine is perfect for anyone who enjoys a fresh, crisp wine. What’s more, all of our still wines this year have been produced in South Cave, looked after with plenty of love by Tom, Alice and Henry. 

Tom 

Toms are notoriously difficult to buy for, never asking for what they want and always buying it themselves before your laptop has chance to boot up Amazon. It’s important to observe these particular giftees, to see what they would appreciate the most. Our Tom is almost always fixing something – and by something, I mean all the things I’ve ran over, dropped, or cut through without realising. Tools are therefore a clear option for the Toms, who are ready and willing to help you with whatever problem you face. If you want to go a step further, personalised tool belts or boxes are both practical (big tick from Tom) and sentimental (big tick from me, who’s a sucker for anything that has someone’s name on it). Toms are also outside – a lot. When they’re not busy fixing things, you can find them in the great outdoors with the dogs. Layers are therefore Tom’s best friend – fleeces or sweaters that will fit beneath their waterproof jackets, or thick welly socks to keep out the rain, the cold and the grapes (wait, that might just be our Tom), are gifts that will be greatly appreciated by any Tom in your life.

As for his LWV pick, Tom would opt for a bottle of James’ View. This wine is a blend of our Phoenix and Solaris grapes, with a fresh taste that will make you apprehensive for the warmer months to return.

Henry

These gifts are for the foodies in your life. Someone who will appreciate a good set of cheese, chutneys, and crackers to tuck into after the Christmas dinner has settled and the last of the guests have left for the evening. Of course, this gift is also incredibly versatile, simply change out the foods for whatever your Henry really loves to eat. To balance out their love of food, the Henry will have some kind of hobby that keeps them active. For our Henry, this takes the shape of golfing, which is actually what he was up to the moment he realised he wanted his retirement project to be a vineyard on our East Yorkshire hillsides. Golfing accessories or clothing, or perhaps even booking a spot on a golf course they have been keen to visit are all excellent options! I’m sure the Henry in your life would be very grateful for the opportunity to improve their handicap, that’s a gift for life, not just for Christmas, after all. 

Three Cocked Hat is the wine Henry would pick from the LWV roster. Having always been a fan of red wine, discovering we could make it (and make it well) was a pleasant surprise for all of us - but I think it especially pleased Henry, who can now enjoy his own red on the patio of the Tasting Room in the height of summer (the lightness of our red makes it the perfect summer wine to serve chilled), or in the depths of winter after leaving it to chamber.

Cam

Cameron’s are driven by their love for the outdoors. Even after a week spent in the elements amongst the vines, Cam will venture off into the wilderness over the weekend and return with the best stories and photos to share with us. For this reason, our first suggestion is obviously anything related to hiking. A good pair of walking boots, waterproof socks (I only discovered these existed recently, but I believe these would suit the Cam’s who see a waterfall or river and think ‘I can cross that’), or a head torch would be perfect presents. If Cam isn’t in the middle of nowhere, he’s normally perusing the Lego website. You can take the boy out of the Lego store, but you can’t take the Lego out of the boy. The best part about Lego lovers is the range of present options you can pick from! Be it something smaller or a hefty investment, the Cameron will appreciate whatever you get them, so long as they’re allowed to open and build it immediately.

I have to add, because our Cam asked for this to be included, that if neither of these options appeal to you, then he thinks donating to Mountain Rescue is a very good alternative. As someone who has been in and witnessed his fair share of hiking accidents, it’s important that we continue to support the people that keep the activity safe and fun for others. Round of applause for Cam, everyone.

The wine Cam would pick is Poppy Hill Rosé, which is a blend of our Rondo and Regent grapes. In true Cam fashion, he would enjoy this alongside a takeaway, probably somewhere with an excellent view or spectacular sunset.

Hayley

The Hayley gift guide is made for the planners in your life, for those who know how to organise everyone and get them in the same place, at the same time. But don’t mistake them for someone who is a stickler for the rules, Hayley’s know how to have fun too! A pretty planner, to keep track of all their plans, is a good place to start. While she may have her (and everyone else’s) life together, the Hayley may be a little prone to leaving things around or losing them altogether (we can’t all be perfect, but Hayley does come close). Our Hayley is renowned for losing her glasses, which is a lot easier to do than people realise! Fortunately, there are plenty of trendy glasses chains that you can pick from to make sure that this is a problem that stays in 2023. 

As for Hayley’s choice from the LWV wine list, she said, ‘Without a doubt my favourite is Alice’s Cuvée …never happier than with a glass of fizz in my hand – and a pink at that!’ Our pink fizz has notes of raspberry and cranberry, which makes it the perfect drink all year round. And, if that wasn’t enough reason, the sparkling wine shares its name with Hayley’s own daughter, who is going to be married on the farm this week!

Elaine

Did you know, before joining us at LWV, Elaine was a hairdresser (I mean, her hair is always immaculate, so perhaps that isn’t so surprising!). Elaines are both practical and put-together, and they deserve the presents to match. Accessories for walking the dog, or hair products that will keep every last strand in place while on said dog walk, would be perfect. Of course, Elaine’s also have a knack for baking – if you haven’t been to the cellar door, then you’re yet to try any of Elaine’s delectable baked goods, and you really are doing yourself a disservice. 

Elaine is our near tea-total employee, ‘tea-total by choice,’ she added, ‘yes, a girl who doesn’t like alcohol – must be something wrong with her!’ When she does choose to indulge in a glass though, it’s often from our Poppy Hill Rosé. The red berry aroma and its lightness makes it a very refreshing drink to enjoy. 

Ella

Have someone in your life who deserves to pamper themselves, but never has the time to? Gift an Ella something that will allow her to make some time for herself. We’re thinking at home spa treatments, cosy pyjamas, and fluffy socks. 

Ella’s a white wine girl through and through, and she picked both our Chalk Hill White and Tom’s Cuvée. This white sparkling is made with a blend of Seyval and Madeline, with hints of green apple and gooseberry.

Jenny

Jenny’s are the kind of people who know how to bring joy all year round. And being such a positive person means they have plenty of things they love! Our Jenny is enamoured by her sausage dog, so naturally dog accessories come to mind (I’m talking dachshund knitwear, adorable dog tags or personalised food bowls). If your Jenny is already stocked up for her furry friend though, then there are plenty of other options; a music lover, a bookworm and someone who enjoys spending time with their grown-up kids, sentimentality is the route to take with this one. 

While Jenny thinks all of our wines have a time and a place to be tasted – and how right she is – she does find herself drawn to Alice’s Cuvée, calling it, ‘a dry, sparkling rosé with aromas of freshly picked summer berries, which adds a touch of elegance to any occasion.’ We weren’t lying when we said our LWV team know their stuff! 

Ellie 

I suppose it would be rude not to add myself to the list, on the off chance you may have an Ellie in your life too. Those who know me would be able to tell you, before you even had the words out your mouth, that the perfect presents for me are books. If that feels a little too broad for the Ellie in your life, why not go for something like a few nice bookmarks, or a book basket to store all their unread books and prevent them from being stacked in the most peculiar way around the house (not speaking from personal experience here or anything). Equally, plant-related items are always a good option too, for the Ellies you know who are a little plant obsessed, or have just discovered the joy of keeping one alive for longer than a month.

While everyone else has picked which wine they would want, I opted to go with one of our lovely events instead. While the wine and cheese evening was very tempting, I ended up picking the vineyard picnics! This event was introduced during the Pandemic and received such a good response that we decided to keep them on even after we had welcomed you all back inside the Tasting Room! It’s the perfect gift to share with friends or a partner, with the picnic sites dotted along the vineyard making for the perfect setting while you enjoy our wine and a hand selected lunch of locally sourced goods.

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