The Story of Wiston Estate Winery

The Wiston Estate has been owned and managed by the Goring family since 1743. It straddles the chalky slopes of the South Downs.

Sussex beef herds, grazing sheep and arable crops have been part of the Estate landscape for centuries. It was not until the arrival of Harry Goring’s wife, Pip, in 1972 that the idea of planting a vineyard took hold.

Pip had grown up in Cape Town surrounded by vineyards from an early age. It seemed obvious to her that these south facing slopes were the perfect place to establish a vineyard, particularly given its similar geology to Champagne. In true English fashion Harry thought it best to consider the options, which they did for 34 years.

Finally in 2006 Pip’s dream became a reality. A 16 acre vineyard plot was selected and planted with the traditional varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Dermot Sugrue had been making award winning English wines for some years before meeting the Gorings and became increasingly excited about what was possible with the recently planted Wiston Estate vineyard. In 2006 he joined the Estate and together they built a new winery in the heart of the South Downs.

The family’s vision has always been to focus on the purity of fruit that this chalky land can produce. The number of gold medals awarded to the wines has been a huge encouragement that they are heading in the right direction.

Their wines have been poured at the Bafta Tea Party in LA, used by Her Majesty the Queen to launch P&O’s largest and most recent cruise ship. This is a family creating artisan wines from an exceptional vineyard with a passion for perfection.

www.wistonestate.com