Visiting Cairn o’Mohr, Scotland’s Oldest and Strangest Winery

Last Updated on 22nd April 2024 by Charlotte Nadeau

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Up in the rolling hills of the highlands, and down to the banks of the Water of Leith in Edinburgh, there are few places hospitable enough to grow grapes. But that doesn’t mean that other fruits can’t be cultivated, blended and transformed into wine. Cairn o’Mohr has been turning local fruit into delicious juicy fruit wines for over 35 years, making it Scotland’s oldest winery!

Here’s your guide on how to visit Scotland’s most unique winery and what to expect on your trip.

Production of Wine in Scotland

Scotland may be best known for its production of whisky, abundance of beer breweries and gin distilleries, but did you know that the country also produces plenty of wine?

As you may well know, traditionally ‘wine’ refers to any grape-based beverage which has been left to ferment and become alcoholic. However, when using the term ‘fruit wine’ it essentially covers the same process but can be produced from any plant that can be fermented.

Scotland isn’t the ideal location for growing grapes, what with its turbulent weather conditions, hence why the majority of wineries here focus on the production of fruit wines. That being said, there are a handful of grape-growing wineries found in Scotland too.

What does Cairn o’Mohr mean?

The Scottish Gaelic loosely translates as ‘big pile of rocks’, however the winery is said to use the name as a play on words, ‘care no more’.

Where is Cairn o’Mohr?

Hidden off the beaten path down narrow country roads you’ll find Cairn o’Mohr Winery. It is situated among the fields of Errol in the East of Perthshire. The region, Perth is the fourth largest historic county and is situated in the heart of central Scotland.

A brief history of Cairn o’Mohr

One of the largest companies producing fruit wines in Scotland is Cairn o’Mohr. The winery was founded by Ron and Judith Gillies over 35 years ago in 1987, making it the oldest wine producing company in the country.

“brewing up juicy-fruity, berry loaded, blossom scented, leafy layered award-winning country wine”

They were looking to create something a little different, and once you’ve tried the wine, you’ll see that they most definitely have, though it may well not be to everyone’s taste!

Passionate about using the rich natural bounty of the landscape that they so carefully cultivate, Cairn o’Mohr produce yearly wines including: Strawberry, Raspberry, Bramble, Elderberry, Spring Oak Leaf, Autumn Oak Leaf and Gooseberry & Elderflower (and a selection of limited editions).

Aside from fruit wine, they also produce a range of apple ciders- one of which is called Pictish Cider, named so after the fact the winery is based on an ancient Pictish settlement.

The winery label themselves as the ‘Strange Scottish winery’ and it’s definitely on the quirkier side. We hadn’t planned to visit, so to stumble across this hidden yard filled with all kinds of objects with painted faces on, it was certainly quite a unique experience.

All the small touches and details give the winery a homely feel, yet full of mystery and curiosity, all of which make it all the more special to those who are lucky to visit!

Visiting Cairn o’Mohr Winery

Vineyard Tour

For the start of your tour (which includes both a tasting and guided tour of the vineyards) you’ll walk through Wee Elder Orchard Walk and see where the winery cultivate their fruits. The elder plantation is particularly vibrant in summer when its filled with the buzz of insects and wafts of elderflower scent.

Wine Tasting

After being taken around the grounds, you’ll be taken to a ‘tasting room’ which is where you’ll learn even more about the history and stories that surround this curious winery and how it’s come to be a flourishing business which now sells bottles in supermarkets all over the UK.

Of course, this is also the part of the tour where you get to sample some of their delicious produce and get a real taste of the liquid treasures that have been made from Perthshire land.

The vineyard tour and wine tasting is a 90 minute experience, you’ll be taken through the processes from berry to bottle and learn a little more about Scotland’s strangest winery. See more information and how to book your tour on their official website here.

The Pickled Peacock

The café/bar is a relatively new addition to the winery and only began in March 2021. The Pickled Peacock combined forces with the winery to creae a quirky experience where visitors can relax in after having a look around the winery.

Serving a selection of delicious cosy country food and huge slices of cake, there’s also the option to drink the cider and wine produce. With plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, I can only imagine in Summer this is an idyllic spot to sit and enjoy the rural location of the winery.

There’s also the option to purchase a ‘wine flight’ which gives you the option to sample 125ml measures of 4 different wines… which is actually quite a lot of wine to get through! We chose the Juicy Flight which included flavours of: strawberry, elderflower, elderberry and spring oak.

It’s important to note, although the term ‘fruit wine’ might suggest that they are less alcoholic, we found that the majority of these tasty liquids (despite being drinkable like a juice) are close to 13% ABV.

Bottle Shop

There are so many choices on offer, the shelves are crammed with bottles of wine and cider (and plenty of alcohol free options too) of all kinds of fruity and floral flavours.

We were kindly welcomed to have a small taste of any beverage that took our interest, and we ended up buying two bottles because of how unique and interesting in taste they are!

Bottle Smashing Tournament

What started out as an entertaining solution to dispose of the accumulation of empty bottles from the winter season, has turned into an annual tournament which has been ongoing for 13 years and brought people from all corners of the world. One year they even had 80 contestants!

Contenders are given a total of seven bottles to throw from a set distance (different distances for age groups/gender apply) and try to smash off of a rock suspended from the tree in front of them. Apparently no one has succeeded in smashing more than four bottles so far…

Sadly this event only takes place on the first Sunday of June, so unless you plan to specifically visit around this time you probably won’t see it. That being said, if you do happen to pass by then as long as you register before 12:30PM, anyone can take part!

How to get there

To be honest, we had no plan to visit the winery but just happened to see it signposted on our drive to somewhere else up north and went for a look around. It has to be said, the unexpected nature of the visit made it all the magical!

The drive from Edinburgh to Cairn o’Mohr Winery takes just over 1 hour and is well worth a visit if you happen to be exploring the area. Because of it’s off the beaten path location, there’s no public transport that will take you directly there.

Looking for more Scottish drink inspiration? Read our guide to the best local beers to try in Scotland!

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