Wiston Estate in West Sussex, England is the home of award-winning English sparkling wine - and it also offers a fantastic wine tourism experience!

Wine tourism in the UK is reaching new heights, as the wine world watches with interest the fast-growing reputation of especially, English sparkling wines. For wine lovers, a must-visit UK wine region is the county of Sussex. Not only is the South East of England known as the wine capital of the UK, Sussex wines are held in great esteem and rank with some of the best, especially for English sparkling wines.  

Wiston Estate, located in West Sussex, in the stunning South Downs National Park was voted ‘Winery of the year 2020, 2021 and 2022’ by WineGB and is celebrated for its award-winning English sparkling wines. It is a beacon in the English wine industry and Sussex wines.

Wiston Estate however, is also much more than a winery - read on to find out how!

Our two visits to Wiston Estate, West Sussex

We first visited Wiston Estate in the Spring of 2021, just towards the end of the Pandemic lockdown. We enjoyed a great wine tasting and a stroll around some of the vineyards, but the visit was understandably limited and we vowed to return to experience more of Wiston Estate, once the new restaurant, which was under construction at the time, had been completed!

We did just that this Summer and enjoyed a superb lunch at the new Chalk Restaurant.

We have combined our two visits in the article below.

Wiston Estate - an introduction

The Wiston Estate has been owned and managed by the Goring family since 1743. The vineyard was the dream of Pip Goring who grew up in Cape Town and who dreamt of seeing vines growing at her new home in Sussex, England. Pip’s dream came true when the vineyard was finally planted in 2006, with the first harvest in 2008. Harry and Pip Goring run the estate today, aided by son Richard and his wife Kirsty. For more insight into Wiston’s history and the story behind the vineyard, take a look at this video.

Pursuit of a clear vision for Wiston Estate

Since the vineyards were first planted much has changed at Wiston, as the family follow their broader vision for the future, in creating a place of ‘Hospitality’ in its fullest sense, so moving beyond simply producing wines from the grapes growing in their vineyards.

This vision centres on the family’s stewardship responsibilities, ensuring the Estate’s communities, wildlife and land are in better health for the next generation.

Please see our Video below, chatting with Kirsty Goring about the family’s vision and values for Wiston Estate:

Wiston Estate Sussex wines

The Wiston Estate vineyards are nestled in the rolling hills and valleys of the beautiful English South Downs, on land used traditionally for arable and livestock farming, but today, perfect for growing the traditional grape varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot meunier.

These grape varieties, which form the basis for French Champagne, flourish in these South Down soils, which closely resemble the world-renowned Côte de Blancs in Champagne, France. Sussex and surrounding counties are dominated by limestone chalk soils, resulting in the region's ability to produce high-quality grapes for sparkling wine. Also, the cool climate preserves the acidity needed to make top tier sparkling wine.

Sustainable farming methods are used to nourish the soils and to enable the vineyard team to produce the best possible fruit each season.

Winemaking

The principal focus at Wiston is to create wines as naturally as possible, with minimum intervention - individual wines which purely express the terroir and the characteristics for each vintage.

The winemaker is Dermot Sugrue, often referred to as “the best winemaker in England”, having previously helped English winery Nyetimber to emerge as one of the world's greatest sparkling wine producers. Dermot has worked with the Goring family at Wiston for over 10 years, from the beginning and is responsible for helping Wiston to achieve the accolade of UK winery of the year in 2018, out of 230 wineries in the UK and just 10 years after planting the first vineyard here.

Wiston Estate has developed an outstanding reputation over the years for superb quality traditional method sparkling wines, which are consistently championed as the best examples of their type in the UK. See here the awards and accolades presented to Wiston for their wines, over recent years.

The winery

The winery was built in 2008, 2 years after the vineyard was planted. Wiston is hugely proud - and rightly so - of its traditional ‘Coquard basket press’, from the Champagne region, one of only four outside of France and unique to the UK. Its gentle pressing enables juice extraction of the very highest quality.

In addition to making its own wines, Wiston is also a contract winemaker, taking grapes from smaller vineyards and making their wines for them in the Wiston winery. In 2021 Wiston was named WineGB’s ‘Contract Winery’ of the Year.

Range of traditional method sparkling wines

Dermot’s favourite style of Champagne is ‘Blanc de Blancs’, made from 100% Chardonnay grapes - and he was convinced they could make a top ‘Blanc de Blancs’ at Wiston - and he was right! WineGB voted the Wiston ‘Blanc de Blancs 2015’ the ‘Supreme Champion Wine’ in 2021.

See here the range of Wiston vintage and non-vintage sparkling wines, including Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and rosé wines.

You can buy direct from the vineyard but also order online.

Our wine tasting and vineyard visit to Wiston Estate - Spring ‘21

Despite Covid 19 restrictions being in place during our visit back in Spring 2021, we enjoyed a superb wine tasting experience in Wiston’s fabulous wine barn, right in the heart of the vineyard. Hosted by Kirsty Goring, we enjoyed tasting a selection of Wiston’s sparkling wines and learning about the wines, the estate and its fascinating history. So much so we came home with a couple of cases between us!

This was followed by a self-guided tour of the vineyard, strolling amongst the vines (with the dogs under strict control!) and discovering more about the land, the grapes and how they are farmed. 

Our visit to Wiston Estate and lunch at Chalk Restaurant - Summer ‘22

We had always planned to return to Wiston once the new Restaurant, ‘Chalk’ was open. We chose the perfect Summer’s day to return for a delicious and relaxing lunch and to wander around the new North Farm visitor area.

We decided to sit outside for lunch in the fabulous courtyard, surrounded by wild flowers in impressive wooden planters. The whole space is really well-designed and inviting.

We selected from the fabulously creative, seasonal menu, with all produce locally sourced and dishes reflecting the local region and heritage. We all loved our dishes and they were stunningly presented. We matched our food with a bottle of Wiston Rosé non-vintage, which was delicious.

The dining room and bar area again is really impressive, well-designed and welcoming.

Chalk is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday-Saturday and for dinner on Friday and Saturday. We can really recommend, for any occasion. The setting, the service, the food and wine are all excellent.

Chalk Express

If you don’t want a meal and are just looking for a snack or food and drink to go, then Wiston has the answer - Chalk Express! Just by the visitor car park you can stop by and pick up a superb cappucino (we can vouch for it!), a toasted sandwich, a pastry, a piece of cake or a cup of soup. Sit and enjoy your snack, whilst enjoying the fabulous views - or take it with you on a walk around the Estate and South Downs. If you’ve brought your bike with you, enjoy a wonderful bike ride across the South Downs and stop at Chalk Express for some well-earned refreshments!

Wiston shop

Of course, Wiston offers an online shop, but why not visit the Estate and its wonderful shop on the North Farm Estate, full of wine of course, but lots of other lovely goodies! You can enjoy a wine tasting here too! The shop is open every day except Mondays.

Wiston wine tourism options

In line with Wiston’s vision to create a special place for everyone to enjoy - there are lots of wine tourism options for visiting the Estate. Enjoy a wine tasting and wine tour - you can book a Wiston Estate tour and wine tasting here - or in the Summer months only you can book a ‘Vineyard Safari’ tour and tasting. Whichver one you choose, we can assure you will have a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable time!

Or pop in for a snack or a meal, visit the Wiston shop, join a landscape and nature tour, or simply take a walk or bike ride over the South Downs. There are also lots of seasonal and special events throughout the year too . Wiston is a special place, where there’s something for everyone. Wiston is not just about wine - it’s about so much more and the teams’ love for the land and the Estate just shines through. Car parking, toilet facilities, access and visitor signage are all, also, to be commended.

Wiston also offer a ‘Vintage Membership’ which enables you to get really involved in the activities and events of Wiston Estate.

The next step is to offer accommodation, so you can enjoy some wine tasting, dinner and then a night in the vineyards - watch this space!

Things to see and do in the area, close to Wiston Estate

Sussex is home to many glorious things, Goodwood racecourse, Brighton Pier, Seven Sisters Cliffs, Arundel Castle and a whole host of superb vineyards dotted across both East and West Sussex.

Wiston Estate is located in West Sussex, not far from the coast and its pretty seaside towns such as Brighton, Worthing and Littlehampton.

When we visited we had a fabulous time by the sea in Littlehampton, but Worthing would have been another good choice, a bit further along the coast. We had the dogs with us so we were a bit restricted, but maybe next time we would find a couple of hours to visit to the restored and remodelled medieval castle of Arundel. We drove past it and it looks spectacular - certainly very impressive and a must if you’re a history fan! 

For more ideas about what to do on and around the coast in Sussex click here.

Food options

We opted for a fish and chip lunch sitting round the harbour at Littlehampton which we would thoroughly recommend! But if the weather isn’t kind to you there are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the seaside towns, where you can enjoy a great meal, especially fish and seafood!

Transport

We travelled by car, but you could also get a train from London to the nearby towns of Worthing or Horsham and maybe combine a visit to Wiston with a short stay in Brighton which is 30km away and has excellent rail links with London (Southern trains from Victoria station). Wiston is 90km from Central London and 43km from Gatwick airport.

Address: Wiston Estate, North Farm, Washington, West Sussex, RH20 4BB.

Other UK vineyards to visit in the area

If you are planning a wine tour of the region and would like to visit more than the one vineyard, we would recommend:

• Oxney Organic Estate

• Ridgeview Wine Estate

Conclusion

We had two excellent trips to Wiston Estate and we would recommend it without hesitation. The setting is certainly wonderful. We were blown away by the scenery, the nature and the superb facilities in all of the visitor areas. Nothing is too much trouble for anyone and no detail has been spared or overlooked in providing a first-class visitor experience.

We were not disappointed by any of the Wiston sparking wines we tasted - their awards are well justified in our books!

We can only urge you to visit and try their wines if you have the chance - go for a wine tasting and also perhaps lunch, a stroll around the walking trails, or maybe just a coffee and a pastry! Whichever option you choose, we think you’ll be as impressed as we were and you’ll come away wanting to know more about English wines!

The team at Wiston have a clear vision for both their wines and their wine tourism offering and we think they really deliver on their values to deliver the best possible welcome for everyone and to to strive for excellence. Overall, we love everything they’re doing and Wiston continue to raise the bar for UK wine tourism!

Visit Wiston’s website for information and to book your visit.

Refer to our web pages for more information about UK wines and the south-east wine region of the UK.

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