The Wiston Estate has been owned and managed by the Goring family since 1743 – its 6,000 acres straddle the chalky slopes of the South Downs and the flat clay soils of the Weald.

Sussex beef herds, grazing sheep and arable crops have been part of the Estate’s landscape for centuries – Pip arrived in England in 1972 and had always wanted to plant a vineyard – having grown up in Cape Town, the site of mountains and rows of vines had become a familiar one – she dreamed of seeing this in her new home of Sussex – to create the ancient Roman idea of planting vineyards in Sussex.

The Wiston Estate Vineyard is situated on the south facing chalk slopes of the South Downs – planted in 2006 with the traditional varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and it spreads across 16 acres.

It is sited on a periglacial dry river valley on the Upper Cretaceous Chalk, which closely resembles the physical and chemical composition of the world renowned Côte de Blancs  in Champagne.

There are no herbicides sprayed on the soil, which enables the microbiological activity to thrive and Wiston use a “boisselet” – a mechanical hoe to keep the weeds under control.

The traditional Coquard press at Wiston is one of only four outside of France and is unique to the UK – its large surface area and exceptionally gentle pressing enables extraction of the very highest quality.

This is at the heart of the winemaking philosophy at Wiston – to maximise the purity of the juice at pressing, followed by minimum intervention in the winemaking process so the wine can best reflect its vineyard’s origin.

Wiston was awarded ‘Winery of the Year’ in the WineGB Awards 2018 – which is a huge accolade as it’s the most important competition for the English and Welsh Wine Industry.