Velfrey Vineyard

Velfrey Vineyard: Award-Winning Welsh Sparkling Wines in the Heart of Pembrokeshire

Nestled on a gentle south-facing slope in the rolling countryside of south Pembrokeshire, Velfrey Vineyard is a family-run Welsh wine estate that has, in little more than a decade, established itself as one of the most decorated producers of traditional method sparkling wine in Wales. From its first plantings in 2017 to a current cellar of award-winning bottles bearing PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status, Velfrey is a story of careful husbandry, low-intervention winemaking and an unwavering commitment to letting the Pembrokeshire terroir speak through every glass.

A Family Venture Born in 2016

Velfrey Vineyard was established in 2016 by Andy and Fiona Mounsey. The couple had spent decades in agricultural publishing - Andy joined the family trade magazine business in 1987, and Fiona followed in 1992 - but a move to Pembrokeshire in 2014 and the arrival of eldest son Ryan planted the seed for something altogether more rooted in the land. After a year of site preparation, the first 3,500 vines went into the ground in 2017, planted by a specialist team that travelled over from Germany and finished the entire site in just three hours.

Since then, the vineyard has expanded steadily. Today more than 5,500 vines are planted across nearly three acres, with new Solaris and Rondo blocks added in the spring of 2025 to bring the patchwork of varieties up to a fully working estate. In early 2025, after what the family describe as a unanimous decision, Andy and Fiona formally hung up their publisher hats to focus full-time on what they call planet Velfrey.

The vineyard is now a true family affair. Andy leads on the tractor and the tours; Fiona looks after sales, the blog and the cut-flower patches; Ryan, who originally suggested turning the site into a vineyard, is outside rain or shine tending the vines; and his wife Sophie, who joined the team in December 2021, takes care of catering and social media. Three dogs - Archie and Billy the Border Collies and Bash the Sprocker Spaniel - keep a watchful eye on proceedings, and in 2025 a robot mower called Glen was added to the payroll alongside a rather handsome scarecrow introduced in 2022.

The Site, the Soil and the Pembrokeshire Climate

Velfrey occupies a gentle south-facing slope in the south Pembrokeshire countryside near the village of Lampeter Velfrey. The vines are planted in clay loam - a soil type found in some of the most prestigious wine-growing regions of the world - and the site's exposure captures Pembrokeshire sunshine while coastal breezes temper ripening, producing what the family describe as perfect conditions for cool-climate varieties.

The estate is officially located at Velfrey Vineyard, Velfrey Road, Lampeter Velfrey, Near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, SA34 0RA (///whirlwind.year.submerge), and the postcode puts visitors within easy reach of Narberth, Haverfordwest, Tenby and Saundersfoot on the south-west Welsh coast.

Low-Intervention, Sustainable Farming

From the very beginning, the Mounsey family committed to running Velfrey as a low-intervention, sustainable site. Plant teas - or tisanes - are brewed on the estate using comfrey, nettles, dandelions, willow and horsetail foraged from around the property, steeped overnight, diluted and sprayed onto the vines as natural health support. Sheep fleece from a neighbouring farm is used as a mulch on the Solaris slope in front of the visitor lodge, suppressing weeds, aiding ripening and gradually improving the soil, while birds from the surrounding hedgerows have been spotted cosily lining their nests with the offcuts.

Cover crops of mustard seed and forage radish are sown down alternate rows to improve drainage, feed soil life and support pollinators - and the results are visible in the worm counts and wild flowers that have multiplied since the trial began. A reinstated pond now hosts ducks, geese and herons, while the wildflower meadow has been awash with cowslips, orchids, foxgloves and bluebells in successive springs.

The Grape Varieties

Three grape varieties do the heavy lifting at Velfrey, each chosen for its suitability to the cooler, breezy conditions of coastal south Wales.

Pinot Noir

The classic sparkling varietal. Pinot Noir's thin skins and low tannin levels make it ideal for cooler-climate vineyards, and at Velfrey it forms the backbone of both the sparkling blends and the Rhosyn rosé. The team describe it as more bushy than Seyval Blanc and a touch more wayward than Solaris, demanding extra leaf-stripping and care through the season.

Seyval Blanc

A white variety ideally suited to cooler climates, Seyval Blanc is capable of producing world-class, award-winning sparkling wines. Velfrey's oldest and most plentiful plantings are Seyval, and a specially selected later-picked batch of Seyval from the 2021 harvest was sent to biodynamic winemaker Dave Morris at Mountain People Wine in Monmouthshire for a natural-fermentation, skin-contact white that would become the original Naturiol.

Solaris

An early-ripening white grape, Solaris produces wonderfully perfumed and subtly fruity wines. Its low acidity and high natural sugars translate into a gorgeous single-varietal still white - Velfrey's flagship still wine. The team treat Solaris as the most vigorous of the three varieties, prone to throwing out triffid-like growth and always the first to be leaf-stripped, netted and picked each autumn.

More recently, the family has also planted Rondo - a red variety - alongside additional Solaris on a new block laid out, as Fiona noted in the blog, rather like a French vineyard with neat rows radiating from a central oak tree.

The Wines

All of Velfrey's wines carry PGI Welsh Wine status, including Naturiol, which the family believe is the only PGI natural-ferment wine in Wales. The range is small but carefully curated, with both sparkling and still wines produced in limited releases.

Sparkling Wines

All of Velfrey's sparkling wines are made in the traditional method - the same secondary fermentation in bottle used in Champagne - with extended lees ageing for complexity and depth.

• Velfrey Non-Vintage Welsh Sparkling Wine - £36.00. A multi-award-winning blend of Seyval Blanc and Pinot Noir with 22 months on lees. Citrusy and fresh with notes of peach, apricot, apple pastry and minerality, white florals on the nose and a touch of cream and brioche-like savouriness from the traditional method. Silver medal at the 2024 Glass of Bubbly Awards, Best Sparkling White Wine at the Welsh Wine Awards 2024, Bronze at the Decanter World Wine Awards and selected by WineGB as one of the UK's Top 100 Wines. Buy the Velfrey NV here.
• Rhosyn 2023 Welsh Sparkling Rosé Wine - £42.00. "Rhosyn" is the Welsh word for rose. This elegant vintage sparkling rosé is a blend of Seyval Blanc and Pinot Noir with 48 hours of skin contact after pressing to give it its delicate blush hue, followed by 14 months on lees. Expect cherry blossom and rose petals on the nose, vibrant notes of fresh red berries, strawberries and pomegranate on the palate, with bright acidity, subtle savoury pastry tones and a long refined finish. Buy Rhosyn 2023 here.
• Velfrey 2022 Vintage Welsh Sparkling Wine - £45.00. A low-intervention traditional method sparkling from the exceptional 2022 vintage, blended from Seyval Blanc and Pinot Noir and aged 26 months on lees. Lightly dosed at 2 g/L and finished dry, it reveals elegant aromas of nectarine, wild strawberry and spiced orange peel, layered with buttery brioche and biscuit notes. Limited release; once it's gone, it's gone. Bronze medal at both the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026 and the Welsh Wine Awards 2025. Buy the 2022 vintage here.

Still Wines

• Solaris 2024 - £25.00. A dry, light and refreshing single-varietal Solaris from hand-grown Welsh grapes. Wonderfully perfumed with vibrant notes of melon, citrus, white peach and elderflower and a crisp, elegant finish. Suitable for vegans. 11% ABV. See Solaris 2024 here.
• Naturiol 2023 - £25.00. A naturally fermented, low-intervention, low-alcohol (8.5%) dry white made from Seyval Blanc with prolonged skin contact, no added yeast and subtle use of oak to round off the palate. The nose and palate mirror beautifully, with notes of lime, lychee, orchard fruit and peaches followed by hints of smoke. Suitable for vegans. See Naturiol 2023 here.

Free delivery is offered on orders over £75 across the UK.

Vineyard Tours and Tasting Experiences

Visits to Velfrey's Visitor Centre are at the heart of what the estate does, and the team run two distinct experiences to suit the season and the time available.

Full Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting

The full guided vineyard tour and wine tasting runs seasonally from April to October, taking visitors on a "grape to glass" journey through the vines, the winemaking philosophy and the wines themselves. An optional Welsh cheese and charcuterie sharing board can be added for those who want to linger, and the team are happy to accommodate dogs on a short lead - Velfrey is proudly dog-friendly.

Wine Tasting Experience

For those without the time for the full tour, a focused Wine Tasting Experience runs throughout the year and lasts 30 to 45 minutes. It covers the full range of Velfrey's sparkling and still wines and is ideal for visitors passing through Pembrokeshire or those simply popping in to buy a bottle or two.

Cancellations are accepted on all bookings; for bookings involving food, 72 hours' notice is required, after which a small 6% (5% + VAT) non-refundable processing fee may apply, or a voucher to the full value of the experience can be issued.

Adopt a Vine

One of Velfrey's most popular offerings is the Adopt a Vine programme - a permanent vine sponsorship that lets wine lovers "own" a piece of Welsh viticulture for life. Each package includes:

• A personalised Vine Adoption Certificate
• An engraved slate vine tag hand-written with the recipient's chosen name, fixed in the vineyard
• A guided vineyard tour and wine tasting for two people, redeemable at the recipient's convenience (gift voucher included)
• A bottle of Velfrey wine selected from the package tier
• A presentation gift box

Three tiers are available:

• Still Adopt a Vine - £90.00. Includes a bottle of one of the Solaris, Naturiol or Pinc still wines. Buy the Still Adopt a Vine here.
• Sparkling Adopt a Vine - £100.00. Includes a bottle of the internationally award-winning Velfrey Non-Vintage sparkling. Buy the Sparkling Adopt a Vine here.
• Deluxe Adopt a Vine - £125.00. Includes a bottle of the Vintage White or Rosé Sparkling plus a presentation gift box containing two champagne flutes. Buy the Deluxe Adopt a Vine here.

Sponsorship is permanent - once bought, the selected vine will bear the chosen name forever. Certificates and wine can be collected from the vineyard during normal opening hours or sent by courier.

Gift Vouchers

For visitors who prefer to give the gift of choice, Velfrey sells two types of gift voucher:

• Gift Voucher - Vineyard Tour (£20.00). Redeemable against one guided vineyard tour and tasting experience at the vineyard, with no expiry date. The number of participants can be selected at checkout and the tour can be booked at any point in the April - October tour season. Buy the Vineyard Tour gift voucher.
• Monetary Gift Voucher (any amount). Spendable on any Velfrey experience, in the on-site shop or via the online store, with no expiry date. Buy a Monetary Gift Voucher.

Awards, Accolades and Recognition

Velfrey's small but meticulous range has attracted an impressive haul of medals and nominations since the first vintage was released. Highlights include:

• Bronze medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards for both the 2022 Vintage Welsh Sparkling Wine (2026) and the Velfrey Non-Vintage Sparkling Wine
• Silver medals at the 2024 Glass of Bubbly Awards for both Rhosyn and Velfrey NV
• Best White Sparkling Wine 2024 in the Welsh Wine Awards for Velfrey NV
• Selection by WineGB as one of the UK's Top 100 Wines
• “Master” status at the Global Masters ‘English and Welsh Wine Masters’ 2022 for the Velfrey Traditional Method Sparkling Wine
• Small Drinks Producer 2023 in the Food and Drink Wales Awards
• Bronze medal in the WineGB awards for Velfrey NV
• Finalist in the Artisan Business category of the 2025 Food and Drink Wales Awards
• Finalist in the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards - Best Food and Drinks Producer for Wales (2023)
• Regional winners of the Countryside Alliance Awards (the “Rural Oscars”), going forward to the UK finals at the House of Lords
• Finalists in the Visit Pembrokeshire Croeso Awards for tourist innovation

The team have also exhibited at prestigious events including the National Geographic Traveller Food Festival in London as part of the Welsh Pavilion, the WineGB Trade and Press Tasting at the Lindley Hall, the Swansea International Wine Fair and the Royal Welsh Show on the Cywain stand. Their Velfrey NV was selected to be served at the drinks reception for the premiere of John Parr's BAFTA-nominated BAFTA-qualifying short film A Pack of Five at the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, and Fiona and Andy have represented Welsh PGI producers at events ranging from the Palace of Westminster (St David's Day) to Mayfair and Pall Mall tastings.

The Winemaking Year at Velfrey

Reading Fiona Mounsey's long-running Velfrey blog is like watching a year at the vineyard unfold in real time. The team share every step of the cycle in candid, charming detail.

Winter and Early Spring

Once the harvest is in, the vines are left to sleep. Pruning begins in December and runs through to March, with Ryan and Andy applying techniques learned on a course at Ancre Hill Vineyard in Monmouthshire - a year of pruning that looks two seasons ahead as much as one. Bud rubbing and crown thinning follow, knocking off any buds growing on the trunks to redirect resources into the new season's growth.

Bud Burst, Flowering and Fruit Set

Spring brings the cautious dance with late frosts. In 2020 a May frost event destroyed the first flush of Solaris shoots, prompting the team to adopt fleece covers and delayed tying down of the canes as their main line of defence. By April the inflorescences are visible - tiny green bunches that undergo a fascinating intermediate stage resembling dandelion seed heads before the caps drop, the flowers self-pollinate and the baby grapes begin to form.

Summer Canopy Work

Through June, July and August the canopy needs constant attention. New shoots are tucked in between the trellising wires, lateral shoots are removed, and the canopy is trimmed with a hedge trimmer attached to the tractor bucket. Leaf stripping around the bunches opens them up to sun and air, helping ripening and reducing disease pressure, while plant tisanes are brewed and sprayed onto the vines. As soon as the Solaris grapes near ripeness, the blue bird netting goes on - the “hair net” that keeps fieldfares, redwings and blackbirds from helping themselves to the harvest.

Harvest

Harvest at Velfrey is a community affair. Sugar and acid levels are tested almost daily as the kitchen turns into a chemistry lab, and once the numbers look right an email goes out inviting volunteers to help bring the grapes in. In 2021, more than 50 people turned out to help with the main harvest, with another 20 returning for a later picking of the ripest Seyval rows destined for Naturiol. Volunteers come from as far afield as Stratford-upon-Avon, Wrexham and Oxford, and are rewarded with soup, bread, a thank-you party and, since 2025, a bottle or two of wine on the day. Solaris is always picked first; the Pinot Noir and Seyval follow in mid- to late-October.

Once picked, the grapes are loaded onto a curtain-sided lorry for Halfpenny Green winery or, for the Naturiol cuvée, transported to Dave Morris at Mountain People Wine in Monmouthshire for natural fermentation and oak ageing.

The Team, the Dogs and the Wildlife

Velfrey is, at heart, a family business. Andy is the tractor-driving tour leader and current Chair of the Welsh Vineyards Association, re-elected for a three-year term in May 2025. Fiona writes the blog, runs sales and tends the cut-flower patches. Ryan - whose original idea it was to turn the family smallholding into a vineyard - is the principal vine-tender. Sophie, who joined in December 2021, runs catering and the social channels, and is also a talented wine taster in her own right after completing a WSET course.

Three dogs are integral members of the team. Archie and Billy, the Border Collies, act as enthusiastic doorbells, barking wildly whenever anyone approaches the drive, while Bash the Sprocker Spaniel is, in Fiona's words, “determined to find all the smelly tennis balls around the vineyard - mainly from the pond where he put them in the first place.” Newest team members include Glen the robot mower (whose little headlights let him work into the dark) and the unnamed scarecrow installed in 2022 to deter the birds.

The wider vineyard ecosystem is just as celebrated. Goldfinches have nested in the Pinot Noir canopy, swallows and house martins skim the vines each summer, dragonflies dance over the reinstated pond, and the surrounding wildflower meadow supports orchids, bluebells, cowslips and bird's-foot trefoil. Even the silverweed under the vines has its advocates - at a recent Welsh Vineyards Association AGM, another grower pointed out that it may act as a low-growing weed suppressant, neatly outcompeting taller weeds without competing for vine nutrients.

Where to Buy Velfrey

Velfrey wines are stocked across Wales and into England. The full list of stockists includes:

Wales (Cymru)

• Cardiff (Caerdydd): A Welsh Secret; Chilled & Tannin
• Swansea (Abertawe): Cheers Wine Merchants; ND John Wine Merchants; Fine Wines Direct
• Haverfordwest (Hwlffordd): The Sheep Shop; Vincent Davies
• Tenby (Dinbych Y Pysgod): Four Seasons Farm Shop; The Little Pantry
• Narberth (Arberth): Fire & Ice; Wisebuys
• Saundersfoot (Llanusyllt): Village Wine Shop
• Whitland (Hendy-Gwyn): The London House Butchery
• Llandeilo: Diod
• Welshpool (Y Trallwng): Tanners Wine Merchants

England (Lloegr)

• Cambridge: Grape Britannia

Other Pembrokeshire stockists mentioned over the years include The Little Pantry in Tenby, St Davids Food and Wine, Bayview Stores Solva, Annwn Restaurant Lawrenny, Rib & Oyster Kilgetty, Elmgrove House Hotel St Florence and The Grove Narberth.

Plan Your Visit

Velfrey is roughly equidistant from Cardiff and Swansea and within easy reach of Pembrokeshire's coast and Preseli Hills. The postcode for sat-navs is SA34 0RA, and visitors using what3words should head to ///whirlwind.year.submerge. The team strongly recommend booking tours in advance; for any questions, call 07950 886644 or email info@velfrey.com. The vineyard is active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, and fans can subscribe to the email list for harvest updates and exclusive offers.

Whether you arrive for a tasting flight in the lodge, a guided walk among the Pinot Noir and Solaris, or simply to collect a case of Velfrey NV, you will be made very welcome by Andy, Fiona, Ryan, Sophie, Archie, Billy and Bash - along with their colleagues in the vines.