WINELANDS 2026 has now finished until next year, but below is a lovely article about it by Charlie Haywood/Beyond the Lees to give you a flavour of what happened (link to article here)
WINELANDS, LEWES: A SNAPSHOT OF MODERN SUSSEX WINE
From classic sparkling cuvées to a growing presence of still wines, Winelands reflects a Sussex wine scene expanding in scope, style, and confidence.
Now in its second year, WINELANDS in Lewes is a week-long festival celebrating the quality and diversity of Sussex wine. Spread across several venues, the programme included masterclasses on sustainable wine production and how Sussex wines age, various winemakers’ dinners, a memorial for Breaky Bottom’s Peter Hall, film screenings, and even a book launch.
But I was here for the Grand Tasting, a congregation of 15 producers that spanned from the chalky slopes of the South Downs to the heavier clays of the High Weald. Spending the afternoon tasting through their wines, it became clear that this is no longer a region moving in a single direction. What used to feel like a region producing clean, sophisticated traditional-method wines has now started to splinter. Some are pushing hard into acid and structure, others into richness and texture, but perhaps most interestingly, a growing number are eschewing sparkling in favour of still. What was on show at this year’s WINELANDS was a genuine cross-section of Sussex as it exists today.
The tasting guide handed out on entry made the scale of this diversity clear. Of the 15 producers, four focused entirely on sparkling wine, five produced only still wines, and the remaining six a mix of both. Across the 46 wines available, the split was essentially 50/50 between still and sparkling, something practically unthinkable even a few years ago.
The still wines leaned heavily into what Sussex does most confidently. Whites dominated and were led by Bacchus, still the region’s workhorse, typically sitting in the £17.50 to £25 range, while Chardonnay and Pinot Gris occupied a more premium tier, approaching £30 and beyond. There were outliers such as the solitary Solaris, which now feels slightly anachronistic, and a Pinot Blanc, which felt more forward-looking. There were eight examples of rosé, unsurprisingly all Pinot Noir-based, priced accessibly between £14 and £25. Reds were scarce, with only a single Regent and Pinot Noir represented.
This showed a growing confidence in the ability to produce genuinely exciting still wines. Stopham Estate stood out here; their Pinot Gris was fleshy, textural, and high-acid, showing exactly why they’ve built such a strong reputation in this category. Mousehall’s iteration trod a similar path, adding a creamy texture from the extended lees contact.
The sparkling wines followed a more familiar structure. Non-vintage classic cuvées formed the backbone, with a handful of vintage Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs sitting above them. At the top end, producers like Wiston Estate, who lean into power and texture, and Sugrue South Downs, who pursue a taut, high-energy style, pushed pricing into the mid-£50s for vintage, Pinot-led cuvées, setting the ceiling for the category.
But within this spectrum, producers are doing exciting things. Mountfield Winery works with long lees aging to give their wines real breadth and richness. Oxney Organic Estate brings an organic, sustainable approach that provides its wines with balance and harmony. The smaller-scale Wildwood Vineyard offers something a little more playful: the fruit-forward style is relaxed and approachable. Rathfinny Estate, the sprawling site that overlooks the Cuckmere River at the edge of Friston Forest, provides a useful benchmark: a large-scale, highly professional operation delivering consistency and polish, and a rosé of genuine intrigue.
Taken together, it is a lineup that maps the current shape of Sussex wine: still wines gaining ground, Bacchus holding the middle, Pinot Noir dominating rosé, and sparkling continuing to define the region’s upper tier.
WINELANDS is still relatively small. By its very nature, it’s a snapshot rather than a full picture. Larger producers such as Ridgeview, Artelium, and Nyetimber were absent from the Grand Tasting, and the producers present didn’t necessarily show their entire portfolios, yet even this partial view was enough to suggest something bigger. With more scale, a bit more space, and wider participation, this could easily become the central fixture in the Sussex wine calendar, a moment where the region comes together not just to show its wines, but to define what it is becoming.
Winelands, Lewes: Producer Notes
Oxney Organic Estate
Set within a 600-acre mixed farm near the edge of the High Weald, Oxney Organic Estate represents a distinctly agricultural approach to English wine. Farming is fully organic on their 35 acres of vines, with manure used in place of synthetic inputs, a decision that co-owner Paul Dobson tells me increases labour significantly. However, he says he rarely has to deal with disease pressure, and the lack of nutrient additions naturally limits yields, which in turn improves grape quality.
In the glass, that philosophy translates into wines that feel composed and integrated. The 2019 Classic Cuvée, with four years on lees and an additional two on cork, shows a sleek, supple profile. This is not a wine chasing tension or overt power; instead, there is a real balance, with full MLF and extended aging resulting in a rounded expression of Sussex sparkling. Oxney’s intent is clear: quality through restriction and soil health.
Sugrue South Downs
If Oxney is about integration, Sugrue is about precision. The wines here sit firmly on the tension-driven end of the spectrum, built around a pronounced acid spine and a distinctly linear shape. Compared to my previous tastings, there’s a sense that the house style is tightening further; the intent is to produce brighter, more focused wines that fully express their Chardonnay-on-chalk origins.
The MV The Trouble with Dreams, in particular, shows this clearly: taut, structured, and finely detailed, with high-energy lemon acidity and a sapid grip on the finish. I wouldn’t call these indulgent wines, but they certainly are compelling ones. Uncompromising in their structure (MLF is suppressed), yet balanced enough through the use of oak and long lees aging to avoid austerity, they feel deliberately architectural, prioritising form over generosity.
You can read my full profile on Sugrue South Downs here.
Mountfield Winery
Farming just five acres and working with contract winemaker Uli Hoffmann, Mountfield Winery leans heavily into extended lees ageing as a defining stylistic tool. The result is a range of broad-shouldered, opulent wines.
Across the lineup, the house style is consistent. The NV Blanc de Blancs offers shimmering citrus energy within a structured frame, while the NV Rosé Reserve brings more overt fruit and roundness. The NV Classic Cuvée, a blend of the classic Champagne grape trio, showed that in the right hands, blends can outperform narrowly defined expressions. There was stone fruit richness, a complex, slightly bitter, blood-orange-tinged finish, and the lees added weight and texture without dominating. A real standout of the tasting.
Wildwood Vineyard
A smaller, yet intriguing presence, Wildwood Vineyard offers a contrast to the more polished estates. Working out of the High Weald, just south of Tunbridge Wells, Wildwood has an “off-grid” ethos and a small but diverse range that includes still Bacchus and Regent offerings.
But it was the 2021: The Final Cut Blanc de Noirs (a nod to co-owner/vineyard manager Paul Olding’s career as a TV writer/director) that intrigued me the most. Notably fruit-forward with a slightly confected edge, the bright red fruits were held in check by lively acidity. Enjoyable and distinctive, this feels like a producer worth revisiting.
Rathfinny Wine Estate
As one of Sussex’s largest and most established estates, Rathfinny provides a useful benchmark for scale and consistency. The operation is clearly built with scale in mind, yet they deliver wines that are polished, reliable, and stylistically coherent.
The 2019 Rosé stood out, its nuanced nose of subtle smoke and rose petal sitting alongside a chalky, lightly tannic structure. The 2019 Classic Cuvée was less showy but solidly constructed, typical of the estate’s competent approach that prioritises balance and restraint.
Stopham Estate
Best known for their still output, Stopham’s presence is indicative of a change within Sussex, a move away from exclusively sparkling to creating genuinely exciting still wines. The 2024 Pinot Gris was clean, fresh, and fruit-forward, with enough acidity to maintain structure while remaining highly accessible.
This is not a wine built around indulgence, but around complexity and texture. In the context of the tasting, it showed clearly that Sussex’s future may be as much about still wine as sparkling. I look forward to trying more from Stopham Estate in the future, and think they showcase what lies ahead for still Sussex wine.
Wiston Estate Winery
One of the region’s more established names, Wiston represents a confident, fully realised house style. Across what I tasted, the wines are notably powerful and textural, prioritising breadth and presence without losing control.
The Brut NV is rich and mouth-filling, while the Blanc de Blancs NV retains brightness but carries that same underlying weight. These are wines that feel complete and deliberate, leaning into a more generous, developed expression of Sussex sparkling. If some producers pursue tension, Wiston makes a strong case for power.
Press Release 2026 – WINELANDS: English Wine Week in Lewes, Sussex
Celebration of Sussex wines returns to Lewes for 2026
After the huge success of last year’s inaugural festival, WINELANDS is back!
With some new vineyards, and many new vintages from the well-established producers.
WINELANDS is a week-long festival for wine lovers, local producers and industry experts to celebrate the world-class still and sparkling wines of Sussex, taking place in and around Lewes between the 8th and 13th June 2026. English Wine Week, the nationwide celebration, takes place one week later, from 20th to 28th June.
The WINELANDS festival will include a grand tasting of Sussex wines supported by local food producers, an event at local Lewes auctioneer Gorringe’s, a film night at the award-winning Depot cinema, and various wine producer events and wine-pairing dinners.
Producers include (full list below) Mousehall, Rathfinny, Rowfant, Sugrue South Downs, Wildstone, Winklestone and Wiston, and geographically cover the breadth of Sussex, from Oxney in the east to Tinwood in the west. Some will be showing their wines in Lewes for the first time.
Sponsoring this year’s festival are law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, real estate agency Knight Frank LLP, and accountants, tax planners and business advisors Carpenter Box. Each one of these firms provide invaluable professional support to the growing number of Sussex wine producers.
Lewes is a vibrant town in the heart of the South Downs National Park, an hour by train from London and 15 minutes from Brighton, offering many good restaurants, two wine bars, lovely pubs and countless cafés. There are many producers in easy reach of Lewes, who also offer a wide range of wonderful hospitality.
Sussex is a major force for wine production in the U.K., with 140 vineyards, and accounts for nearly 30% of total U.K. production. It is also the only U.K. county to carry a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification issued by the Government in 2022, akin to the much-recognised ’Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée’ (AOC) system employed throughout France which guarantees quality and production standards.
With Plumpton College, the U.K.’s undisputed leader in wine education (which Decanter magazine calls ‘the cradle of the UK wine industry’) nearby, Lewes is a growing community of wine and other professionals committed to developing this exciting local industry. All our event sponsors, organisers and hosts live locally.
WINELANDS is a not-for-profit organisation set up by a group of wine professionals, enthusiasts and local businesses.
The Events
Monday 8 June – Launch event in Fitzroy House, Lewes, hosted by the WINELANDS team for sponsors and local council representatives (invitation only) with wines from Henners of Herstmonceux.
Wednesday 10 June: Olly Smith, Lewes’s own celebrity wine expert, launches his new book ‘Death by Noir‘, released in June 2026. Ticketed event at Gorringe’s in Lewes with wines by Artelium Wine Estate of Streat, East Sussex.
Thursday 11 June – 6pm: Screening at Depot of ‘Sour Grapes’ film with a talk and Q&A by the director, Jerry Rothwell, and blind tasting to “spot the fake wine” hosted by Master of Wine Mike Best. Followed by a reception with Plumpton College wines.
Friday 12 June: Tribute to the late great Peter Hall, founder and winemaker of Breaky Bottom in Rodmell, the ”Gandalf of English Wine” (invitation only).
Saturday 13 June: The Grand Tasting at All Saints Centre, Friars Walk.
Lewes Town Mayor Adrian Ross will open the doors at 12 noon. Subsequent tasting sessions at 2pm and 4pm. This will be a walk-around tasting of 90 minutes each with 16 producers pouring their own wines. Tickets £5 each, available online, including an exclusive ISO Winelands tasting glass to keep.
On Saturday 13 June: Masterclasses
During the Grand Tasting, there will be a limited number of places for ticket holders to attend masterclasses on sustainability in wine production, and ageable English wines at nearby wine shop Symposium (1 minute walk). Each masterclass will be a chaired panel discussion with 3-4 producers showing wines which relate to the subject.
Address: Symposium, 32 Lansdown Place, BN7 2JU.
In addition, several retailers and restaurants in Lewes will be enhancing their Sussex wine offering for the Winelands week, and laying on producer / wine-pairing dinners. These will be run by the venues themselves and cross-promoted under the Winelands banner.
Participating restaurants include (tbc): Dill, No. 34, Caccia & Tails, and Squisito
Participating independent wine shops (tbc): Harvey’s, Maggie’s, Seasons, and Symposium
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Producers for the Grand Tasting:
| Vineyards confirmed | Website | Contact name |
| Oxney Organic | Oxneyestate.com | Kristin Syltevik |
| Mousehall | Mousehall.com | Nick Siersema |
| Wildwood Vineyard | wildwoodvineyard.co.uk | Paul Olding |
| Winklestone Vineyard | Winklestone.co.uk | Tom Dewhurst |
| Sugrue South Downs | SugrueSouthDowns.com | Callum Edge |
| Mountfield | Mountfieldwinery.com | Lucy Fraser / Anna Bourne |
| Stopham | stophamvineyard.co.uk | Marie Davies |
| Oastbrook | oastbrook.com | Nick Brewer |
| Tinwood | tinwoodestate.com | Art Tukker |
| Rowfant | therowfantvineyard.co.uk | Chris |
| Kingscote | kingscoteestate.com | Lesley |
| Nutbourne | nutbournevineyards.com | Olivia |
| Dillions | dillionsvineyard.co.uk | David Trott |
| Wiston | Wistonestate.co.uk | Kirsty Goring |
| Rathfinny | rathfinnyestate.com | Amy Penfold-Handley |
| Albourne | albourneestate.co.uk | Alison Nightingale |
Contacts for Winelands: cheers@winelands.co.uk
Dominic Buckwell (Chair) dominic.buckwell@gmail.com 07973 406415
For tickets and further information, visit www.winelands.co.uk and follow @winelands.lewes
WINELANDS: 8 - 13 June 2026 