Blackdown Ridge Estate sits at 440 feet above sea level in the Sussex Weald, enjoying extraordinary views over the South Downs National Park.
Here we have planted vines to create fine English wines, taking advantage of the superb location and conditions.
The wines of Blackdown Ridge Estate are the result of the vision of the owner, Professor Martin Cook, who has lived on the estate for 20 years. A passionate wine-lover, Martin was inspired to create his vineyard when an Italian family friend and winemaker, Antonio, suggested that the beautiful, serene south-facing slopes of Blackdown would be perfect for growing vines.
Antonio’s words inspired Martin to realise the potential of the estate and the first vines were planted in 2010. The soil of the Sussex Weald shares much with the terroir of the Champagne region of France, and this influenced our plantings of the classic sparkling wine varietals: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. These have been used to create our first sparkling wine, released in 2015.
The grapes planted for our range of still wines include the aromatic Bacchus for our single varietal English white wine, Triomphe and more recently, Sauvignon Blanc.
All the wines produced at Blackdown Ridge are made from grapes grown within the ten and a half-acre vineyard and are processed in our purpose-built winery. They are matured in the bottle for at least 2 years before release. Before release our wines go through a system of independent testing and tasting, for quality and provenance, to obtain PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status.
We look forward to welcoming you for a few hours escapism, tranquillity and peacefulness at Blackdown Ridge. Come and learn about the varieties and management of our vines throughout the year, the wine making process from vine to bottle. Along the way you will visit our winery where you will learn about the production process for our wines and see some of our slightly eccentric equipment!
We finish by offering you a chance to sit down, relax and taste our national and international award-winning English wines, both still and sparkling. It is a chance to discuss and compare the vintages along with some local cheeses and crackers.
This is a great opportunity to buy the wines from source at a discount.
Tours run Fridays and Saturdays at 11am for groups of up to 20 people.
You can book your tour here.
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