Furnace Farm Barn & Yarkhill Vineyard: English Wines, Creative Residencies and Rural Stays in Herefordshire
A Contemporary Rural Arts Hub in Herefordshire
Furnace Projects is one of the most distinctive working farms on the English wine map. Based on the historic Treago Estate near St Weonards in Herefordshire, it weaves together vineyards, wine, rural stays, creative residencies and a long-running cultural salon under one carefully restored roof. The site consists of four carefully reconstructed 300-year-old barns arranged around a landscaped courtyard and terraces that look directly out over the vines, an arrangement that puts the vineyard at the literal and figurative centre of everything the project does.
The mission is to bring together nature, culture and collaboration, exploring new-world thinking and ideas in a rural context, over a glass of wine. The Furnace team works to provide a focus for creative people and communities who are based in, or interested in, Herefordshire, helping to democratise and spread the values, practices and produce of the contemporary rural across as wide and diverse an audience as possible.
The Two Vineyards: Yarkhill and St Weonards
Furnace Farms currently looks after two Herefordshire vineyards, each with its own personality and purpose.
Yarkhill Vineyard
The larger site was planted in 2010 in the village of Yarkhill, which has an Anglo-Saxon origin and lies in the valley of the River Frome. The soil and aspect of the region around Yarkhill make it ideal for growing grape varieties for producing wine. The Yarkhill vineyard contains a mixture of:
- Bacchus
- Phoenix
- Pinot Noir
- Regent
- Rondo
- Seyval Blanc
St Weonards Vineyard
The smaller vineyard was planted in 2018 on the 500-year-old Treago Estate, near the village of St Weonards. Surrounded by unspoilt landscape, this site is used for experimental winemaking. Here the team has planted Bacchus, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Both vineyards are tended and harvested by hand, and the grapes are processed nearby by the highly renowned Three Choirs Vineyard, who work closely with Furnace to deliver the characters and flavours that make their wines distinctive.
The Wines: Named After English Garden Birds
Every Furnace wine is named after an English garden bird distinct in its character and song, and the team has produced a set of postcards featuring original illustrations of the birds themselves. The current range is available to order through the online shop, with a minimum order of two bottles of wine and all prices shown inclusive of VAT at 20%.
Astral 2021 Red Wine
Priced at £18.00 per bottle, Astral is a Regent red wine with soft tannins and a hint of spice. It has a herbaceous nose and a dark ruby red colour. On the palate it is dry and fragrant, with autumnal fruits, black cherries and an aftertaste of liquorice and spice. It is bottled at 11.5% vol. Astral 2021 can be ordered online.
Celestial Light 2018 - Sparkling Brut
The sparkling white is named Celestial Light, relating to the sky or visible heavens, the sun, moon and stars. It has been aged on the lees for four years and is a dry-to-medium-dry sparkling white with a touch of brioche overlaying citrus fruits, melon, elderflower and an aftertaste of sweet bitter orange. It has a lively mousse with a steady stream of bubbles in the glass, pale lemon in colour. Judges at the IEWA described it as a "really interesting wine with a lovely subtlety. Pretty, with a really good mousse. A fruity Bacchus with light white and green fruit, that doesn't go too much towards hedgerow. Apple pith, bruised apple, slight residual sugar finish. Well made, and nice texture." Celestial Light 2018 is a Bronze Medal Winner at the IEWA and is priced at £30.00 per bottle. Celestial Light 2018 can be ordered online.
Magic Hour 2021 Rosé
Named after the time just after sunset and just before sunrise, Magic Hour is a pale rosé full of fruit, with peaches, melon, sweet grapefruit and lychees on the palate and an aromatic, floral nose. It is bottled at 11.5% vol and priced at £15.00 per bottle. Magic Hour 2021 can be ordered online.
Beyond the Bottle: Olive Oil, Wooden Spoons and Prints
The Furnace produces range extends well beyond wine. The team is proud to stock 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil from George's family farm in Kalamata, Greece, alongside hand-carved wooden spoons made from the fallen boughs of trees that surround the vineyard, and special edition prints. The olive oil is priced at £16.50.
Vineyard Experiences and Wine Tastings
Furnace's vineyard experiences are by appointment only and hosted by Beth at the St Weonards Vineyard. The tasting takes place in the wine tasting room and The Winemaker's Cabin, surrounded by the working spaces of the farm. Visitors learn about the two vineyards, the soil and aspect that suit the varieties they grow, the harvest and the relationship with Three Choirs. Wine tasting experiences can be booked online.
Creative Residencies and Studio Space
Furnace Studio is a collaborative, developmental and making space where the team also work on their own practices. The site hosts creative residencies partnering with a variety of cultural organisations, with a series of spaces on the site providing the perfect platform for creativity in all its forms. These include studio space, accommodation, The Winemaker's Cabin and The Plant Room, a place to sow seeds. Creative residencies are available to enquire about online.
S.T.E.W. (Sometimes Everything is Wonderful)
S.T.E.W. is a seasonal salon that pops up in Herefordshire, London and beyond. The first S.T.E.W. took place in 2009 and has appeared periodically since then to provide an informal, experimental platform for artists and creative thinkers to present new work. At previous events Furnace has been delighted to host a remarkable roster of writers, musicians and artists including Jonsi and Alex (Sigur Rós), Richard Strange, MC Kinky, Maria Marshall, Sue Hubbard, Richard Dyer, The Agency Gallery, William Hunt and Emma Gibson. At S.T.E.W. events, attendees are offered a bowl of seasonal stew accompanied by Furnace Wines, whilst relishing some cultural nutrition in the form of an artistic presentation, exhibition or performance. Past editions of S.T.E.W. are documented online.
Rural Stays: Blackbird Barn and Comraich
Blackbird Barn
Blackbird Barn is situated in the scenic hamlet of Llanwarne, set deep in rolling Herefordshire countryside. Llanwarne is a secret English idyll that allegedly sits on five ley lines, with the stunning ruined church of St John the Baptist and the Gamber Brook making it a tranquil haven. On clear nights, the sky is full of stars and it is often possible to hear the distinctive hoot of the local owls at dusk. Blackbird Barn is also situated close to the Wye Valley, which features some of the most dramatic and scenic landscapes in southern Britain including Symond's Yat and the Wye River. Blackbird Barn can be booked online.
Comraich
For something further afield, Furnace also offers Comraich, a Scandinavian-style cabin in the Scottish Highlands on the West Coast of Scotland. Located in Clachtoll, just six miles from the vibrant village of Lochinver, the property combines a modern contemporary Scandinavian-styled interior with the stunning beauty of the Highlands. Comraich features two king-size bedrooms, two bathrooms, a stylish kitchen with Le Creuset, a snug room with Smart TV, a wood burner, underfloor heating and a south-facing decked veranda with garden seating and BBQ. The pristine sands of Clachtoll Beach are 500 metres from the property. Rental rates for Comraich are available on request.
Ordering, Delivery and Collection
Wine can be ordered and collected from Furnace Farm Barns, Herefordshire, HR2 8NZ. There is a flat fee on delivery within mainland United Kingdom of £16.00, with delivery taking 2-4 working days from the day after the order is placed. Wholesale deliveries are quoted for over email and, depending on postcode and quantity, delivery may take longer. For deliveries to Ireland and certain parts of Scotland additional fees may apply; for these locations, or international orders, customers are asked to contact the studio directly at studio@furnaceprojects.com.
Events and What's On
Furnace Projects hosts an ongoing programme of events, with both upcoming and past gatherings listed on the upcoming events page and the festivals and events page. S.T.E.W. continues to bring writers, musicians and artists to Herefordshire and London. Anyone interested in hosting or attending future events can contact the studio directly.
Visiting Furnace Projects
The Furnace site lies at the edges of the Treago Estate in St Weonards, Herefordshire, in a county whose ancient history still echoes in its modern-day existence. Herefordshire's scenery owes much to the volcanic activity that gave us the Malvern Hills and the Worcester and Hereford Beacons. Its relative inaccessibility and extraordinary natural beauty have made it a place that artists and makers of all sorts have long sought to live, and Furnace is the focal point for a contemporary rural creative community that, over a glass of wine, is building something quietly remarkable on the edge of the English-Welsh border.