Inside vineyard which aims to mix wine with wildlife

A couple who set up their own vineyard in Nottinghamshire are aiming to balance nature with business.

Robert and Louise Kalisiak planted 4,000 vines in fields near Keyworth in 2020.

Now the Wolds Wine Estate has just produced its first bottles for sale.

But the couple said all their decisions are shaped by a desire to allow native plants and animals to thrive.

The couple said they took the decision to invest in wine making after travelling extensively and working on vineyards in Italy.

But as well as seeing a business opportunity, they wanted to protect the environment.

Mr Kalisiak said: "It's really important because we want to look after our land, look after our soil and the biodiversity of the land.

"Keeping the grass long really helps with the insect life and the little mice and voles in the field.

"It means less tractor driving as well so I'm not compacting the soil, and also all those extra insects really helps the bird population, the woodpeckers and owls. So that is why we try to keep the cutting to a minimum.

"We are going to have to cut some of the grass in the vineyard eventually so we can get to the grapes but the other parts of the land we keep wild."

One of the wildlife highlights, they say, is a pair of barn owls have nested in the corner of a field.

Mr Kalisiak said: "We feel so lucky. They are such beautiful animals to see them flying around. And we are lucky that we do see them flying around in the day time.

"We are hoping that now we have the owlets - we hope they have hatched - the owls will be hunting for food.

"It is testament to the effort we are putting in to try and keep this wild, to keep the biodiversity growing and we feel really happy about it."

He described it as a "lovely way of life", adding: "After we spent a lot of time travelling around Asia and Europe, just thinking about going back to your standard office job, sitting in the car for 25 minutes each side of the day, it wasn't very appealing, so we are very lucky we have something we enjoy doing every day".

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.