Hambledon Vineyard



Hambledon Vineyard, which was founded in 1952 by Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, is widely regarded as the birthplace of English wine.
Itwas created with the guidance of esteemed Champagne House, Pol Roger, and was established when Sir Guy planted vines on the south-facing chalky slopes on the Hambledon estate, in what is now part of the South Downs National Park. In the early years, the business only produced still wines, but these quickly gained a following and were so commercially successful that Sir Guy soon became recognised as one of the leading pioneers of modern English wine production and was named ‘The Father of English Wine’ by the Daily Telegraph.
Following a change of ownership in the 1990’s, the estate’s winemaking activities were curtailed until Ian Kellett acquired the estate in 1999. Under his ownership Hambledon saw a significant transformation during the 2000’s, particularly in the vineyards, which established the estate as a beacon of English winemaking.
At this point a pivotal decision was taken to focus on sparkling wines which led to the planting of a 10-acre vineyard containing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Chardonnay makes up the majority of Hambledon’s sparkling wines, underpinning the importance of this varietal to the estate’s identity and reputation.
Today, Hambledon is under the joint ownership of Berry Bros. & Rudd and Symington Family Estates, with a remarkable 200 acres under vine. This area is divided into three vineyards consisting of 30 individual subsections with differing terroirs and microclimates.

The vineyards
The chalk on which the Hambledon vines grow was formed around 65 million years ago and completes the uppermost layer of the famous Paris basin. This is the same Belemnite chalk that is found in the best Chardonnay producing areas of the Côtes des Blancs in Champagne and has been central to establishing Hambledon as the English spiritual home of Chardonnay.
Head Winemaker, Felix Gabillet, takes a gentle approach to winemaking, using a gravity flow system that respects the natural flow of making wine and places its emphasis on preserving the quality of Hambledon’s wines. This estate is proud to be the UK’s only gravity-fed winery, a feature of the estate that makes Hambledon unique amongst English wine producers.

The winery
The winery is also one of the first in Europe to utilise a ‘Lecher Antenna’ at assemblage to find the best energy and balance between the base wines in order to ensure an exceptional and consistent level of quality. Hambledon’s determination to exhibit the unique characteristics of its extensive terroir means that its wines deliberately contain lower dosages than other English sparkling wines.
Today, Hambledon is widely recognised as a leading, award-winning English winery and has received numerous accolades for the outstanding quality of its cuvées, including some of the top awards from Decanter and The Drinks Business in 2024.