THE FIRST ever wine festival proved a success on a sunny day at Highcliffe Castle.
Dorset Wine Festival, an event organised by Simone Ippolito, made its debut at the weekend.
Visitors could try more than 50 wines from a selection of traders across the UK.
Hot Radio kept guests entertained while they admired the castle grounds and an array of sports cars.
Speaking on the idea behind the festival, Simone said: “My family makes wine in the south of Italy, in the region of Calabria.
"Since I've been here, there wasn't really anything just focusing on wine in terms of festival or a big event for it.
“So, for the past four or five years, I was always contemplating the idea of doing something myself.
“Then this year I decided to take the leap and create something a bit different than just a common and standard wine event.
"I wanted to do something that is really a celebration of the finer things in life. So wine, food, super cars, art, music, and of course, the amazing Highcliffe Castle.
“Hopefully all the people that are coming down for the festival, they will come back for Christmas, for summer breaks, and for all other beautiful events that we do here in Dorset.
“So I'm really passionate about where we live and I think this is a great opportunity for me to showcase all of the good that Dorset has with all our food exhibitors.”
The festival also featured Bolle, a brand of high-end non-alcoholic wine that was founded in August.
Hannah, marketing communications manager for the company, said: “Bolle is a non-alcoholic sparkling wine that was created for wine lovers by wine lovers.
“The unique thing about Bolle and what our founder Roberto has been working on for the last three years and what stands us out from other non-alcoholic wines is the fact that we are twice fermented.
“We heard about the wine festival via social media and once we'd got in touch with Simone, we realized what a passionate guy he was and how well organized it was going to be.
“He completely sold us with what was going on for the whole weekend.”
Bridport’s Furleigh Estate, Le Clivie, Guasti & Co and Sobo Sommelier were among the companies showcasing their product.
Dorset Wine Festival took place on October 5 and 6 at Highcliffe Castle.
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