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“Authentic, terroir-based, joyful wine … that expresses a true sense of place and could only come from this land.” Limeburn Hill Biodynamic Vineyard

English wine is having a renaissance, and after a visit to a vineyard in the Cotswolds last summer, I became interested once more in how vineyards used biodynamic agriculture. I also love folk horror novels and had an idea for a story so I wanted to learn more. [Update, I wrote the story, Blood Vintage.]

I first discussed the stranger aspects of biodynamics with Caro Feely back in 2020 in a podcast episode around The Taste of Place. More recently I read Voodoo Vintners: Oregon’s Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers by Katherine Cole, but Oregon is a long way from Bath, where I live in the south-west of the UK, so it wasn’t practical to visit.

Then I discovered a vineyard near me that uses biodynamic practices, so on a beautiful hot day in early June, 2024, I visited Limeburn Hill in Chew Magna, near Bristol.

Limeburn Hill coffee in the courtyard, Photo by J.F. Penn

Wells is a small city in Somerset, England, not far from where I live in Bath. The construction of Wells Cathedral began in 1175 and was largely completed by the mid-13th century making it one of the earliest Gothic cathedrals in England.

In this article, I take you through the highlights based on my visit in May 2024.

Wells Cathedral west front Photo by JFPenn — Wells Cathedral west front. Photo by JFPenn

The cathedral’s west front is adorned with nearly 300 statues of saints, kings, angels, and biblical characters. Many are weathered and eroded, with some being replaced by new carvings. Originally, many of the statues and the west front itself were painted in vibrant colours, though much of the paint has worn away over the centuries.

Limeburn Hill Biodynamic Vineyard. Chew Magna. England.

Wells Cathedral, England

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