Harrow & Hope

Over half a million years, our part of the Chiltern Hills has been shaped by the retreating Thames, leaving behind an environment ideal for creating world-class sparkling wine. Alas, the same flint rocks that make our single vineyard estate a dream for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, also make it a nightmare to work and cultivate – as two broken harrows testify. But then nothing worth treasuring ever came easy. Grown, picked and expe...

Terroir is a French term, it has no equivalent English translation. It simply means all the natural elements that contribute to a wine’s taste. Soil, rocks, climate, exposure to the elements etc. The most important factor for me, is the soil. Having spent a large part of my life in France it is what I am obsessed about more than anything. It’s what separates the great from the good. No matter what you do to a wine during the winemaking process...

But the fact is that if we want to really get the best out of the grapes that we have spent a whole year tending, and make sure they retain that quality all the way through to your glass, then we have to have the right equipment…and close by. Our winery has no frills. But at every step of the winemaking process we have invested in the best; the right piece of ‘kit’ for the job. Traditional method sparkling wine is more complicated than any oth...