Helme Edge Vineyard: Bumper first year for Yorkshire wine lovers' tourist destination
Three generations of the same family are celebrating the first anniversary of their boutique Yorkshire vineyard which has already welcomed more than 1,000 visitors.
Helme Edge Vineyard, at Meltham near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has also increased its wine stocks following a bumper 2025 harvest and expanded its offering to include charcuterie plates alongside its tours and tastings.
The family-run business has also been invited to deliver wine tastings for organisations and is now a member of the Yorkshire Wine Trail, which was formed to boost wine tourism across Yorkshire.
Helme Edge Vineyard was launched by Alan Calder, his daughter Fiona Smith and her son Tom Smith with the aim of creating a tourist destination for wine lovers, and a year on, the family said the response has exceeded their expectations.
A spokesman said: “Nestled in the foothills of the Pennines at Meltham near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the vineyard has quickly established itself as a popular venue for tours and wine tastings, with guests enjoying the views towards the conservation village of Helme and the wider Pennine landscape.
“Set over 3.2 acres of land, Helme Edge Vineyard officially opened its doors in April last year and has since developed its visitor experience, and seeing growing interest from both local people and visitors to the area.
“Day to day, the business is run by Alan and Tom, with Fiona supporting in between her job as director of home care company Caremark Kirklees, which she runs alongside her husband, Duncan, who also helps with vineyard work and finances. Fiona’s mum, Jennifer, is also heavily involved, making brownies, shortbreads and biscuits that make up the nibbles that the vineyard’s visitors enjoy.
Alan said: “When we launched the vineyard, we hoped people would enjoy coming here for tours and tastings, but to welcome 1,000 visitors in our first year, with such overwhelmingly positive feedback from over 80 5-Star Google reviews, has been fantastic.
“We have also had a superb harvest in 2025, which means our wine stocks have increased massively and it has been really encouraging to see so much enthusiasm for what we are doing.
“As well as welcoming people here, we have been invited to do wine tastings for organisations out in the community and working alongside other small local businesses to deliver the visitor experience we strive for.”
The family started experimenting in 2017 by planting 70 vines, resulting in a small homemade vintage in 2020. The quality of the wine convinced them it was possible to grow grapes in the foothills of the Pennines, leading to a lockdown expansion project, which kept growing until they decided to turn the hobby into a business in 2022. They now have several thousand vines which produce still and sparkling white wines and a rosé.
People wishing to book tasting tours, or find out more about the vineyard can visit https://helmeedgevineyard.co.uk/