Independent Vineyard Wine Consultant

Former Director

Monty Waldin writes: Sedlescombe in East Sussex is England’s oldest organic vineyard. If this makes it sound stuffy it's anything but as visitors to this Sussex winery will soon find.Roy and Irma Cook planted their vines from 1979 when English wine was seen as a bit of a joke. The fact that the Cooks planted Sedlescombe as organic raised eyebrows even further. Nevertheless Sedlescombe’s white wines have been consistently wonderful examples of what I think makes English wine so… Show more Monty Waldin writes: Sedlescombe in East Sussex is England’s oldest organic vineyard. If this makes it sound stuffy it's anything but as visitors to this Sussex winery will soon find.Roy and Irma Cook planted their vines from 1979 when English wine was seen as a bit of a joke. The fact that the Cooks planted Sedlescombe as organic raised eyebrows even further. Nevertheless Sedlescombe’s white wines have been consistently wonderful examples of what I think makes English wine so appetising: vivid fruit flavours, tongue-tingling freshness and only moderate levels of alcohol.Ever the pioneers, Sedlescombe is now working biodynamically to take advantage of lunar and other natural cycles which beneficially affect how vines grow. In this way the wines will show an even stronger expression of what the French call ‘terroir’, meaning Sedlescombe’s wines will express a real sense of place allied to their unrivalled organic heritage. Show less

https://www.englishorganicwine.co.uk/pages/about-usGo here to read the history of Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard