About the South West Vineyards Association.

Members of the SWVA are drawn from all ranks of those interested in growing vines for wine making.  Most of the big and the smaller commercial vineyards in our region are members and there are many who grow vines simply for their own satisfaction and have no interest to do so commercially.  Some members are not growers, but have a commercial interest in vine growing or wine making products or can provide a consultancy service to those who do.  Members  of the SWVA are automatically members of the UK Vineyards Association (the UKVA).

Subscriptions are decided at the AGM and payable from 1st June.  Charges are made for meetings and by this means the subs are kept to a minimum.   The Association publishes two lists of members updated annually.  One lists everyone, but is private to members. The other list is of those who ‘trade’ and want publicity and is in the public domain.

The Year’s Events…
The aim of the Association is to provide a congenial forum for members to share their experiences and air their views.  Meetings are held from time to time; usually a Spring Meeting in March includes an AGM, sometimes a Summer Meeting in June, which is an opportunity for members to visit a member’s vineyard in another part of the Region, and an Annual Competition, which is judged to the highest national standards, is held in September.   A non-commercial forum has also been set up to cater for the needs of small or non-commercial growers and includes members new to wine growing as well as those who have been doing it for decades.  The Forum has a calendar of meetings throughout the year to discuss topics of interest and well as sample members’ wines.  The forum is run simply, with no pre-qualifications or subscription.

Organisation ...
The Association is run on a voluntary basis by a Committee elected from members at each AGM.  The Committee elects a Chairman and determines the direction of the Association.  The Committee organizes meetings and runs the Competition. 

Rules of Association have been drawn up and are reviewed as necessary from time to time.  A twice yearly newsletter, The Vine Post, is distributed to members.

The Association does not aim to assist members with publicity or commercial matters, preferring to keep to matters technical and social.  There is no brand or attempt to apply ‘quality control’.  The Association considers these matters are for the individual to order.  However we usually represent the region at the English Wine Producers Trade Tasting, and offer help and support for sub-regional promotions (for example "Devon Wine Week" which runs during English Wine Week at the end of each May). Through the member network, Joint buying arrangements can sometimes be made where bulk savings are worthwhile.