Wiston Estate
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The Wiston Estate has been owned and managed by the Goring family since 1743. Situated north of Worhting, 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, but it was not until Pip Goring arrived in 1972 that the ancient Roman idea of planting vineyards in Sussex became a reality for Wiston. The vineyard were planted in 2006 with the traditional varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and it spreads across 6.5 hectares(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 they use a “boisselet” (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 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.
The now legendary winemaker Dermot Sugrue joined Wiston from Nyetimber in 2006. The estate produces a range of multi award winning English Sparkling wines, both vintage and non vintage.