Chichester, Sussex
A Family-Owned Wine Estate
“This great story started with salad.”
“Taking over the family farm in 2006 was my chance to follow my dream of making the finest sparkling wine. Converting our land from salad to wine has been a journey of discovery and joy that I look forward to sharing with you.”
Born and raised on this beautiful Sussex land, I have been lucky to watch the views change over the years. Growing up, we were not looking out onto fields of vines like we do today; my Mum and Dad before me were iceberg lettuce farmers. Now I, Art, live on the Vineyard with my wife, Jody, and sons, Jake and Joshua.
“Farming for us isn’t just a job; living here and looking after the land is a way of life passed on from generation to generation. You could say ‘growing’ runs through our veins.”
In his early years, my father, also the son of a farmer from the Netherlands, worked for Marks and Spencer travelling the world; he taught farmers to grow beans in Kenya, tomatoes under glass in Germany and salads in California. It was in California that he stumbled upon an exciting new salad crop called iceberg lettuce, where everything changed. In 1983 a farm became available in just the right spot, at the foot of South Downs in Sussex, close to the sea on Tinwood Lane, where he started farming his crops.
Skip forward a few years when it was my turn to take the reins of the farm; the landscape had evolved so much that mass production farming and supermarkets were taking prevalence. I thought that it was time for a change.
While studying agriculture and farming at university, it dawned on me that growing vines could be my family’s future. With this in mind, I packed my bags and, in 2005, moved to Marlborough, New Zealand. Being fortunate enough to work in the vineyards in Marlborough, I worked closely with Mike and Claire Allen, who own Huia Vineyards. I owe them so much for sharing their fantastic knowledge over a glass of wine or two! Growing and nurturing Sauvignon Blanc and other grape varieties opened my eyes to the beautiful world of growing vines and producing wine. This was when I knew I wanted to convert the land from salad to vines and become a Vineyard owner.
