Whether you want to just taste, try and discover Sussex wine, or whether you want to get under the skin a little and experience wine growing culture, here are our 10 fascinating Sussex wine facts:
- Wine was grown in Sussex as long ago as the Roman era and there were a number of vineyards recorded in the Doomsday Book. But when the climate took a turn for the worse, wine making in Sussex slowly started to disappear.
- The first commercial vineyard was planted at Hambledon in Hampshire in the 1950s. Other pioneers followed in Sussex with Bolney Wine Estate and Breaky Bottom in the 1970s, Nyetimber in the 1980s and Ridgeview in the 1990s. From these early roots have grown an extensive, successful and vibrant Sussex wine scene.
- There are over 138 vineyards in Sussex. Many of the Sussex vineyards are based in and around the South Downs (but not all) and such is the success and density, that Sussex has become the heart and home of English wine, and the vineyards are now known as the Sussex Winelands. That also means, you’re never far from a vineyard and Sussex wine accounts for over 28% of all wine produced in the UK.
- Not every vineyard has its own wine making facilities or winery, so many transport their grapes to nearby wineries. You won’t necessarily see tractors laden with grapes like you would in France but come harvest time, there are tons of grapes being transported across Sussex.
- Sussex has its own PDO – Protected Designation of Origin. This is a mark of excellence that proves a wine with PDO status has got its unique characteristics ‘essentially or exclusively’ from the geographical place where it’s made. In Sussex, that means ‘all grapes used for PDO wine must come from vineyards located inside the current boundaries for East and West Sussex and all winemaking, vinification, on-lees storage and finishing processes must be carried out within the same demarcated boundaries’.
- Sussex sparkling wine is the most widely produced Sussex wine and that is mainly because Sussex has the same chalky soil “terroir” as the Champagne region making it ideal for the big three grapes that go into making sparkling wine, namely: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.
- Sussex also produces a number of different still wines including red wine.
- The largest Sussex vineyard is Rathfinny with 385,000 vines across 93 hectares (230 acres). In 2019, Upper Lodge, near Ringmer near Lewes registered as the world’s smallest vineyard with two grape vines.
- Sussex wine is great quality but that sometimes comes at a price. In 2022, Gusbourne Wines in Kent released England’s most expensive sparkling wine, their Fifty One Degrees North at £195 a bottle. But Sussex is snapping at their heels with a bottle of Nyetimber 1086 Rosé Prestige Cuvée setting you back a mere £175 bottle. Nyetimber were previous holders of the most expensive English sparkling wine (in 2018) so watch this space.
- Wine tourism in Sussex is a thing. You can do individual wine tours, tasting, overnight stays in vineyards and grape picking and harvest experiences. You can organise multi vineyard wine tours yourself or go on an organised tour.
If you’d like to know more about Sussex wine, you may also be interested in:
The Best Way to Discover the Sussex Winelands
Sussex Vineyards and Wineries
Discovering Our Sussex Wine Heritage
West Sussex Wine Tour
Your East Sussex Wine Tours
Central Sussex Wine Tour
