Bolney Wine Estate: a sparkling gem in the heart of Mid Sussex
Recently, I got the opportunity to tour the Bolney Wine Estate’s grounds and winery. This award-winning Mid Sussex vineyard has made a name for itself combining tradition and innovation, to produce some of the finest English wines, right here on our doorstep.
Bolney Wine Estate’s journey began in 1972. After experimenting with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines in the 1980s, Bolney launched an 18-acre vineyard in 2002 and opened their first winery in 2005. In 2016, they welcomed the public with a visitor centre complete with a café, shop, and viewing balcony. It is now recognised as a leading English wine producer, and is part of Freixenet Copestick, as well as being stocked in national supermarkets like Tesco.
Over the last few years, Bolney Wine Estate has continued to invest in specialist machinery to maximise productivity, and there has also been notable investment regarding sustainability. The solar arrays on the roofs of the winery - that I mentioned last July in my Maiden Speech - were the product of a partnership with the Brighton Energy Cooperative.
Their stellar wine and novel practices have led to the Bolney Wine Estate receiving national recognition; tennis lovers might be pleased to know that Bolney’s Pinot Gris was the first ever English Wine to be served at Wimbledon in 2015.
These successes are undeniably well deserved but also reinforce how much we must be proud of here in Mid Sussex. We are surrounded by cutting-edge, modern businesses, who not only contribute significantly to our local economy, but help to stimulate our tourism industry and put Mid Sussex on the map.
However, the team expressed concerns about recent changes to alcohol duty—shifting from a flat rate to a strength-based system - which could increase red tape and prices. While reforming alcohol taxation to support public health is important, it must also be fair and workable. That’s why the Liberal Democrats continue to champion the UK’s wine industry at home and abroad.
A big thank you to the team at Bolney for the welcome. I would recommend checking it out, especially with summer upon us.