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English Vineyards, Biodynamics, And Blood Vintage: J.F. Penn With Natalie Maclean On The Unreserved Wine Talk Podcast

What is biodynamic viticulture and why is it sometimes associated with dark magic or the occult? What’s behind the rise of English wines and how did two specific vineyards inspire a dark wine-drenched novel?

Over glasses of Pinot Noir and Rosé, wine writer Natalie Maclean talks to author J.F. Penn on the Unreserved Wine Talk Podcast about her folk horror novel, Blood Vintage, set in an English vineyard.

You can watch above or here on YouTube, listen to it on your favourite podcast app, or read the transcript below. We discuss:

The rise of English wine, and how Woodchester Valley Vineyard in the Cotswolds, England, inspired the idea of a folk horror novel
Biodynamic viticulture and how it plays such a huge part in terroir, and why Limeburn Hill Biodynamic Vineyard in Chew Magna, England inspired more the story
Folklore and sensual writing, evoking a sense of place
Exploring folk horror, and how far people will go for that special taste
Wine and architecture
Kickstarter, special editions, and the importance of beautiful packaging for what lies within — both for wine and books

You can find Blood Vintage at JFPenn.com/bloodvintage, and you can find Natalie at NatalieMaclean.com with articles, wine pairings and the Unreserved Wine Talk Podcast.

Limeburn Hill Biodynamic Vineyard. Chew Magna. England.

Unusual Places

“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

The Taste Of Place. French Vineyard Life With Caro Feely

Unusual Places

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“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” Galileo Galilei

So much of the joy of travel is eating and drinking and I certainly love to try local wines when I visit new places!

In this interview, Caro Feely talks about why she and her husband gave up successful careers to take on a rundown vineyard in a new country, the struggles they went through to build up the business — even down to their blood shed on the land itself. There are a surprising number of ways to die in a vineyard! We also talk about the importance of terroir — the unique taste of a place due to environmental factors — and the different wines they produce at Chateau Feely.

Caro Feely is a certified wine educator writing part-time from the organic biodynamic vineyard and wine school in Saussignac, France that she owns and runs with her husband, Sean. Part Irish, part South African, and now part French, she is passionate about wine and life. Her books include memoir About the Vineyard Life, and a nonfiction book, Wine: The Essential Guide to Tasting History, Culture, and More.

Show notes

Giving up the corporate life for a tumbledown French vineyard
The challenges of starting a vineyard
The surprising ways to die amongst the vines
Terroir and the importance of the land
The different wines of Chateau Feely
Recommended books about vineyards

You can find Caro Feely at ChateauFeely.com

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