Oxney Estate Organic Wines Chardonnay 2022 (6 Bottles) Rye, East Sussex, England

Oxney Estate Organic Wines

We exist to reset expectations of organic winemaking in England. Some call it an impossible challenge. We call that a lack of imagination.

There’s an old saying that great wines are made in the vineyard. We couldn’t agree more – and we see organic methods as the best way to produce the quality and purity of fruit required for those wines.

Our 35 acres of vines produce around 20% of all organic grapes grown in the UK and we use them to make an increasingly celebrated range of still and sparkling wines. We believe that the future of English wine is organic. The proof is in the bottle.

Our vines sit on well-draining sand and silt loam, teeming with the microbial life essential to organic grape growing. Every year we nurture those busy microorganisms with compost and farmyard manure from cattle grazing on pasture land within our wider organic farm estate.

Our vineyard work focuses on promoting natural disease resistance and vigour in our vines. Cover crops, natural sprays, careful canopy management and manual and mechanical weed control all result in stronger vines and healthier grapes.

Our wines are made in a converted Grade II listed square oast house, kitted out in the latest winery equipment. We believe quality winemaking relies on technology such as temperature control and gentle pneumatic pressing, yet our sustainable, low-intervention approach continues into the winery.

We favour wild ferments, no filtration and minimal use of SO2. We also generate biomass heat for our winery operations using wood chip sourced from our own coppiced woodland.