Borders bubbly produced on old potato field

“We are from a farming background so we both kind of knew about growing things,” said Lorna

“They grow a bit like a cross between a rose and a soft fruit – they don’t like the frost and they don’t like too much wet and they like a bit of sun and light in the summer.”

The couple are now going to look at the possibility of turning over buildings on the farm into a winery and investigate the prospects for commercial production.

“We would like to get more grapes for this next year so that we can make more than eight bottles next year,” Lorna said.

And are they happy with the finished product?

“It tastes really light and fruity – we were surprised that it wasn’t vinegar,” Lorna said.

She added that it was “very bubbly” and a lot of people had doubted it could be produced on open farmland in the Borders.

“They keep thinking that I’ve got a polytunnel or it’s all covered or it’s somewhere else,” she said.

“People do think I was a bit mad but here is the proof, here is Borders Bubbly – we have produced sparkling wine in Scotland.”