Rathfinny Wine Estate stands among England’s most distinguished sparkling wine producers, crafting elegant Sussex wines on the sun‑drenched chalk slopes of the South Downs. Founded in 2010, this family‑owned estate unites artisanal expertise, sustainable practices and an exceptional terroir to create sparkling wines of true world‑class calibre, rivaling the finest Champagnes. Rathfinny is also the world’s first grower‑producer of sparkling wine to achieve B Corp certification — a testament to its uncompromising quality, environmental stewardship and refined winemaking philosophy.

Often referred to as the vintage of the decade, 2018 was one of the warmest summers on record. A mini heatwave developed from April onwards, bringing on early flowering and the dry weather promoted good fruit set. New temperature records were set in July and August and despite heavy rain in early September, the weather during harvest in October was very favourable and we picked very clean fruit with an ideal balance of sugars and acidity for our Sussex Sparkling wines.

Winemaking

Inoculated with commercial yeast, fermented in stainless steel tanks at 16°C. LEES AGEING 52 months.

Tasting notes

A buttermilk golden hue beckons in a nose of ginger-dusted white plums on cinnamon toast, a rich palate of white apricot and crème pâtissière with nuances of preserved Meyer lemon on the finish.

Food pairing

A superbly versatile foil to the fresh flavours of linguini with clams and fennel right through to duck prosciutto and ham hock terrine.