When Wine and Philanthropy Meet

I first tried the Wilcote Sparkling Wine from Bridewell Organic Gardens during my visit to Oxford, England, this summer. The bottle was recommended to me by a member of the staff at The Market Cellar Door in The Covered Market.

She told me that it was local (from right down the road) and that it was tasty, but cautioned me that it’s not a traditional sparkling. This one uses grapes other than your usual Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier trifecta. I tried it and really enjoyed it! And when I did a bit of research into the wine and its makers, I was really touched by what I found.

Bridewell Gardens Sparkling Wine comes from grapes grown at Bridewell Gardens, a mental health recovery charity in West Oxfordshire, England. People attend the non-clinical setting during the working day and help to care for the gardens. They are typically referred by their GP or the Adult Mental Health teams in Oxfordshire, and they learn about connecting with the land as part of their recovery process.

According to the mission statement on their website:

‘Therapeutic horticulture can support better mental health by bringing people together, creating opportunities to learn new skills, building self esteem and confidence, providing physical exercise while working outdoors in a peaceful and beautiful setting.’ - Bridewell Gardens.

The charity works does everything up to delivering the grapes. From there, they work with The English Wine Project, which turns the grapes into wine. The quantities are small (between 600-2000 bottles are produced each year, depending on the weather and harvest) .

The Wilcote Sparkling Wine is made from Orion and Phoenix grapes. They do not maintain a specific ratio or recipe, which creates variation in each vintage. However, the results speak for themselves, both inside and outside of the bottle.

Of people leaving Bridewell between March 2023-2024, 57% moved on to paid or voluntary employment or to pursue further education and training.

Here are some testimonials from the attendees themselves:

“You have this magic way of pushing me out of my comfort zone gently, even when I resented it at the time!! If you hadn’t taught me that it’s safe to do scary things I’d probably still be too scared to even leave the house, let alone do all the things I’m doing now with studies and getting a job. The most valuable lesson you taught me about pushing myself out of my comfort zone is that it’s totally ok if it doesn’t go to plan. That reassurance I’ll carry with me and will always remind myself when I do scary things.”

“Bridewell exceeded my expectations because I didn’t think I’d gain as much personal growth as I did. Being in an environment that is calm was so healing for me because I hadn’t experienced a place with calmness before. I enjoyed having the opportunities to learn new skills and doing activities I wouldn’t be able to access anywhere else.”

“Coming to Bridewell made me feel like I was part of a community and that shared connection with others is very special.”

The gardens at Bridewell produce so much more than just grapes.

Learn more about Bridewell Gardens on their website, or from this article from the BBC.

Photos courtesy of Bridewell Gardens.