STANDING among 600 grapevines in the blazing summer sunshine, I could have believed I was at a vineyard in the south of France.

I was actually just a 10-minute drive from the office, at The Pear Tree at Purton, where they grow and serve their own wines.

Hotel founders Francis and Anne Young started the wine-making venture eight years ago when they planted 600 vines in a one acre plot of land at the bottom of the Pear Tree’s garden.

Five years later, the first bottle of Cuvee Alix, named after their daughter, was ready, and Cuvee Anne came shortly after.

Anne, who is the hotel’s managing director, has been responsible for the maintenance of the vineyard since the early stages of the project.

And after Francis retired for health reasons last summer at the age of 60, both Anne and Alix have continued producing the wine. They are now serving wine produced in the October harvest.

Hotel manager Alix, who is a former radio journalist, said: “The wine is really popular. We have some regulars who will only drink our wine when they come here.

“A lot of people buy it out of curiosity at first, they’re curious to try wine from Swindon and wonder how rubbish it is going to be. Then they say ‘actually, it’s quite good!’ “It’s nice to think people are drinking the stuff that mum has put effort into, but it is a weird feeling when people order a bottle of Alix or I hear one of the staff saying ‘can you go and get Alix from the fridge?’ “If people are having Alix, I will try and serve it so they get the comedy value. If they order Anne then mum often serves it.”

Alix, 29, whose husband Tim Baldwin also works at the hotel, said she has taken on her dad’s role with the wine, because he tended not to have much to do with it before it became wine either.

“My dad loved the idea of having a vineyard because of the wine but it’s not a drinking project, it’s a gardening project,” she said.

Francis and Anne bought the derelict vicarage, which was to become The Pear Tree, 24 years ago.

They converted and extended it into a 17-bedroom hotel and restaurant.

The property came with two fields.

One was converted by Anne into a garden, and the couple decided to split the other between them.

Anne turned her part into a wildflower meadow, wildlife haven and buddleia walk, while Francis created his vineyard, choosing Germanic grape varieties suitable for the English climate.

Cuvee Alix is made from Seyval and Huxelrube grapes, and Cuvee Anne is a sparkling version.

Anne planted 50 red vines to produce Rondo grapes last year, which need three or four years before they are ready. The wine will be named after Francis and Anne’s son, Edward.

Harvest at the Pear Tree usually takes place in late October or early November, and the grapes are turned into wine at the family-owned Halfpenny Green vineyard in Staffordshire.

Anne said: “We were nervous when we got the first ever bottle. It could have been appalling and we might have had to use it for kitchen wine.

“We liked it though and it has got better each year – it tastes different and grows up. This year it has got more body.”

Plenty of sun in the early stages of the year makes a real difference to the grapes, and last year they created about 300 bottles.

During harvest this year, they collected about three quarters of a tonne of grapes, but they are yet to find out how many bottles of wine that will produce.

Alix added: “The wine is not really a money maker for us. It used to be more expensive but we sell it for £20 now. We just thought ‘what’s the point?’ We would much rather people tried it and as long as we are breaking even on the wine we are happy.

“People who come and stay will always remember they had the wine from the end of the garden.”

And after trying a sip of Cuvee Alex, I can see what all the fuss is about.

It has a beautiful fresh and fruity flavour, which is crisp and refreshing.

Certainly a perfect summer wine.

For more information visit www.peartreepurton.co.uk or phone 01793 772100.