Albourne Estate
Albourne Estate is a family-owned boutique vineyard and winery overlooking the beautiful South Downs
About the winery
We are a deliberately small producer with just over 10 hectares (26 acres) of vines (read more about the vineyards). Capturing the essence of variety, vintage and vineyard requires an enlightened approach and meticulous attention to detail at every step of the process – the small scale of our business allows us to be fastidious. The quality of our grapes and dedication to our craft ensures our wines are of superior character and flavour. England is one of the coolest of the ‘cool climate viticultural regions’ and also probably the wettest – our summers are notoriously unpredictable and unreliable, testing resolve and optimism. There are few places in the world where wine growing is more marginal! This presents us with unique challenges each season. While we learn from the established wine-growing regions, developing locally relevant solutions and methods are essential in order to create a unique and sympathetic ‘English’ style.
Learn more about Albourne Estate and their facilities at:
Location
Sussex
History & Geography
We selected the site of the vineyard not only for its stunning views of the South Downs, but for its slope, aspect, altitude and geology: tracing the beautiful south-facing slope of a low ridge created by underlying Cretaceous green sandstone. These features provide excellent drainage, low frost risk and maximum sun exposure – critical factors in achieving successful vine growth and grape ripeness at this northerly latitude. We grow seven grape varieties planted across multiple clones and rootstocks. For our sparkling wine we use the classic ‘champagne’ varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. We use Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Ortega for our still wines.
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