Hambledon Vineyard

On the edge of the South Downs in Hampshire, amongst expansive, picturesque and romantic surroundings.

Hambledon village in Hampshire is recognised not only as the home of England’s oldest commercial vineyard, but also as the cradle of cricket. 

Ian Kellett acquired Hambledon Vineyard in 1999. As a passionate wine lover, Ian was intrigued by the winemaking heritage of the property. After analysing the commercial potential for English wine, he began studying oenology at Plumpton College in Sussex with a view to restoring Hambledon to its former glory.

Research convinced him that sparkling wines were the future and in 2005 Ian planted a 10-acre ‘test bed’ of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier to see which of the 27 different combinations of vine clones and rootstocks gave the best results, and the vineyard was converted into a company in 2010 and 2011.

Hambledon Vineyard now comprises over 50 acres of vineyards and the only gravity-fed, state-of-the-art winery in the UK. Work began in 2017 on extending the cellars and wine storage to ensure that all the wine produced can be aged successfully on site. 
 

Hambledon's vision is to produce the best multi-vintage sparkling wine in England that will make Hambledon and the local community proud and gain universal recognition from the global wine community. Making wine at Hambledon is a labour of love, and the vineyard team works hard all year round, in all weathers. The 100,000 vines are pruned by hand and the grapes are handpicked in October. The presses and winery are located on site, which means the time between picking and pressing, a crucial factor to ensure the quality of the wine, can be kept to the minimum.

The Hambledon team will show you around the beautiful vineyard, and guide you round the unique gravity-fed state of the art winery, and you will learn about the processes involved in making sparkling wine in as much or as little detail as you would like.

The winery also offers exclusive wine experience packages, that wil take you inside and behind the scenes of the working life at Hambledon. Choose from chocolate and fizz tastings, WSET level 1 and 2 courses, Mother's Day special treat, and so much more.