Sussex
Wiston Estate
Sussex
The Wiston Estate Winery is widely regarded as one of the most exciting new sparkling wine enterprises in the UK today. The winery was established in 2008 exclusively for the production of traditional method English sparkling wines, principally to offer contract winemaking services to external vineyards but also to create exceptional sparkling wines from Wiston Estate's home vineyard Findon Park Vineyard.
The winery's innovative design is unique to the UK. The press room is located on the first floor so juice from the traditional Coquard Champagne press flows by gravity to the tank hall at ground level. Split-level stainless steel tanks, each with automatic temperature-control, allow optimum juice fractioning, settling, fermentation and malolactic processes to be carried out with total precision. A range of barrels, of different size, age and cooperage are maintained for selected musts. Extremely gentle wine transfer is facilitated by peristaltic pump, under argon gas, to ensure the preservation of wine quality at each stage of production. Cold stabilisation and filtration systems which respect wine quality are employed prior to bottling, with lees-aging in temperature-controlled cellars to optimise the wines evolution in bottle. Every wine is continually assessed through regular tasting and systematic laboratory analysis.
The winery's unique design and exceptional equipment reflect the dedication to quality which is at the heart of our winemaking philosophy. Simply stated, the aim at all times is to maximise the purity and quality of juice at pressing, followed by minimum intervention in the winemaking process so that each wine can best reflect it's vineyard origins. The style of each wine is agreed at outset, with blending considerations and the optimum times for disgorging subject to ongoing critical evaluation and laboratory analysis. The client's participation in the making of each wine is positively encouraged, with regular tasting and consultation with the winemaker to achieve the desired style.
In addition to our experienced winemaker who has been making sparkling wines at the highest level since 2003, the winery benefits from long-standing relationships with a wide range of consultants, laboratories and research facilities in the UK and France.
Making high-quality sparkling wines on a contract basis for our clients in addition to our own production is the long-term focus of the winery. Therefore the investment in the quality of our equipment and the capacity of our processing and storage facilities is greatly beyond the scope of our home vineyard's anticipated production. We continue to expand our processing capacity in line with our clients' requirements each year - to ensure a continuity of service which currently does not exist in the UK sparkling wine industry today - and to ensure long-term relationships with each of our clients.
The winery's unique design and exceptional equipment reflect the dedication to quality which is at the heart of our winemaking philosophy. Simply stated, the aim at all times is to maximise the purity and quality of juice at pressing, followed by minimum intervention in the winemaking process so that each wine can best reflect it's vineyard origins. The style of each wine is agreed at outset, with blending considerations and the optimum times for disgorging subject to ongoing critical evaluation and laboratory analysis. The client's participation in the making of each wine is positively encouraged, with regular tasting and consultation with the winemaker to achieve the desired style.
In addition to our experienced winemaker who has been making sparkling wines at the highest level since 2003, the winery benefits from long-standing relationships with a wide range of consultants, laboratories and research facilities in the UK and France.
Making high-quality sparkling wines on a contract basis for our clients in addition to our own production is the long-term focus of the winery. Therefore the investment in the quality of our equipment and the capacity of our processing and storage facilities is greatly beyond the scope of our home vineyard's anticipated production. We continue to expand our processing capacity in line with our clients' requirements each year - to ensure a continuity of service which currently does not exist in the UK sparkling wine industry today - and to ensure long-term relationships with each of our clients.