which is the largest, greenest, purpose built winery in the UK, has been officially opened. The Rathfinny Estate in Alfriston, East Sussex will be producing more than a million bottles of Sussex sparkling wine per year by 2020 that will be sold around the globe to rival Champagne.To date, 64 hectares (160 acres) of the Estate’s 160 hectares have been planted with vines and it is hoped that Rathfinny will get its first harvest later this year, with the first Rathfinny Sussex sparkling wine released in 2017.
The Rathfinny Estate was founded by husband and wife team Mark and Sarah Driver to be England’s newest and largest single-site vineyard.
The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier are the three principle grapes varieties traditionally used for top quality sparkling wine, but Rathfinny may also use small quantities of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris in its Sussex sparkling wines.
Rathfinny aims to eventually sell up to 50% of its production to key overseas markets in Europe, Asia and North America.
