THE HIX Academy students at Weymouth College visited Furleigh Estate to get a taste of where the sparkling wine that they serve in their restaurant comes from.

At the beginning of this month, four teaching staff and 28 apprentices visited Furleigh Estate, just outside Bridport, which provides Dorset with their own range of sparkling wines.

The students are part of the catering and hospitality facility at the college which is in partnership with chef and food writer Mark Hix.

The staff train students to become professional chefs, restaurant staff and bar tenders. The site on Cranford Avenue replicates the style of Mr Hix's top London restaurants.

Rebecca Hansford, owner of the estate met the apprentices and took them to the shop/tasting room and explained her and her husband’s background and the history of the business.

Students were then taken on a trip of the vineyard where they were shown the secrets of making sparkling wine, such as how the vines grow and how they are spliced in line with the soil type so that the best conditions are created in order to have a good crop and thus create a quality wine.

Matthew Parkinson, food and beverage manager from the HIX Academy, praised the estate for their hospitality with the students and staff from Weymouth College. He said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to see how Furleigh make their fine wines, and the experience will broaden their knowledge and employability skills.

“We would like to thank Furleigh Estate for their continued support of the HIX Academy.”

Rebecca Hansford said that the estate was delighted to meet the students.

She said: “We then took them into the winery which was in action while they were with us. The processes we use for making still and sparkling wine were described. The students did look a bit stunned at how complicated making wine is, and particularly bottle-fermented sparkling wine, but I am sure they learnt a lot.

“It is just typical that the HIX Academy thinks beyond just providing the traditional hospitality skills for its apprentices. For them to see and understand where the food and drink they serve comes from is such wonderful addition to their studies.

“With this amount of care going into their education they are certainly going to be an asset to our local hospitality industry. Furleigh Estate is please to play its small part in that.”

CONTACT ME:

t: 01305 830984

e: tanita.matthews@dorsetecho.co.uk

twitter: @DorsetEchoTM