Jenkyn Place Vineyard | Hampshire
Jenkyn Place is a boutique, family-run estate producing award-winning English sparkling wines. Located at the heart of the Hampshire village of Bentley, it was historically a hop farm, growing some of the most highly prized hops in the whole of Britain. When Simon and Rebecca Bladon bought the Grade II listed house in 1997, winemaking was not on the agenda; however, in 2003 Simon's outlook changed when he was handed a glass of English sparkling wine for the first time. He immediately returned home and began laying plans to plant vines in the old hop fields next to his house.
With 15,000 vines in 5 hectares of vineyard, designed and planted with excellence in mind, they rely on the talented Irish winemaker, Dermot Sugrue, to craft Jenkyn Place’s highly praised wines. Previously winemaker at Nyetimber, Dermot now makes wines at Wiston Estate, which is where he also produces the Jenkyn Place fizz. Once the grapes are harvested from the Jenkyn Place vineyards, the fruit is taken by winemaker Dermot Sugrue to his base at Wiston Estate, where he weaves his magic to produce these award-winning wines.
The Jenkyn Place English sparklers are made from classic grape varieties and using the same traditional method as in France’s Champagne region. The second fermentation – the one that adds the bubbles to the wine – takes place inside the bottle. They spend around three years on the lees before being released to the public. Quality control is paramount throughout the whole process – from the design, planting and tending of the vineyards to the actual production of the wines.