ForestHarvest: non-timber forest products in Scotland

TRADING

Case study: Moniack Castle Winery

The Moniack Castle Winery (outside Inverness) produces a range of drinks and preserves, some of which involve wild-collected NTFPs. The winery is a family business, established in 1979. Products include:

• Elderflower and birch sap wine
• Rowan and sloe jellies
• Wild garlic sauce

Birch sap and wild garlic leaves are tapped/picked by the Moniack Castle personnel themselves on the estate. Both the birch wine and the garlic sauce are top sellers.

Other plants (elderflower, sloe, rowan, heather) are collected by local pickers on or around the estate. The company also produces heather wine for the Speyside Heather Centre (Dulnain Bridge). Wines made from meadowsweet and blackberry were discontinued due to lack of demand.

Moniack Castle Winery produces several products (wines and jellies) from other 'wild' species such as cherry, hawthorn and juniper. These, however, are not gathered locally but brought in from other parts of the UK or overseas, for economic reasons.

Business directory entry for Moniack Castle Winery