If you ever have the opportunity to visit Yotes Court in West Peckham in Kent, you should jump at it for a few reasons. Firstly, the estate itself is stunning; you can see for miles around over the neat rows of vines that cascade down the hills into the valley. Secondly, the team gives you such an exceptionally warm welcome. And thirdly (and most importantly?), the wines are “banging” to quote one of the guests at our Summertime Sabrage event on 4th July (they’re not wrong!).

Our summer events season is in full swing and our afternoon at Yotes Court was a true highlight. Thirty keen Silver Sworders gathered, starting with a welcome glass of Annie Power Cuvée to keep us cool during a tour of the vineyard led by Becky and Eli. The tour brought Yotes Court’s commitment to sustainability in their winemaking to life; we learned how it informs everything from the varieties they’ve planted to how the vineyard is managed day-to-day.

After the tour, our small army of sabrage instructors set to work teaching every guest how to open their bottle with a sword (huge shoutout to Jemima, Ed, Andrew, and Oli for their impeccable instruction!). Everybody gave it a go: from a family of four who all took turns to test out their new skill, to a father-daughter duo who christened their newly engraved Society of the Silver Sword sabres with their first act of sabrage (the first of many…). See the gallery section for more photos and drone videos!

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the wine, the sunshine and the incredible picnic spread put together by the Yotes Court team.

We’re eternally grateful to Susannah Ricci, owner of Yotes Court, and Becky Allen, who has been a huge advocate for the society from the very beginning. They put on an incredible event and created such a warm, relaxed atmosphere throughout the whole day.

We’ve always said that The Society of the Silver Sword is about sparkling wine and sabrage on the surface, and about connections and community underneath. This event proved just that; an afternoon where the wine and sabrage set the tone for great conversations, catch ups between friends and making new connections.

We can’t wait for our next event with Yotes Court!

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