Hanwell Wine Estate hosts staff training, workshops, meetings, team away days, networking events, private parties and weddings, for groups from a handful of people to 50 seated theater-style indoors, with more room outside. The family-run vineyard lies at Hickling Pastures in Nottinghamshire, on the A606 between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray, and has offered wine visits and tastings since 1975.
Seminars and company events
The Rural Antics Barn is the main working room: just over 80 square meters with countryside views, set up as a boardroom for 24 and convertible to 50 theater-style or 30 for dinner. It has a wall-mounted screen with HDMI, WiFi, a flipchart, tables and chairs, a kettle and sinks, with level wooden floors and a small ramp at the double doors. Away days and retreats can move between the barn, the Tasting Room and Bar and the outdoor spaces, and a group tasting in the vineyard works as a team activity. A 2.5-kilometer cross-country track crosses the estate and is mown from May to September. Functions end by 10 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and by 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Weddings and receptions
The estate offers wedding packages and vow renewals, from an intimate outdoor celebration to a larger wedding under a marquee or tipi, and tailors each package to the couple. Retirement parties, anniversaries, birthdays and other celebrations use the same spaces. A brochure and viewings are available on request.
Rooms and capacities
The Tasting Room and Bar seats 26 indoors café-style and opens onto a terrace of more than 50 square meters, and a staffed bar comes with the hire. The Lodge has two rooms for 16 seated or 30 standing, and with the terrace and pergola it takes up to 30. Outside, the 2.5-acre grass paddock has power and water for gazebo parties, sports or fitness sessions, and a smaller stock-proof paddock sits by the car park. Gazebos of 6 by 3 meters and 3 by 3 meters and a fire pit can be added to any booking.
Accommodation
There are no bedrooms on the estate. A seasonal campsite for tents, motorhomes and caravans opens from June to September.
Catering
The on-site kitchen prepares a Mediterranean-style vegetarian buffet, local cheese boards, quiche, salads, sandwiches and afternoon tea, with self-serve hot and cold drinks. The bar pours Hanwell wines alongside beer, cider, soft drinks and mocktails. Plates, cutlery and glassware can be hired, and outside food and alcohol need written agreement from the estate.
History and setting
The estate covers 35 acres of vineyard, fields, woodland and a lake. The family has run vineyard visits here since 1975, and the café bar serves coffee, cake and light lunches in season, which gives day delegates a place to break between sessions.
Getting there
The estate lies on the A606 just off the A46, and is reached from the A52 and the M1. Free parking takes more than 50 cars and has room for coaches and minibuses.
