13 editor-picked estates growing Pinot Noir in Sussex.
Where to taste Pinot Noir in Sussex: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Traditional method sparkling producer at West Chiltington working with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Visitors come on pre booked open days rather than to a daily cellar door.
Tasting: Pre booked Open Day tours with a tasting of the sparkling range; no daily walk in cellar door
Chalk slope estate below the South Downs at Washington, making traditional method sparkling from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with a restaurant, shop and daily tours.
Tasting: Tours and tastings Tuesday to Sunday at 11am and 2.30pm, with the Chalk restaurant and the North Farm shop
Cuckmere valley estate founded in 2010 by Mark and Sarah Driver, with a daily cellar door, a restaurant and pre booked tours of the winery above Alfriston.
Tasting: Cellar Door shop open daily for tastings and sales, with pre booked estate tours and a restaurant
Second generation family estate on Ditchling Common making classic method sparkling from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier since 1995, with drop in tastings and a restaurant.
Tasting: Open 11am to 4pm Thursday to Monday for drop in tastings and sales, with tours bookable all year
Weald estate planted in 1972, when Rodney and Janet Pratt put vines into a smallholding at Bolney. Still and sparkling wines, a restaurant and year round tours.
Tasting: Open all year, seven days a week, for tours, tastings and the Eighteen Acre restaurant
Former salad farm at Halnaker converted to vines by Art Tucker from 2007, making sparkling wine from the three Champagne varieties, with tours and vineyard lodges.
Tasting: Vineyard tours with tastings, afternoon tea tours and private tours, plus lodges on the vineyard
Family owned vineyard and winery eight miles from Brighton, established in 2010, pouring Bacchus, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in a tasting room that looks towards the Downs.
Tasting: Tasting room open 11am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday from April to October, with small group tours and cheese boards
Cellar door at the Alfriston estate, with a free drop-in tasting bar, a 45-minute six-wine flight at GBP 22, and the Seven Sisters spirits range alongside the Sussex sparkling.
Tasting space at the Washington winery below Chanctonbury Ring, pouring the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sparkling range after a tour of the press house.
Tasting room and Vineyard Kitchen next door to Goodwood, pouring Tinwood Brut, Blanc de Blancs and Rose with food pairings and a daily vineyard tour.
Tasting room on the Albourne farm north of Brighton, built around Bacchus, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with vineyard tours and pop-up dining through the season.
Peter Hall planted this secluded valley above Rodmell in 1974 on free draining chalk loam with flint, two miles from the Channel. Cuvees are named for friends and family rather than for vineyard blocks.
Why locals love it: Six acres at the end of a chalk track in a fold of the Downs, making around 10,000 bottles a year and selling most of them by allocation.
Tip: Cellar door collection is by appointment only and there are no tours. Email first, then walk in from Rodmell rather than driving the track.
Still rose from the Soil Association certified estate near Rye, 64 per cent Pinot Noir and 36 per cent Pinot Meunier at 11.5 per cent, pale pink with strawberry, cranberry and a citrus backbone.
Tip: The cheapest bottle on an otherwise sparkling-priced list, and the one to drink on the farm's own terrace with a wine flight.