nourish team East Anglia is home to some of the best vineyards in the UK, if not the world! Yes, we may be biased, but when the Decanter Best Wine of the Year is from Norfolk, I don’t think it’s too much of an exaggeration to say that the region’s winemakers produce some truly great wines. Read on to find out more about just some of East Anglia’s vineyards.
WineGB East is a great place to start for anyone wanting to know more about the wines of the region. For example, did you know that more than half the Bacchus grown in Britain is produced in this part of the world? Or that the UEA has declared parts of Essex and Suffolk to be the best areas for viticulture in the UK? With new vineyards coming to the fore all the time, there has been a real explosion in recent years, and we share just some of them with you here.
Burnt House Vineyard
Burnt House Vineyard is a family run business in the heart of the Suffolk countryside.
Situated on a south facing slope, the vineyard comprises four varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Bacchus. Established in 2017, the vines have been planted over a total of 22 acres.
Burnt House produces grapes for traditional method sparkling wine and still wine. While the vineyard has been operating as a commercial vineyard supplying other brands with grapes,
Burnt House has now created their first release of Bacchus.
In 2022 Burnt House opened its cellar door and tasting room which is nestled along a quiet country road in Little Finborough, Stowmarket. We are open for tours, tastings, and various events, or feel free to just drop in to enjoy the vineyard and wines with local produce and food pairings.
- The Cellar Door and Tasting Room is open to visitors Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
- Instagram & Facebook @burnthousevineyard
- www.burnthousevineyard.co.uk; email info@burnthousevineyard.co.uk or call 01449 553213
Burn Valley Vineyard
We are a family run, North Norfolk vineyard, situated on the family farm in North Creake, just outside Burnham Market. Burn Valley has nine different grape varieties, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Bacchus, Solaris, Rondo, and Regent. We planted in 2016 and harvested our first grapes in 2018.
We have our own winery at the farm and all of our wine is grown, harvested, made, and bottled on-site. We produce still and sparkling wines and are open for tastings during the summer season. Please see our article on the previous page for full details.
- Instagram & Facebook @burnvalleyvineyard
- www.burnvalleyvineyard.co.uk; email burnvalleyvineyard@gmail.com or call 07503 302273
Flint Vineyard
Flint Vineyard is based on the Suffolk/Norfolk border in the Waveney Valley. This sheltered spot is host to soils of flint, sand and gravel and a dry, sunny climate, all of which are perfect for growing grapes. Winemaker Ben Witchell has studied oenology and viticulture and made wine for over ten years in France, California, and Greece.
Ben’s philosophy is to respect both the modern and traditional aspects of winemaking. Coupling traditional techniques with science, he aims to make the best wines on offer in the UK. Flint focuses predominantly on premium still wines, including a fresh and lively white Bacchus, a barrel fermented Chardonnay/Pinot Blanc blend, and an aromatic red Pinot noir. Ben also makes a popular sparkling rosé using the Charmat method, which is used in Prosecco, and was the first English winemaker to experiment with this process.
Flint is open during the week for drop in guided tastings and lunches. It is also possible to reserve a place on one of their sought after tours on their website. They enjoy receiving visitors at their beautiful location overlooking the vines and like people to leave, having learnt a little more
about English winemaking.
- Instagram & Facebook @flintvineyard
- www.flintvineyard.com , email enquiries@flintvineyard.com or call 01986 893942
Old Hall Vineyard
Old Hall Vineyard is part of Old Hall Farm, a working farm Old Hall Vineyard is part of Old Hall Farm, a working farm in Woodton, Norfolk. They grow Bacchus, Solaris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. To date have released two sparkling wines and three still whites.
The sparkling wines are a 2019 Norfolk Brut and Boudicca, a 2019 Blush Brut. £10 from the sale of each bottle of this subtle, elegant pink goes towards the Boudicca Breast Cancer Appeal. Of the whites, Old Hall Vineyard has produced two Bacchus, 2020 and 2021, and this year, they launched their 2021 Sauvignon Blanc.
Owned by Rebecca and Stuart Mayhew, Old Hall Farm is home to Jersey cattle, who frequently graze near the vines, pigs, chickens, goats, peacocks, and an emu called Bruce! Their focus is on sustainability, and they produce everything from milk, butter and ice cream to beef, pork, vegetables, and now wines! They have a café, open daily, where you can sample produce from the farm and vineyard.
- Instagram & Facebook @oldhallfm
- www.oldhallfarm.co.uk; email moo@oldhallfarm.co.uk or call 01508 333110
Cobble Hill Winery
This award-winning 3.6 hectare vineyard overlooks the village of Burnham Market on the North Norfolk Coast.
Owned and managed by the Perowne family, the south facing chalk strata on the edge of a glacial moraine is ideal land for vines and has been a dream of the family for decades. The first grapes were planted in spring 2016 and the first Bacchus was harvested in autumn 2019 and bottled in May 2020. The grape varieties being grown are Bacchus, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, allowing the creation of a selection of red, white, and rosé wines as well as English Sparkling.
At the 2022 Wines of Great Britain National Awards, Cobble Hill Winery was awarded a Gold Medal for their sparkling rosé, made from Pinot Noir grapes.
New for 2022 is a tasting area and visitor centre, enabling visitors to come and enjoy the Cobble Hill wines in beautiful surroundings.
- Instagram @cobblehillwine
- www.cobblehillnorfolk.com; email info@cobblehillnorfolk.com or call 01485 517170
Chet Valley Vineyard
An independent audit from WineGB has certified Chet Valley Vineyard as a sustainable vineyard. John Hemmant, owner and winemaker, specialises in making sparkling wine using the same method as the champagne region at his vineyard in Bergh Apton in South Norfolk. Making both sweet and dry white, rosé and red sparkling wines, the grapes travel a mere hundred metres from vine to vat.
At the hotly contested WineGB East competition, where the top wines in East Anglia were judged, Chet Valley Vineyard was awarded a flush of medals including Gold for the Jubilee Blanc de Blanc (100% Chardonnay) sparkling wine John made to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee year. A very smooth wine, giving light fruity flavours of apple, pear and citrus, it pairs well with smoked salmon and canapés. Silver was awarded for the House of Hemmant Blanc de Noirs (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meuniere), light rose gold in colour with notes of red apple and strawberries, and Bronze for the Redpoll Pink Sparkling wine (Seyval Blanc and Cabernet Noir), with rich summer fruit flavours.
- In celebration of their success, Chet Valley Vineyard is offering a 10% discount on a case of 6 of these wonderful sparkling wines for nourish readers. Just ring your order through on 01508 333002 quoting ‘chetwinner’ to take advantage of this great offer.
- Instagran @chetvineyard
- https://chetvineyard.co.uk, email info@chetvineyard.co.uk or call 01508 333002
