Joule's Brewery celebrates purchase of historic French vineyard marking move into winemaking
A county brewery is raising a glass to celebrate after buying a historic French vineyard.
Market Drayton's Joule’s Brewery has confirmed the purchase of Château Bessan, a historic vineyard in the Premier Côtes de Bordeaux.
The announcement comes alongside the reopening of its flagship pub, the Red Lion Brewery Tap in Market Drayton today - Thursday, August 21.
The deal for the vineyard marks the first time Joule’s has stepped beyond brewing into winemaking.
But the firm said its ambition remains the same - "to create something of the highest quality, exclusively for it’s pubs, and offer it to customers at the very best value".
A statement from the brewery said: "Just as Joule’s beer is brewed only for its own taphouses, using pure mineral Shropshire water, served exclusively on draught and never bottled, Château Bessan wine will only ever be poured in a Joule’s pub."
The first shipment arrives in August, starting with three core wines: Château Bessan - Red; Bordeaux Blanc - White; Fleur de Vigne - Premium White.
Detailing the setting of its latest addition Joule's said: "High above the Garonne River, on land that has grown vines for over four centuries, Château Bessan shares a kindred spirit with Joule’s.
"Both are steeped in heritage. Joule’s was first brewed by monks in Staffordshire in 1780 and holds the sixth-oldest beer trademark in the world.
"Château Bessan’s Great Seal, created in 1607, has marked every barrel and bottle for more than 400 years as a promise of authenticity. Both are fiercely proud of their craft and are shaped by generations of care."
Vicky Colclough, managing director of Joule’s Brewery, said: “We are, and always will be, brewers first, but our taphouses are about much more than beer.
"We want every Joule’s pub to offer the best of everything - the best pint, the best wine, the best atmosphere - and Château Bessan gives us the chance to do for wine what we’ve done for our beer already. It’s made with the same dedication, from a single source, for a single purpose: to be enjoyed in great pubs, at great value.”
The launch of Château Bessan will begin in Joule’s managed houses this autumn, with a wider roll-out across the estate as more wine becomes available.
Over time, the vineyard will adapt its planting to suit Joule’s pubs, with a focus on exceptional whites alongside its acclaimed reds.
The firm said the reopening of the Red Lion Brewery Tap is the "perfect stage" to introduce the next step.
Lovingly redeveloped, the Red Lion now includes a brand-new wine bar at the front, a space dedicated to telling the Château Bessan story and showcasing it’s wines alongside pints poured fresh from the brewery next door.
Anna Brakel, development director, said: “The Red Lion has always been the heart of Joule’s, and this development keeps that heart beating while opening new doors. The wine bar is something different for us, but it feels like a natural fit, it’s a place to explore the wines in a relaxed, pub setting, and to show how they sit alongside our beers.”
The move into wine comes at a time of exciting growth for Joule’s.
Over the past year, the brewery has expanded into Birmingham with three new Taphouses: The Red Lion in the Jewellery Quarter, The New Inn in Harborne, and The Waterside Tap on Gas Street Basin.
The brewery has also also expanded its site by introducing a new private events space pub ‘The Stag’, next door to the brewery.
Georgia Charlton-Briggs, brand manager, said: “What excites me most is how much these two stories mirror each other. Both Joule’s and Château Bessan are about heritage, provenance, and a refusal to compromise on quality.
"Whether it’s a pint of Green Monkey poured fresh from the tank or a glass of Bordeaux Blanc poured straight from the bottle, both come from one source, made with care, and served only in Joule’s Taphouses.
"This is about giving our customers something they can’t get anywhere else, and being proud to say it’s ours.”
