On Thursday 22nd February 2018, Ruth and Charles Simpson officially opened The Glass House Tasting Room at Simpsons Wine Estate. This was the final stage in their renovation project, which has seen the conversion of their two barns into a state of the art winery, office space and visitor attraction.
Owners Ruth and Charles Simpson commissioned Rap Interiors, a Kent based Office Design Agency, to undertake the works. Rap was responsible for both the interior design and conversion of the space, which involved utilising a two-storey mezzanine floor within the winery.
Comments Ruth Simpson, “We know that wine tourism is a huge growth area in the UK, so wanted to make sure we have a really special visitor experience for those interested in English wine. We’ve found that people in the local area and further afield are fascinated that the UK can now produce very high-quality wines and we hope that our vineyard and winery tours, at this fantastic new facility, will help visitors learn more about it.”
Using the Simpsons’ vision to create a high-end visitors facility, Rap transformed the top floor of the mezzanine into a wine tasting room by encasing it in glass and implementing a number of bespoke design features. These include a custom built bar with an ocean ripple finish and integrated, self-cleaning spittoons; a hanging pendant light with custom wine glass bulbs etched with the Simpsons’ logo; ‘S’ shaped wine bottle holders; a luxurious seating area with velvet sofas and cocktail chairs; and a helter-skelter slide which transports guests down to the ground floor winery. The helter-skelter, named ‘The Fruit Chute’, was dreamt up by the Simpsons to achieve a memorable and fun, post-tasting exit from The Glass House Tasting Room.
Vineyard and Winery Tours at Simpsons Wine Estate will begin again in March 2018.
The Glass House Tasting Room is also available for Private Hire and Corporate Events. For further details, please contact Ashleigh or Helen via theglasshouse@simpsonswine.com