The Big English & Welsh Wine Festival is being held at a stunning Cheltenham church in June.

Cheltenham's leading independent wine merchant, Tivoli Wines, recently unveiled their sister brand Vine & Orchard Adventures.

Primarily focusing on unique drinks experience tours around the Cotswolds and Three Counties, they are also hosting larger events that both highlight and support the incredible producers we have here in the UK. The Big English & Welsh Wine Festival will be their first event of this scale.

On Saturday 18th June, The Big English & Welsh Wine Festival will take place in Cheltenham at Pip & Jim's, otherwise known as the stunning St Philip & St James's Church, Leckhampton.

With over 20 English and Welsh wine producers in attendance, 75+ still and sparkling wines to taste, and a capacity of 250 people, this event will be one of the greatest of its kind and will be a wonderful way to kick off English Wine Week (18th - 26th June 2022).

Owner David Dodd said: "We've had this in mind for the past two years. We're hugely supportive of English and Welsh wine. Having held a number of still and sparkling English events at Tivoli Wines, we've witnessed first-hand the positive reaction our customers have to the wines made in our own backyard.

"People have previously been a little sceptical of English wine, but with the phenomenal rates of growth seen in both sales and production, this is clearly no longer the case.

"For the first time ever, we sold more bottles of English Sparkling over the peak Christmas period than Champagne - and we sold a lot of Champagne! For any wine-lovers who are yet to jump on-board the national wine movement, we urge them to come and join us for a few hours. They won't be disappointed!"

Some of the award-winning wine estates taking part in the festival include: Gusbourne, Chapel Down, Woodchester Valley Vineyard, Lyme Bay Winery, Langham, Simpsons and Balfour.

Early bird tickets sold out just hours after announcing the event, but there are plenty of standard priced tickets left (£20 plus booking fee). Entry includes all tasting samples, a printed wine guide, and the opportunity to buy bottles directly from the producers themselves. The event will run from 4pm - 6pm, and there will be street food available to purchase during this time too.

Tivoli Wines have had huge success with their previous English-focused events, so it's now over to Vine & Orchard to scale up activities and raise the profiles of English and Welsh wine producers to a wider audience.

Tickets are available through Eventbrite