​​Every year the Chilworth Partnership and Venture Recruitment Partners teams come together for a day of fun away from the office.

Last year we attended Goodwood Races (and managed to turn up on one of the wettest days in August). This year, we were a bit luckier with the weather and embarked on a beer, wine, and gin-tasting tour with Grape and Grain Tours.

Our first stop was Triple FFF Brewery in Four Marks where we were shown around by Graham Trott who founded the brewery in 1997. We got a first-hand look at the plant and how they experiment with flavours to create their award-winning brews.

After learning all about the process of making beer, we headed to the tap room to sample their beers which are all named after rock icons.

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The second stop was Raimes Family Vineyard in Alresford. Georgia talked us through the challenges her family has faced in growing grapes on the slopes of the South Downs.

From lighting paraffin bougies at 5 am to protect the vines from frost and rallying volunteers to help harvest the grapes, we got to hear about their whole journey. We then finished the tour in the barn where we sampled their English Sparkling Wine. (The Raimes Classic seemed to be everyone’s favourite).

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We then briefly stopped for lunch at The Tichborne Arms, a picturesque and homely pub set close to the River Itchen. The food was spectacular with amazing service too!

To wrap up the day, our final stop was The River Test Distillery in Andover, where we learned about the use of nature in their distilling process. Using water from the nearby chalk river, and naturally occurring meadowsweet which can only be harvested during 2 weeks of the year, this process makes their gin undeniably smooth and tasteful.

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We also got to meet Chocolate Labrador Hershey! (we’re sure Maverick would approve).

Thank you to everybody who took the time to show us around. And to Grape and Grain’s Richard for taking us on the tour!