Bosue Vineyard: A Family-Run Cornish Estate Producing Wines and Brandy Near Heligan
Tucked into a quiet, wooded valley a mile or so from the Lost Gardens of Heligan on Cornwall's south coast, Bosue Vineyard is a small, family-run estate that has been quietly producing award-winning Cornish wines for more than two decades. Run by Paul and Liz Sibley with the help of family and a loyal band of harvest volunteers, Bosue is the kind of low-intervention, hand-tended operation that has come to define the best of modern English and Cornish winemaking: every grape is grown on the estate, every bottle is made and labelled in their own on-site winery, and the energy required to do it is almost negligible. The result is a tightly focused range of wines and a small-batch brandy that speaks directly of the soil and climate in which it was made.
Location and Setting
Bosue Vineyard sits in the tiny hamlet of St Ewe, a short drive south-east of St Austell on the Cornish Riviera. Its address is Bosue Vineyard, St Ewe, St Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6EU. To put the location in context for visitors, the vineyard lies roughly one mile from the Lost Gardens of Heligan, one of Cornwall's most famous historic gardens, and the vineyard's wines are available from the Heligan Gardens gift shop without needing to pay garden admission, as well as from Lobbs Farm Shop next door.
For walkers and Ordnance Survey map users, Bosue is marked on OS Explorer 105 at grid reference 984 478, north of the minor road between Grampound and Heligan. The vineyard notes that satnav will bring visitors close but not quite to the gate; the easiest approach is to follow the brown tourist signs for Lower Barn, the vineyard's neighbours who offer accommodation, rather than brown vineyard signs which can lead to the wrong estate.
A Family Vineyard with Deep Cornish Roots
Although the vineyard was first planted in 1999, the name Bosue carries far more weight than its recent viticultural history suggests. The Sibleys have found a reference to Bosue in the parish records dating back to 1290, and there has been a farm on the site for hundreds of years. In the Cornish language, Bosue means "house of Ewe", and until the farm was sold in 1986 it formed part of the Tremayne Estate, operating as a typical small mixed farm with a large egg production unit in its later years.
Today, the vineyard is owned and run by Paul and Liz Sibley with family help. The couple have transformed the former farm into a working vineyard and winery, producing wine entirely from grapes grown on the Cornish vines on the property. The Sibleys note that the only food miles the wine travels is to reach you, a point of pride in an industry where provenance and carbon footprint increasingly matter.
The Vineyard
The vineyard is planted on a deep, fertile loam on a gentle south-facing slope within a shallow wooded valley of oak, willow, hazel and hawthorn. The combination of aspect and shelter gives Bosue a microclimate that suits cool-climate viticulture, and the surrounding woodland provides both wind protection and a setting that feels distinctly Cornish.
South-Facing Slope and Cornish Soil
The south-facing slope is the single most important factor in the vineyard's success. It captures the sun throughout the day, allowing the grapes to ripen in a maritime climate that can otherwise be marginal for viticulture. The deep fertile loam, however, presents its own challenges: it encourages naturally vigorous vine growth, so the team prunes carefully each winter and removes excess leaf cover during the fruiting season to ensure the bunches get maximum light and air.
Plantings and Grape Varieties
The main vineyard was planted in three tranches - 1999, 2004 and 2005 - with Solaris added later. Today the estate is home to 2,500 vines of modern, disease-resistant grape varieties suited to the Cornish climate. They are:
- Orion - a white variety contributing body and aromatics
- Phoenix - a white variety used in the sparkling blend
- Johanniter - a white variety used in the sparkling blend
- Solaris - a modern, very disease-resistant white variety, the basis of the still white wine
- Rondo - a red variety used in the rosé
- Regent - a red variety blended with Rondo for the rosé
The four white varieties are blended to produce a dry white wine with full aroma, plenty of flavour and a notably low acidity. The two red varieties are blended to make a fresh, fruit-driven rosé. All of the wines are therefore made wholly from grapes grown in Cornwall.
A Year at Bosue Vineyard
Like any vineyard, Bosue follows a tightly choreographed seasonal calendar. The vineyard's own month-by-month diary gives a clear picture of the work involved:
- March - The vineyard year begins with pruning. Pruning is deliberately late to delay bud burst and avoid damage from late spring frosts.
- April - Pruning should be finished, and the first buds appear.
- May - Shoot growth is rapid and the small potential grape clusters begin to form.
- June - Shoot growth continues rapidly; the shoots have to be carefully tucked into the parallel trellis wires and unwanted water shoots removed.
- July - A critical month. The vines flower and set the fruit; cold, wet weather can disrupt fruit set, so a settled spell is essential. Longer evenings can make this a good time for group tours.
- August - Growth slows as energy moves into the fruit. The vines are carefully trimmed to expose the bunches to maximum light and air.
- September - The most exciting and anxious month. Sugar levels and acidity are checked regularly, and the first grapes to be harvested are the Rondo and Solaris.
- October - Harvest in full swing, with a loyal band of helpers and the pleasure of picking the last bunch.
- November and December - A quiet time in the vineyard. The team enjoys the autumn colours before the run of Christmas markets begins.
- January and February - The vineyard is dormant. Snow can give great photo opportunities while preparations are made to start the cycle again in March.
The Winery
One of the things that distinguishes Bosue from many small British vineyards is that it has its own on-site winery. The winery allows Paul and Liz to carry out the entire winemaking process in one place, from crushing and pressing through fermentation, riddling, disgorging, bottling and labelling.
Hand-Operated, Low-Energy Winemaking
The Sibleys pride themselves on a very low energy input. The crusher/destemmer is hand-operated, and the press is a Hydropress that uses only water pressure. The only electric power the winery requires is for the pump, and that electricity is generated on site from solar panels. As a result, the carbon footprint of a bottle of Bosue is almost entirely the glass, the cork and the fuel used to deliver it.
The winemaking approach itself is deliberately gentle. Grapes are harvested and brought into the winery, then crushed and de-stemmed by hand to remove the astringent bunch stalks. The must is left overnight in a sealed tank to extract colour and flavour before being pressed the next day. The juice is then pumped into fermentation tanks; once settled, yeast is added and the ferment is cooled by water to preserve the fruit flavours. The wine is then left to settle over the winter with regular checks and racking off the lees, before being filtered and bottled in April or May, a process that has involved the whole family over the years.
Sparkling Wine Production
Sparkling wine production at Bosue follows the méthode traditionnelle, the classic champagne method. After the base wine is made, yeast and sugar are added to start the secondary fermentation in bottle. The bottles are then stored until disgorgement, when the sediment is removed.
The team uses traditional riddling: bottles are moved to pupitres, the angled racks used in classical Champagne production, and gently turned and gradually moved upright over several weeks so that the sediment settles in the neck of the bottle. The bottles then go into a neck freezer, which forms a frozen plug of sediment. Removing the cap ejects the plug; after the final dosage, the cork is inserted and the bottle is muzzled using a hand-operated corker. After labelling, the sparkling wine is ready to sell in a few months.
The Wines
Bosue's range is small, focused and 100% Cornish in origin. All wines can be ordered through the online shop, subject to availability.
2022 Bosue Sparkling Rosé
Priced at £28.00, the 2022 Bosue Sparkling Rosé is a fruit-driven wine made from estate-grown Regent and Rondo grapes fermented in the traditional champagne method. It is a full-coloured, rich rosé with a clean aromatic nose, a dry and refreshing palate and a sweeter, vaguely strawberry finish. Technical specs are 11% ABV, acidity 8.8 g/l and pH 2.98.
2022 Brut White Sparkling Wine
Also priced at £28.00, the 2022 Brut White Sparkling Wine is a classic-method blend of Phoenix, Orion and Johanniter grapes, all grown at Bosue. After secondary fermentation in bottle it is stored on its lees for a minimum of twelve months before being hand-disgorged at the estate. The result is a dry wine that retains a refreshing malic acidity of 7.7 g/l, with 11% ABV and a dosage of 9 g/l.
2022 Solaris White Wine
The 2022 Solaris is a still white made primarily from Solaris grapes, cool-fermented to preserve aromatics, with a modest 10% ABV. The variety itself is modern, very disease resistant and a reliable cropper in the Cornish climate; the wine is fresh with slight hints of mango and grapefruit. This vintage also includes a small proportion of Seyval Blanc in the blend, with only 350 bottles produced. At the time of writing, the 2022 Solaris white wine is out of stock.
Bosue Brandy
Alongside its wines, Bosue produces a small-batch Bosue Brandy, priced at £10.00 for a 25cl bottle at 40% ABV. The brandy is distilled from Bosue's own wine and matured in oak for 18 months, giving it the roundness and a hint of vanilla-cask character typical of small English pot stills. Sold as a limited edition, it is the only spirit the vineyard produces.
Where to Buy
Bosue Vineyard wines are available from a curated list of selected stockists across Cornwall who promote good Cornish produce, and from the vineyard itself by appointment.
Cellar Door Sales
Bosue is open by prior appointment for wine sales and the collection of pre-ordered wines. The vineyard regrets that it is unable to offer tours or tastings on site, but visitors are warmly welcomed by arrangement. To book an appointment or to order wines, the team can be reached by phone on 01726 843159 or 07557 569168, or by email at paul@bosuevineyard.co.uk. When the vineyard is unattended, the wines are also available from nearby Lobbs Farm Shop at Heligan and the Heligan Gardens gift shop, both accessible without paying garden admission.
Local Stockists
The following restaurants and shops carry Bosue wines:
Restaurants
- The Kings Arms, Fore Street, Mevagissey, PL26 6U
- The Barley Sheaf, Gorran Churchtown, St Austell, PL26 6HN
- Rising Sun Inn, Altarnun, Launceston, PL15 7SN
Shops & Wine Merchants
- Kernow Wine, 21 Killigrew Street, Falmouth, TR11 3PN
- Shipmates of Fowey, 8 Esplanade, Fowey PL23 1AH
- Ellis Wharton Wines Ltd, Unit 9C, A30 Business Park, Lodge Way, Indian Queens, TR9 6FZ
- Great Cornish Food Store, Tregurra Park, Newquay Road, Truro, TR1 1RH
- Baileys Country Store, 2 Eastwood Road, Penryn TR10 8LA
- Lobbs Farm Shop, Heligan, St Ewe, St Austell PL26 6EN
- Heligan Gardens Shop, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan, St Austell
Markets
Bosue can also be found in person at the following markets, where the team pours and sells direct to the public. Confirmed dates at The Food Barn, Tregew, Flushing (9am to 1pm) at the time of writing include:
- Saturday 7th February (with special Valentine's Day offers)
- Saturday 14th March
- Saturday 4th April
- Saturday 9th May
- Saturday 30th May
- Saturday 4th July
- Saturday 25th July
- Saturday 8th August
- Saturday 22nd August
Later dates in the year are listed as to be confirmed. Bosue wines can also be found at The Food Barn in Flushing and The Farmyard Market at Penair, Truro, throughout the year.
Plan Your Visit
Bosue is a working farm and winery rather than a visitor centre, so the experience is intentionally intimate. As noted above, the vineyard is open by appointment for sales and collection only; there are no formal tours or tastings, and visitors planning a trip should phone or email in advance. The team is small and family-run, so a quick call or email is the best way to arrange a time or ask about a specific wine.
For most visitors, the easiest way to taste and buy Bosue is to combine a trip with a visit to the nearby Lost Gardens of Heligan: the Heligan Gardens gift shop and neighbouring Lobbs Farm Shop both stock the wines, and the Bosue team can often be found pouring at The Food Barn in Flushing on the dates listed above.
The winery is active on Facebook at facebook.com/bosuevineyard and on Instagram at instagram.com/bosuevineyard, where Paul and Liz share regular updates from the vineyard and winery throughout the seasons.
Contact and Find Us
The vineyard's full contact details are:
- Address: Bosue Vineyard, St Ewe, St Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6EU
- Email: paul@bosuevineyard.co.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0)1726 843159 (mobile: 07557 569168)
- OS Map: Explorer 105, grid reference 984 478
For satnav users, follow brown signs to Lower Barn (the vineyard's neighbours) rather than brown vineyard signs, which can lead to Polmassick Vineyard.
A Note on Sustainability
Bosue Vineyard's environmental credentials are worth a final word. The estate is hand-farmed on a small scale, the winery runs almost entirely on human and water power, and the electricity it does need is generated on site from solar panels. Grapes are not transported off the estate for processing, and bottling and labelling are all done in the winery. In an industry where the words "low intervention" and "estate-bottled" are often used loosely, Bosue offers a genuinely Cornish, genuinely low-impact glass of wine, or, for the brandy drinkers among us, a genuinely Cornish, genuinely estate-distilled spirit.