English Wine Week – WineGB On the Road: Sussex Vineyard Tour

Set in the rolling South Downs, Rathfinny is a true giant of English viticulture. With 93 hectares under vine and around 385,000 vines, the scale of the estate is something you can only fully appreciate when you’re standing among the rows.

They grow four key grape varieties:

• Pinot Noir
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Meunier
• Pinot Gris

the classic building blocks of traditional‑method sparkling wine.

And in 2023, Rathfinny made global headlines by becoming the first grower‑producer of sparkling wine in the world to achieve B Corp certification. It’s a huge milestone for sustainability in the wine industry.

Emma and Kez spent the afternoon diving into the craft behind Rathfinny’s traditional‑method vintage sparkling wines, gaining a deeper understanding of the precision, patience, and passion that define English winemaking.

Due to the extraordinary temperatures, it was too hot to conduct a full vineyard tour. Instead, the tour were treated to something just as special: an in‑depth exploration of Rathfinny’s winery and production facilities, offering a rare look at the scale and precision behind their wines.

They walked through every stage of the process including the equipment used at the very start of harvest to the final steps on the labelling line.

For the tasting, Kez and Emma tried Rathfinny’s still Pinot Gris, alongside three of their traditional-method sparkling method wines.

A huge thank you to the team at Rathfinny for their warm hospitality and for sharing such a detailed look into their world.