nyetimber vineyard tour

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OUR FLAGSHIP CUVEE

DISCOVER OUR PASSION FOR SPARKLING ROSE

A REFINED SPARKLING WINE FOR FLAVOURSOME FOOD

AN ELEGANT WINE OF COMPLEXITY AND DELICACY

A TRUE EXPRESSION OF PLACE

THE PINNACLE OF OUR WINEMAKING

MADE TO EXACTING STANDARDS FROM ONLY THE FINEST FRUIT

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NYETIMBER: WORLD-RENOWNED ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE

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CLASSIC CUVEE MULTI-VINTAGE WAS AWARDED A GOLD MEDAL

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Experience Nyetimber

From sampling our award-winning sparkling wines to enjoying an exclusive dinner by a leading chef – our unique events are a truly memorable way to experience Nyetimber. Start filling your diary now…

Open Day Tour with Paired Dining Experience

Join us across one of three exclusive dates this summer for a very special open day. Visitors will enjoy a vineyard tour, tasting of our celebrated sparkling wines and canapé reception, followed by a three-course paired dinner menu created by Nyetimber’s Executive Chef, Mark Brown, in the historical Medieval Barn.

OPEN DAYS AT THE ESTATE

Wedding Wine Tasting Experience

NYETIMBER VIRTUAL CORPORATE TASTING

For a personal and educational digital experience, our Nyetimber Virtual Tastings provide an informal setting in which to learn and interact with your customers or colleagues.

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FABULOUS, BEAUTIFUL VINEYARD AND SUCH A LOT OF HISTORY, BEAUTIFULLY COMPLEMENTED WITH KNOWLEDGE.

Nyetimber open day 11 june 2018.

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The Perfectly British Journey of the Nyetimber Bus

EVENTS, TERRACES & BRAND EXPERIENCES

Join us at one of our sponsored events held throughout the year. From sports to cultural activities, it’s a great way to enjoy our wines – and a thoroughly British day out.

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Nearly two years ago today I experienced my first tasting of English Sparkling Wine. Whilst in my wine-drinking infancy, I was intrigued about the prospect of a sparkling wine grown and made in England, especially one that was reputed to be Champagne-beating. The helpful wine store manager explained to me that this particular wine had won blind tasting challenges against well-known Champagne houses. That was all I needed to convince me to give it a try. That wine was the Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2004. It literally sparked my interest in English Wine, and the Classic Cuvée has  since been a regular wine of choice for me whenever a special occasion or celebration calls for bubbles. With my interest in English Wine at an all-time high, how could I resist the opportunity to visit Nyetimber for a tour and tasting of their latest wines?

Our afternoon began with an introduction to Nyetimber and what they are all about. If you’re reading this article I’m sure you’ll already aware of them, so I’ll keep it short. First recorded in the Doomsday Book in 1086, the estate name Nyetimber literally means ‘New Timber’, which is presumed to refer to a newly timbered house or timber plantation. With nearly 1000 years of heritage, the estate name of Nyetimber was kept as the perfect name for a wine that would go on to stamp its own mark on English history.

This was cemented in English wine history when their first Blanc de Blancs Premiere Cuvée, harvested in 1992 and released in 1996, went on to become a Gold Medal winner. Further vintages followed with increasing critical acclaim, with the Classic Cuvée 1993 also picking up a Gold Medal.

Dutch businessman Eric Heerema purchased Nyetimber in 2006, with the bold ambition to increase production from 70,000 bottles a year to over half a million bottles a year within six years. Mr Heerema's sheer determination and continued investment has further moulded Nyetimber into a formidable force, helping England’s most recognisable wine brand to enter the international stage. The past couple of decades have paved a decorated award-winning path for almost every vintage, including the most recent release: the delicious Classic Cuvée 2010.

After the introduction, the next stage of the tour is what I had been waiting for – a walk around the Nyetimber estate, led by assistant winemaker Brad Greatrix. Brad works alongside his wife, head winemaker Cherie Spriggs. The Canadian couple have been with Nyetimber since 2007.

Typically, a single harvest can result in 96 individual wines being produced, all derived from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Each final wine will go through an intricate blending process, resulting in a slightly different grape blend with each new wine release. I took the chance to ask Brad about future wine releases, as I had recently read that the current Classic Cuvée 2010 will be the final cuvée to be dated as a single vintage. The reasoning for this move is to gain further control and deliver a more consistent product year on year.

There’s no hiding that the British weather is quite volatile and unpredictable; this weather can leave a big stamp on the character of the wine, regardless of the winemaker's intricate understanding of their grapes. For this reason, ever since the first vintage Nyetimber has been compiling a portfolio of reserve wines. These reserve wines will be incorporated into future releases to give increased control and balance during winemaking. Whilst it removes the surprise and subtle differences between each new vintage release, it will allow for an even better balanced wine with potentially further complexity and intensity. This is a process already used for the Demi-Sec, which has been a non-vintage release since its launch in 2012.

The tasting flight for today began with the Classic Cuvée 2010, then the Rosé 2009 and finally the Demi-Sec. Whilst I had tried all of these wines previously, it was a great opportunity to try the three side by side and observe the differences in flavour and character. My tasting notes can be found just underneath the picture of the tasting room below.

Overall my visit to Nyetimber was a memorable experience; whilst they don't open their doors to the public often, I would strongly recommend a visit to anyone with an interesting in English Sparkling Wine. Thanks again to all at Nyetimber, and especially Brad Greatrix, for an excellent tour.

Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 2010

Grapes:  51% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay, 13% Pinot Meunier Price: £31.99

This has a beautiful nose with lemon, apples, pear and freshly baked pastry, added complexity of nut, yeast and vanilla.

Whilst retaining the vibrant acidity and clarity of the '09, I find this has a more pleasing textured toasted beauty that the older vintages had.

This is the jewel in the crown of the current releases from Nyetimber, perhaps their finest vintage yet. No wonder it has just won the Best English Sparkling Wine award in the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships.

Nyetimber Rosé 2009

Grapes:  53% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay, 2% Pinot Meunier Price: £44.99

This has a rich nose, as you would expect from Nyetimber, full of yeasty notes with red berries of raspberry and strawberry dancing around.

There's a great rounded palate with rich citrus acidity and creamy summer berry pudding.

It has excellent length with a fruity tangy finish – very full for a rose with the smooth elegance you would expect from Nyetimber.

Nyetimber Demi-Sec

Grapes:  Chardonnay Price: £39.99

I'm not a regular Demi-Sec drinker, but this was a really pleasant surprise.

Whilst sweeter on the palate this also retained excellent structure with beautiful layers of honeyed fruits – lemon and peach. The Chardonnay grape has left its recognisable stamp. There is malolactic fermentation with the aim of retaining acidity to balance the extra dosage.

There's a really nice evolution on the palate from the initial sweeter flavours. Despite the 45 grams per litre residual sugar, this wine has a beautifully structured finish with bursts of minerality and dryer notes.

Great British Wine founder John started his English wine journey as a prolific reviewer on popular wine app Vivino. After relocating to Surrey in 2013, he discovered great wines were on his doorstep, and set about exploring the world of English wine, launching the website in 2015. Now a self-appointed Great British Wine ambassador, he has a mission to explore all corners of the UK to uncover the best producers and most exciting wines.

Nyetimber Vineyard has been at the forefront of the English sparkling wine revolution, crafting traditional method sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier since 1988. Established near the picturesque village of West Chiltington, Nyetimber is recognised as being one the the founders for the modern English wine movement. Proving that not only could Traditional method English sparkling wines hold their own against establishes Champagne houses,  Nyetimber outperforms them in blind taste tests.  Nyetimber paved the way for this new and exciting industry to florish in the UK.

Eric Heerema became the Owner and Custodian of Nyetimber Vineyard in 2006, believing that the estate, with its ideal soil and location, had yet to achieve its full potential. Eric recruited Head Winemaker Cherie Spriggs and Winemaker Brad Greatrix, who both shared his vision of crafting the finest English sparkling wines. And since then, Nyetimber wines have gone on to achieve global acclaim, winning international awards and blind-tasting competitions, as well as being recognised by some of the world’s most celebrated wine experts.

West Sussex, UK

• #90 World's Best Vineyards 2023

You might spy Nyetimber’s beloved spearmint 1968 Routemaster bus parked up at its Southern England home when it’s not touring the country. The estate dates back to 1086, when it was mentioned in the Doomsday Book, and is centred around a fifteenth century barn carefully modernised and now used for private tastings and special events. Be sure to nab a ticket to one of the paired dinners which run throughout the year and often feature Michelin-starred chefs, or to a summer open day – these two-hour tour and tasting experiences explain Nyetimber’s history and the sustainable farming methods employed across its extensive holdings before exhibiting wines made from some of the oldest vines in the country (first planted in 1988).

Key Information

Opening times.

Open Days only

Signature wine

1086 Prestige Cuvée

Wines produced

Grape varieties.

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier

Tasting options

Time from airport.

40 Mintues from Gatwick Airport

Gay Street, West Chiltington , West Sussex, RH20 2HH

Explore the wine region

Visit other great vineyards within the area