Sussex Vineyards

The chalk of the South Downs is the same Kimmeridgian and Cretaceous formation that surfaces in Champagne, and as English summers warmed from the 1990s growers began planting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and making sparkling wine by the traditional method. Nyetimber replanted in 1988 and released its first vintage in 1992; Ridgeview, Rathfinny, Bolney and Wiston followed. English sparkling wine has since beaten Champagne in blind tastings often enough that Champagne houses have bought land in southern England, Taittinger planting in Kent in 2017. Sussex received a protected designation of origin in 2022. Several estates run tours with tastings, and Rathfinny has a restaurant and rooms; harvest is in October, later than almost anywhere else in the wine world.

What to look for

• The chalk slopes - the same formation as Champagne, surfacing on the Downs.
• The traditional method - bottle fermentation and riddling explained on tours.
• The October harvest - picking later than nearly any other wine region.
• The estate tours - Nyetimber, Ridgeview, Rathfinny and others receiving visitors.

When to go

May to October for vineyard tours, with harvest in October the most interesting; most estates close tours in winter. English Wine Week in June brings extra openings. Booking is required almost everywhere.

What to expect

Tours must be booked and estates are spread out, needing a car and a driver who does not taste, or a minibus tour. English sparkling wine is expensive, generally priced with Champagne. Yields vary wildly with the weather and some vintages are not made at all.

Nearby

The South Downs Way runs along the ridge above; Brighton and Lewes lie south.