Sussex is home to many glorious attractions, such as Goodwood racecourse, Brighton Pier, Seven Sisters Cliffs, Arundel Castle, and a host of fantastic vineyards scattered across East and West Sussex.
Wineware is located in the heart of one of the UK's largest wine-producing counties, so why not celebrate our treasured soils and showcase some of the finest vineyards in Sussex! Sussex and its surrounding counties are characterised by limestone chalk soils, enabling the region to produce high-quality grapes for sparkling wine (similar to the famous region of Champagne, France); additionally, the cool climate helps retain the acidity necessary for top-tier sparkling wines.
The county hosts many new and established wineries, with some of the most prominent names in English wine working to produce exquisite wines rivalling the best in the world. Sussex is the go-to for many English Sparkling Wine enthusiasts, with many award-winning wines now being picked, produced and bottled within the county.
If you’re planning a visit to Sussex and want to explore the county's wine tourism, now is a perfect time, as many large vineyards offer incredible experiences for visitors. To help plan your trip, we've selected some of the very best Sussex wineries to visit, sample their wines, and enjoy the Sussex sunshine!
Albourne Estate
Address: Albourne Farm, Shaves Wood Lane, Albourne, West Sussex, BN6 9DX
Website: https://albourneestate.co.uk/
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Is there a tour of Albourne Estate vineyard? YES
Site Size: 11.5 Hectares
Established: 2009
Albourne Estate is a family-owned boutique vineyard overlooking the beautiful South Downs. With an impressive range of multi-award-winning still and sparkling wines, every bottle of Albourne Estate is 100% grown, produced and bottled at the 30-acre site (11.5 hectares of vines).
Seven grape varieties are planted across the site; for the sparkling wines, they use Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. For the variety of still wines, it’s a combination of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Ortega.
Bluebell Vineyard
Address: Glenmore Farm, Slider's Lane, Furner's Green, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 3RU
Website: https://bluebellwines.com/
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Is there a tour of Bluebell Vineyard? YES
Site Size: 40 Hectares
Established: 2005
Founded in 2005, located in the heart of the Sussex countryside on the edge of Ashdown Forest near the renowned Bluebell Steam Railway, Bluebell Vineyard Estates is home to the award-winning range of ‘Hindleap’ English Quality Sparkling Wines.
Since their first plantings in 2005, the vineyard has more than doubled in size and now covers nearly 100 acres under vine (100,000 vines) across East and West Sussex. They specialise in producing premium-quality sparkling wines from the classic grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, as well as Seyval Blanc, Bacchus, Ortega, Chasselas, and Merlot.
Bolney Wine Estate
Address: Foxhole Lane, Bolney, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 5NB
Website: https://bolneywineestate.com/
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Is there a tour of Bolney Wine Estate? YES
Site Size: 42 Hectares
Established: 1972
Bolney Wine Estate is situated in the small, picturesque village of Bolney, nestled between Brighton and Crawley. As one of the pioneers of the English wine industry, established in 1972, Bolney boasts five distinctive vineyard sites that cultivate six key grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Rondo, Dornfelder, Chardonnay, Bacchus, and Pinot Gris.
In January 2019, Bolney Wine Estate merged with neighbouring vineyard Pookchurch to create a 104-acre estate focused on producing higher-quality still English wines.
Nyetimber
Address: Gay Street, West Chiltington, West Sussex, RH20 2HH
Website: https://nyetimber.com/
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Is there a tour of the Nyetimber vineyard? YES (Selected dates)
Site Size: 214 Hectares
Established: 1988
Nyetimber is arguably the most recognisable and iconic English wine brand. Based in West Chiltington, they are the only producer in the UK to own vineyards (282 hectares) in three counties: West Sussex, Hampshire, and Kent. The classic grape varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier are cultivated across 10 of Nyetimber’s vineyards, representing the largest hectares of any English sparkling wine producer.
The winery has received the ‘English Wine Producer of the Year’ award multiple times, and their distinctive shield-shaped labels can be seen on dining tables at some of the world’s most exclusive and luxurious restaurants and hotels.
Oxney Estate
Address: Hobbs Lane, Beckley, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 6TU
Website: https://oxneyestate.com/
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Is there a tour of Oxney Organic Estate? YES (Throughout the Summer)
Site Size: 14 Hectares
Established: 2012
Oxney Organic Estate is the UK's largest single estate organic vineyard, located in Rye; it’s home to over 35 acres of vines planted between 2012 and 2018. The vineyard grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Précoce, Pinot Meunier, and Seyval Blanc vines to produce their English organic sparkling and still wines.
The winery is actually situated in a Grade II listed square oast house, which was once used for kilning hops as part of the brewing process. The building has been converted to accommodate the latest state-of-the-art winemaking technology required to produce high-quality organic English wine.
Rathfinny Estate
Address: Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 5TU
Website: https://rathfinnyestate.com/
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Is there a tour of Rathfinny Estate? YES
Site Size: 600 acres
Established: 2010
Rathfinny Wine Estate is situated near Polegate (East Sussex) and is among the newer vineyards established in the UK. Founded in 2010 by Mark and Sarah Driver, it spans the main part of Cradle Valley, on south-facing slopes in the South Downs of Sussex, one of England’s outstanding natural landscapes.
Rathfinny has over 375,000 vines planted on 91 hectares (226 acres) of the estate, mainly consisting of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier for their Sussex sparkling wines, along with a cluster of blocks of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris for their Cradle Valley still wine.
Ridgeview Wine Estate
Address: Ditchling Common, Fragbarrow Lane, East Sussex, BN6 8TP
Website: https://www.ridgeview.co.uk
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Is there a tour of Ridgeview Wine Estate? YES
Site Size: 52 Hectares
Established: 1995
Founded in 1995, Ridgeview Wine Estate is a family-run, second-generation vineyard that produces high-quality English sparkling wine. Situated in the South Downs at Ditchling, the site features unique geology and a cool climate, ideal for crafting sparkling wine.
The traditional grape varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier are cultivated over 130 acres, including locations in both East and West Sussex.
Ridgeview is regularly served by Her Majesty the Queen and is the official sparkling wine at government receptions. Ridgeview has won an impressive array of international accolades throughout its history and continues to represent the UK’s wine industry abroad.
Stopham Estate Vineyard
Address: Stopham, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 1EG
Website: https://stophamvineyard.co.uk/
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Is there a tour of Stopham Estate Vineyard? YES
Site Size: 6 Hectares
Established: 2007
Stopham Estate is located in Pulborough, West Sussex, and boasts 21,000 planted vines on a 6-hectare site established in 2007. Specialising in still wines, most of its production includes white wines made from Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, and Bacchus grape varieties; it also produces sparkling wines with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Tinwood Estate
Address: Tinwood Lane, Chichester PO18 0NE
Website: https://www.tinwoodestate.com/
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Is there a tour of Tinwood Estate Vineyard? YES
Site Size: 26 Hectares
Established: 2006
Tinwood Estate, situated near the county city of Chichester, began in 2007 by planting 46,000 vines over 28 acres, followed by an additional 38,000 vines across 22 acres in 2008. The most recent planting in 2015 added 15 acres of vines, increasing the total vineyard area to 65 acres and 100,000 vines. Tinwood Estate offers three different sparkling wines: their classic Blanc de Blancs, Brut, and Sparkling Rosé.
Wiston Estate
Address: Wiston Estate Winery, North Farm, London Rd, Washington, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 4BB
Website: https://www.wistonestate.com
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Is there a tour of Wiston Estate? YES (April – October annually)
Site Size: 6.5 Hectares
Established: 2006
The Wiston Estate has been owned and managed by the Goring family since 1743. It is located south of Washington on the south-facing chalk slopes of the South Downs. Situated on a 2,500-hectare site, the vineyard covers 6.5 hectares and is planted with traditional varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, planted in 2006.
Located in a dry river valley on the upper Cretaceous chalk, it closely mirrors the physical and chemical composition of the renowned Côte de Blancs in Champagne, France.
Locations of Vineyards in Sussex
You can see the locations and distances between each of the Vineyards based in Sussex mentioned above in the map below. The Vineyards are all relatively close together, with the exceptions of Oxney Estate further out to the east and Rathfinny Estate further south than its counterparts.
Sussex has the warmest and driest climate in the UK. Its plentiful countryside and diverse soils make the county ideal for growing grapes in its hillside locations.
Looking for vineyards in Kent instead? Explore our Kent vineyard guide >
Thanks to all of the Vineyards mentioned above for providing the images included in this post.
