Get in the Christmas spirit at your local winery festive open day – and discover their award-winning range
If you haven’t yet discovered your local award-winning family winery Fortieth Rule, now’s your chance to try tastings at their Christmas open day event and take home something special.
Based in the heart of Northamptonshire, making wine is a family affair for Fortieth Rule which has already won top national wine awards in just three harvests.
Now they are opening their doors for a Christmas event on Saturday 6th December, a great chance to taste Fortieth Rule wine including their very own mulled wine, get a tour of the winery, chance to meet the team and have a sneak preview of new wines, all whilst getting in the Christmas spirit. Sign up for free tickets here.
Now in their fourth year, their secret is sourcing the highest quality grapes from trusted English producers and putting passion and robust scientific approach into making their wine, using gentler, traditional methods.
William Atkinson runs Fortieth Rule from Wilby near Wellingborough with his wife Anne and daughter Eleanor, who are the chemists, son Josh who is the art behind the wine-making and his wife Ellie who has created all the branding, as well as his son-in-law Harry, who manages sales and most production operations.
William said: “Wine is personal and making it is an art, not robotic. The wine we produce is made with as little intervention as possible as we seek to let the grapes shine. We hope you can see and feel our family’s lite touch in every bottle.”
And that approach is paying off, having won two Independent English Wine Awards for the two wines they entered.
The Hemina Pinot Noir Rosé won a silver medal with the judges’ comments including: “Expressive vibrant expression of English rosé, with Pinot shining on both nose and palate.”
While their Gaudete Sunday won a bronze, with comments from the judges including: “Fresh, light wine, very appealing, with aromatic nose.”
Fortieth Rule produces a choice of white and rosé wines, while making red wine is the next challenge as they grow.
And if you’re wondering about their name, it goes back to when Josh studied Theology at St Benet’s, a private hall at the University of Oxford run by Benedictine monks. The students would gather each evening for dinner and read from the Rule of St Benedict but were never allowed to read one particular chapter – the fortieth – as it outlined how much wine monks were allowed to drink.
It is also a tribute to the rich history and importance of sharing wine and they even invited a monk to bless the winery at the launch of their rosé.
Christmas gifts and open day
Try their wine for yourself at their open day from 11am - 5pm on Saturday 6th December, where mulled wine will also be served. The event is free but you will need to book a ticket here.
It’s an opportunity to stock up on wine for Christmas, or buy that special gift you won’t find on the supermarket shelves. Every bottle not only tastes special but also looks unique with its special seal and box.
Or to order wine online, choose a tasting experience, merchandise or gift card as a festive present, visit the website at www.fortiethrule.com.
Fortieth Rule is at 111 Mears Ashby Road, Wilby NN8 2FH