The bottles that define Sussex: what they are, who makes them and what they cost.
The iconic bottles that define Sussex: what they are, who makes them and what they cost.
Nyetimber's multi-vintage blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, more than three years on lees before disgorging. The reference point for the Sussex classic cuvee style.
Tasting notes: Toast, spice and baked apple on the nose, then honey, almond and pastry over high acidity, fine bubbles and a long finish.
Pinot Noir led single-vineyard wine from Nyetimber's Tillington site on greensand, bottled as a single vintage and held about five years on lees. The estate's argument for site expression.
Tasting notes: Raspberry, red apple skin and rose petal, then orange zest, apricot and marzipan with biscuit complexity from five years on lees.
Ridgeview's non-vintage blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from Ditchling Common under the South Downs. Citrus and pastry at an entry-level Sussex price.
Tasting notes: Lemon zest, pear and white flowers, then green apple and citrus layered with toasted almond and buttery pastry, closing saline.
Ridgeview's non-vintage sparkling rose from Ditchling Common, a pale cherry blossom pink built on red-berry fruit rather than on dosage, with a creamy finish.
Tasting notes: Wild raspberry and honeyed redcurrant, a spring-fresh sherbet palate of raspberry and citrus, and a creamy, long finish.
All-Chardonnay sparkling wine off the chalk under Chanctonbury Ring, whole bunch pressed, about three years on lees and finished at 8 grams per litre of dosage.
Tasting notes: Citrus and orchard fruit over autolytic texture, the 8 gram dosage leaving the chalk-driven acidity exposed on a long finish.
Pinot Noir led vintage cuvee from Rathfinny's single site above Alfriston, 36 months on lees at 5 grams per litre of dosage, and certified under the Sussex PDO.
Tasting notes: Crisp and dry, with the structure 36 months on lees gives and a low-dosage finish the estate positions as an aperitif.
Dermot Sugrue's Chardonnay led vintage cuvee, grown on South Downs chalk and worked in barrique and demi-muid, then disgorged at 6 grams per litre of dosage.
Tasting notes: Open, bright and textural, salty and electric, the barrel work adding weight without covering the racy acidity.
Seyval Blanc grown in a downland fold above Rodmell and held in the cellar for years before release, a long-aged counterpoint to the Chardonnay and Pinot orthodoxy.
Tasting notes: Deep autolytic character from extra years in bottle, high acidity and a long finish, mature rather than youthful fruit.
Digby's flagship vintage wine at 62 per cent Chardonnay, blended from bought fruit rather than an estate vineyard and poured at the company's Arundel tasting room.
Tasting notes: Elegant and rounded with extensive ageing potential, the Chardonnay dominance giving lift over developed pastry weight.
Unoaked, tank fermented Bacchus from Bolney in the Mid Sussex Weald, priced at GBP 16 and built for drinking young rather than cellaring. The region's still-white calling card.
Tasting notes: Fresh, zesty and intensely aromatic, light bodied with high acidity and a medium finish.
Off-dry still Pinot Gris from the warm sandy soils at Stopham near Pulborough, carrying a little residual sugar and texture behind aromatic peach and pear fruit.
Tasting notes: Peach and pear aromatics, medium body, a touch of sweetness and high acidity running through a medium finish.
Reserve still Pinot Noir from the heat-retaining clay above Bodiam in the Rother valley, intense ruby with medium tannin and the acidity a cool climate gives.
Tasting notes: Intense ruby, a rich mid palate, medium tannin and high acidity running into a long finish.
Skin contact Ortega from Tillingham's organically and biodynamically farmed fruit at Peasmarsh, broad and expressive with a gentle tea-like grip from time on the skins.
Tasting notes: Apricot, yellow peach, honeysuckle and orange blossom, then dried citrus peel and fine skin tannin on a long finish.
Unfiltered ancestral method sparkling wine from Sedlescombe's certified organic vines near Robertsbridge, bottled with no added dosage at 10.5 per cent alcohol.
Tasting notes: Spicy baked apple on the nose, a sherbet-sharp apple palate and a gentle mousse from the fine bubbles.
Tank fermented sparkling wine from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at Winchelsea, made by the Charmat method rather than in bottle and sold at the cellar door for GBP 24.
Tasting notes: Mineral, baked apple and meadow hay, then soft apricot and vanilla on a light body with a gentle savoury finish.
Certified organic vintage sparkling wine from the single estate at Beckley outside Rye, blending Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay off organically farmed vines.
Tasting notes: Red apple, lemon and brioche over the high acidity of the eastern Weald, dry through a long finish.
Peak wine-travel season in Sussex is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
If you only open one bottle, open Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Multi-Vintage by Nyetimber. It is the wine most associated with Sussex.