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The Grace & Favour Cottage |
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In about 2003, I was looking for an old stone cottage on small acerage. I wanted the house to be my home and I was looking for some land to plant some vines. After months of searching I found the perfect spot – my criteria was fairly broad except for the price point – it was almost impossible to find what I was looking for within my meagre budget.
What I did find was a very old, dilapidated stone and tin cottage on 14 acres just west of my favourite Clare Valley viticultural sub region, Stanley Flat. The house (ruin) is on old fertile farming land and was just what I was looking for. Actually, I was looking for a nice comfortable home on a few acres but I could afford this one. The house needed a bit of work – it was full of dead sheep, rats and cats. It really was a mess but structurally it was pretty good. I approached the project with typical optimism and gave myself 12 weeks to complete it. I was keen to do the work myself even though the only renovation I’d done was restricted to small jobs like painting.
To
cut a long and horrible story short, 6 years later, the place is
finished and looks great. I call it Grace and Favour because during a
hiatus in the renovation just before the job was finished, I let a
couple of gentlemen, (reprobates), live in the house on the proviso
they look after it and do a few jobs around the place. Needless to
say, not much got done.
But, it’s all done now and it’s available to Jeanneret Wines
customers. If you feel like a few days away the Grace and Favour
cottage is a great place to unwind and relax. It is very quiet and
secluded. It has 3 very comfortable bedrooms and if cooking’s your
thing you’ll enjoy the kitchen. Out the back, the views over the
vineyards and farming land are beautiful and it has a fabulous outdoor
entertaining area. It has split system air conditioning and an open
fire in the living room so it’s comfortable all year round but for me,
winter’s the time to visit Clare. There’s a spa bath in the modern
bathroom and laundry facilities too making it a perfect place for
longer stays.
For more information about the cottage give me a ring at the winery 08 88 434 307 or drop me an email at ben@jeanneretwines.com
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