Cefn Gwlad: Gwinllan Llaethliw Cefn Gwlad

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-Many people enjoy a glass of wine

-with their supper...

-..and it usually comes

-from overseas.

-Today, I'm a short distance from

-Llanilar, in the Vale of Aeron.

-This is the Llaethliw Vineyard.

-Richard Evans, his wife, Siw,

-and their son, Jac...

-..run the vineyard.

-Richard spends

-a lot of his time abroad...

-..in Nigeria, of all places.

-They've started producing wine,

-and they're doing well.

-LLAETHLIW VINEYARD

-The Vale of Aeron

-At this time each year...

-..when the weather is favourable...

-..it's time to harvest the grapes...

-..at Llaethliw Vineyard.

-It's a very busy time.

-Richard Evans is on his way home

-from Nigeria...

-..where he works

-for the Shell oil company.

-He's coming to help Siw and Jac.

-In the meantime, friends and

-neighbours begin the harvesting.

-This comes as a relief

-for Siw Evans and her son, Jac.

-What's the ideal time

-for picking the grapes?

-Last year, we were picking grapes

-a month earlier.

-We had a better summer.

-It all depends

-on the summer we have.

-A sunny summer

-means earlier picking...

-..because the sugar content

-is higher.

-Less sunshine means less sugar...

-..so the grapes must be left

-for a longer period.

-It's now mid October.

-It's now mid October.

-

-Yes, and frost becomes a problem.

-If we have frost,

-everything will spoil.

-Frost freezes the grapes,

-and when that happens, they pop.

-We have a machine

-that checks for frost.

-It sounds an alarm to let us know...

-..and we either have to pick, or use

-our frost-buster to blow warm air.

-No wonder Dad is out in Nigeria -

-he's leaving the work to you!

-He gets in touch with us via Skype -

-"How are things?"

-He's usually in the pub or at work.

-But he works hard when he's home,

-and he enjoys it.

-In Nigeria, he works in an office.

-When he's home,

-he gets up at 5.00am...

-..and he works until 8.00pm.

-Siw Evans is a local girl,

-from Cribyn.

-She and Richard have two children,

-Jac and Megan.

-Megan is a teacher

-at Ysgol Brynsaron in Llandysul.

-The work of harvesting the grapes

-is very enjoyable...

-..but it's not a bed of roses.

-Everyone thinks picking grapes

-is glamorous.

-As you know, Richard is in Nigeria.

-I told him we'd decided

-that we would pick late at night.

-It's the first time we've tried it,

-and we weren't sure about it.

-We both wore head torches

-to pick the grapes...

-..and insects kept flying towards us

-because of the light...

-..and got into our mouths and ears,

-and my feet got wet!

-Richard phoned to ask,

-"How did it go last night?"

-I told him, "My feet were wet,

-I had insects in my mouth."

-He said, "Don't worry, Siw fach."

-I thought he'd say

-we'd get a team in, next year...

-..but what he said was, "I'll buy

-you a new pair of wellingtons."

-That's what I got as a Christmas

-present - new wellingtons!

-Their friends, who are out

-in the vineyard, enjoy the work.

-They include a former bank manager,

-Arwel Jones, and his wife, Morina.

-I live just a mile down the valley.

-You'd never think something

-like this would take place...

-..in the Vale of Aeron.

-It's a very different

-kind of harvesting.

-It's unusually quiet, for one thing.

-Our equipment

-amounts to a pair of secateurs!

-But it's an easy job.

-A lot of work

-goes into organising this...

-..and choosing the most suitable

-grape varieties...

-..and nurturing the plants.

-Your wife

-is also picking the grapes.

-You'll have to go soon,

-to prepare supper!

-One of us will have to go!

-Perhaps we'll have

-a takeaway tonight!

-How are things coming along?

-I've only just arrived.

-I'm just starting.

-She's an expert -

-I keep asking her how to do things!

-I had a dentist's appointment

-in Aberystwyth earlier, at noon.

-I came back by bus.

-Work will take your mind

-off the dentist!

-Yes, I'm ready for some work.

-Yes, I'm ready for some work.

-

-That's the spirit!

-It's unusual work.

-Yes, definitely.

-Is this your first experience?

-Dai's an expert -

-he's picked grapes in France!

-Dai has done everything!

-I feel a bit guilty -

-there's so much left to pick.

-Fortunately, Jac is here

-to explain how to do it.

-Grab the bottom of the bunch and

-cut the stem where the bunch splits.

-That's right.

-And straight into the box.

-Do you have problems

-with birds eating the grapes?

-Yes, look at that - damage caused

-by birds or badgers - or the dog!

-The dog eats grapes, too.

-The bunches should be larger...

-..because we've had

-such bad weather this year...

-..growth has been more scattered.

-In a normal year,

-you'd have much larger bunches...

-..and many more of them.

-But instead,

-we have lots of small bunches.

-It's the same story

-with barley crops.

-These things take time.

-The vines flower about the same time

-as Wimbledon week...

-..so good weather during Wimbledon

-week should make it a good year.

-But this year, the weather

-hasn't been so good.

-You're lucky to have people

-to help you pick.

-Without them, we'd be here for days.

-We try to have two people

-for each row.

-In the early years, it was just me

-and Mam and a couple of helpers...

-..working from 8.00am until

-the sun went down, about 6.00pm...

-..to harvest all of it.

-Today, it should take

-just a few hours.

-We should be finished by 3.00pm.

-MOBILE PHONE

-You can lie to your Dad -

-he's far away!

-Dad.

-Last year, we got

-about eight boxes per row.

-This year, we're getting

-two or three boxes.

-Yes, maybe I'll do that.

-The weather is supposed to be fine.

-OK.

-I'll talk to you later, ta-ra.

-He's checking in.

-Your father, out in Nigeria,

-checking that everything's fine.

-He phones two or three times a day.

-He was asking

-how much we'd picked.

-He's happy.

-He's happy.

-

-It's a small world, these days.

-Phoning the Vale of Aeron

-from Nigeria is no big deal.

-Mam and Dad

-would go months without talking...

-..when he first went to Nigeria.

-Now, they can talk via webcam

-and Skype every evening.

-Lena Jenkins, a regular picker

-every year at Llaethliw Vineyard...

-..is Siw's sister.

-Do you need scissors, Dai?

-I've already done some picking.

-Have you really?

-Yes, honestly!

-I've tried!

-I don't think

-I could do it all day.

-Well, you know...

-My shoulders are starting to ache.

-There are so many rows.

-Yes, it seems

-there's no end to them.

-You stand in the middle

-and look down...

-..and then you look up,

-and there's even more.

-But we'll manage.

-Everyone's helping the cause.

-It's like picking potatoes,

-years ago.

-With helpers, the burden

-doesn't fall on any individual...

-..apart from the cook.

-The cook has to feed everyone.

-The cawl is excellent.

-Yes, fair play.

-Yes, fair play.

-

-The wine should be good, too.

-Let's hope so.

-The pickers must be fed, of course.

-The family has built a cosy room

-for that purpose...

-..close to the vineyard.

-Siw has prepared plenty of cawl

-for everyone...

-..and a glass of Llaethliw wine

-to keep our spirits up.

-Today, the vineyard

-is a dream come true...

-..for Richard Evans, Jac's father.

-He always wanted to retire

-and run a vineyard.

-We had an empty field

-when we moved here in 2008.

-We were just renting it out

-to a farmer.

-Dad thought, "Let's give it a go."

-The vineyard was planted in 2009.

-It's been growing for six years,

-and this is our third crop.

-You don't get any grapes

-in the first two years...

-..you just train the vines.

-It's tough, working every day,

-all year, with no crop to harvest.

-You feel you don't get any return

-for all your work.

-It helps

-when there's money coming in.

-After Christmas,

-we have to prune the vines back.

-We must choose two new canes.

-I'd probably spur this one.

-You don't want the vine

-growing in just one direction...

-..or upwards.

-We want growth close to the wire.

-So, yes - I'd spur that cane,

-there...

-..and perhaps bend this one down,

-or this one.

-You wind the canes around the wire.

-You want to ensure new growth

-each year.

-New growth

-will give you more grapes.

-It's similar to laying a hedge.

-Yes, exactly the same.

-You must make sure you have plenty

-of growth for the following year.

-I work half the year

-in the vineyard...

-..and the other half

-on North Sea oil rigs...

-..working two weeks on,

-two weeks off.

-I'm free all winter.

-My next contract begins in February.

-But I work harder here

-than I do on the rigs.

-This is where I work hardest.

-There's a lot less work to do

-on the oil rigs.

-We're very proud about how far

-we've come in seven years.

-We planted the vines six years ago.

-It took five years to produce

-the first bottles of wine.

-It was such a great feeling...

-..when we drank our first glass

-of Llaethliw wine.

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-There's still plenty of grapes

-left to harvest...

-..at Llaethliw Vineyard,

-near Aberaeron.

-Richard Evans has now arrived home

-from his job in Nigeria.

-Siw, his wife, wastes no time.

-She puts him to work straight away.

-The first task

-is to remove old leaves.

-Next year, we'll have a machine

-to do this.

-How does it work?

-It sucks up the leaves.

-But it doesn't suck up the grapes?

-No, just the leaves.

-You have to be careful,

-but there's a pressure switch...

-..to prevent the removal of grapes.

-Richard, you've arrived home safely.

-You've started work immediately.

-Yes, immediately.

-Did you have a good journey?

-Did you have a good journey?

-

-It was fine.

-KLM to Amsterdam.

-How long did it take?

-Six and a half hours.

-Have you had time

-to take a good look around?

-Yes, things are looking fine.

-Half the vineyard has been picked.

-We have the other half to do.

-I must say,

-it's a beautiful vineyard.

-It's so neat.

-I'm sure it took a lot of planning.

-It's quite an achievement.

-We brought in people and machines

-from Germany...

-..along with other workers.

-We used laser planting.

-They did all the planning,

-they worked it all out.

-They asked us how much space

-we wanted between the vines...

-..and the laser did everything.

-They had a big four-track machine.

-They had a big four-track machine.

-

-It's all so exact.

-The rows are perfectly straight.

-Yes, the lines and the posts.

-Are grapes difficult to grow?

-The weather in this area

-is suitable.

-Yes, in the Vale of Aeron.

-People call Aberaeron

-"Sunny Aberaeron".

-We get more sunshine here

-than in Lampeter or Tregaron.

-It's not the Napa Valley,

-it's the Aeron Valley!

-How did you become interested?

-If you had a farm

-where you grew corn and barley...

-..it would be a continuation

-of old traditions.

-But this is something very new

-for the Vale of Aeron.

-It's something I thought

-I could do with the land.

-It's nice to have a glass of wine,

-of an evening.

-But it grew to a bigger scale

-than I'd imagined.

-We've been very busy.

-We're thinking

-about planting more vines...

-..further up the hill.

-That's quite high.

-Yes.

-A venture such as this one

-is extremely ambitious.

-It's something that could easily

-break your heart, in the early days.

-I was born in Lampeter.

-I went away to university.

-I always wanted to farm,

-to do some kind of farming.

-I always wanted to own land.

-I went away to work abroad.

-Now, I've returned,

-and I'm trying something different.

-What do you do when you're not here?

-I work overseas.

-I work with an oil company...

-..in Nigeria, in Africa.

-I organise flights

-for the company...

-..the helicopters and aeroplanes...

-..used for moving people around.

-The place where you work is

-completely self-contained, is it?

-Yes.

-We all look after each other,

-all the oil companies.

-We're all self-sufficient.

-Richard lives an extremely busy life

-in Nigeria.

-At home, too,

-things are far from quiet.

-There are so many jobs to do.

-The grass between the vines

-must be mowed...

-..and weeds must removed.

-When growing potatoes, farmers

-used scufflers to shake the soil.

-Is that what you're doing?

-We use a machine

-called an intervine cultivator.

-It works its way in and out

-between the vines...

-..digging up the soil.

-We're trying to remain organic.

-We want to be organic,

-to produce organic wine.

-Can you use fertilizers

-such as manure?

-Yes, you can -

-there are products you can use.

-We have to go through Defra,

-we have to get their permission.

-We can use copper sulphate, lime.

-Those mats that you're lifting -

-will you have to replace them?

-No, after lifting them,

-you're finished with them.

-The mats were useful at the start,

-when the vines were young and weak.

-They stopped weeds from growing

-between the vines.

-The Germans planted the vines, then

-they laid the plastic over them...

-..cutting holes in it so the vines

-could grow through the plastic.

-But we don't need the plastic

-any more.

-We're thinking of planting

-more vines higher up the hill...

-..and reusing the plastic

-in the same way.

-You must have studied the subject

-extensively.

-Siw and Jac are always here,

-but you're often away.

-You must have studied a lot.

-Yes, studying from afar.

-Produce from the vineyard

-is piling up.

-The aim for the future is to be able

-to do their own processing...

-..at home at Llaethliw.

-Currently, the grapes are taken

-to a processing centre in Telford.

-That's a sizeable load -

-the trailer is almost full.

-Just under a tonne is my estimate.

-But last year we had two and a half

-tonnes, so this is a lot less.

-That's because

-we had such a bad summer.

-Where did you say

-you're taking the grapes?

-To Halfpenny Green, near Telford,

-for processing.

-We'll receive the bottled wine

-round about April.

-We'll make another visit

-in order to test the wine.

-You don't watch them being pressed?

-It's such a long cycle so we

-come home after dropping them off.

-We hope to start making

-our own wine in a few years' time.

-It'll save us having to take

-the grapes to Telford each time.

-It'll be easier

-to make wine on-site...

-..and to sell it on-site.

-Every single box

-is worth a lot of money.

-Yes, that's why we still

-have people picking away.

-Cardis, every one of them!

-They'll be here all day.

-This is an ideal place.

-The wine in the bottle

-has come from this field.

-This is a facility

-where you can welcome visitors...

-..and sell your wine.

-Yes - Merched y Wawr and several

-other organisations have visited.

-We give them a guided tour...

-..and then we bring them here

-to taste the wine.

-Richard, do you think of home

-when you're away on business?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-

-It's always on your mind.

-Siw and I speak every day,

-on our iPads.

-We talk to each other.

-But it's nice to be on the home pad!

-But it's nice to be on the home pad!

-

-Yes!

-How long will you stay at home?

-I'm going back next Monday.

-I have a week

-to do some work around the place.

-I'm spending Christmas abroad...

-..and I hope Siw

-can come and join me.

-Llaethliw takes its name from the

-occasionally milky appearance...

-..of a river that flows

-close the vineyard.

-The estate was once the home

-of the Beynon family...

-..which is why there's

-an old sailing ship...

-..pictured on the labels

-of the bottles.

-The labels show a schooner

-called the Llaethliw.

-The schooner was built

-at Traethgwyn near New Quay.

-The schooner sailed

-between Limerick and Liverpool...

-..and down to South Wales...

-..and down to Cornwall.

-It transported goods for the owner

-of the Llaethliw estate.

-I'll tell you how we got the idea.

-Richard did a Google search

-for the name Llaethliw...

-..and a picture of a painting came

-up, which was on sale in America...

-..a painting

-of the schooner Llaethliw.

-Richard said, "Siw, we must try

-to bring this painting back."

-So we hung it on the wall.

-When we were discussing

-what to put on the label...

-..Jac and Richard were keen

-to develop the image of the ship.

-When people buy wine,

-they like to hear about history.

-That's why we put the ship

-on the labels.

-You give talks to all

-the organisations that visit...

-..and you have stands

-at various shows.

-Do you enjoy that aspect?

-Yes, by now.

-Early on, I wasn't sure about how to

-organise things, but I'm better now.

-You start preparing

-on the day before.

-I come from a large family

-and my sister, Lena, helps me.

-Sometimes we have two stands

-in two different places.

-Jac and I would be in one place...

-..and Lena and my daughter, Megan,

-would be somewhere else.

-It's great fun.

-It's also nice to hear people

-saying they enjoy the wine.

-It's great when people say they're

-keeping a bottle for Christmas.

-It's nice to know there are

-people around, drinking our wine.

-Would you like to taste the wine?

-Would you like to taste the wine?

-

-Excellent!

-Red or rose?

-Red or rose?

-

-Red.

-Yes, red.

-I like its deep colour.

-I like its deep colour.

-

-Here you are.

-It's a good colour.

-It's a good colour.

-

-Thank you, Siw.

-Iechyd da.

-Iechyd da.

-

-Iechyd da.

-S4C subtitles by Trosol Cyf.

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