This summer I highly recommend visiting Ridgeview Wine Estate, which is situated at the foot of the South Downs in the village of Ditchling. When looking at their website I really liked reading about how they persevered with producing English Wine more than 25 years ago when most people thought it simply could not be done. It was worth all that effort as now they are producing some world class wines!
Ridgeview Wine Estate was established by the Roberts family in 1995 and is devoted to producing the finest sparkling wine from traditional Champagne varieties and methods.
In fact, they were one of the first wineries in England to focus solely on the production of sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grape varieties.
Their sparkling wine was actually served for the Queens’ official Diamond Jubilee celebrations and to ex-president Barack Obama during his state banquet held at Buckingham Palace. I can see why as its superb sparkling wine!
Every grape is handpicked and selected for perfect balance between ripeness, sugar and acidity. The grapes are then pressed in Ridgeview’s modern winery and lovingly transformed into their award-winning sparkling wine that is perfect for every celebration!
During our visit we spent a fantastic leisurely afternoon at their absolutely stunning Wine Garden, which is nestled beside their Chardonnay vineyard and at the time of visiting was adorned with gorgeous roses.
In terms of outdoor seating they have a stretch-tent which is covered in case it is a drizzly day or a patio, where there are fabulous alfresco tables right by the vines, south-facing and perfect for a hot, sunny day, which we were blessed with when we visited!
We opted for their self-guided Signature Wine Tasting Flight which was £15 for 3 x 50ml glasses of wine and which came with a handy sheet full of tasting notes. Our selection had their Bloomsbury NV, Cavendish NV and Fitzrovia Rose NV. I really loved that it was self-guided so we could enjoy it at our own pace. It was such a lovely way to spend an afternoon!
With the tasting flight we devoured a Sussex Cheese Board and a Vegetarian Mezze. The perfect food for a summers day!
At Ridgeview Wine Estate you can also do a guided tour of the vineyard, winery and cellars followed by a tasting of a selection of Ridgeview sparkling wines. The full experience will last approximately 1.5 hours. This would be perfect as a date idea or even as something unique to purchase as a gift voucher for someone special. I definitely want to do the tour next time!
If you are thinking of visiting a UK Vineyard this summer, this is a really lovely one!
Find out more: https://www.ridgeview.co.uk/
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