Winding Wood Vineyard

Winding Wood Vineyard is a boutique, organic and biodynamic English vineyard situated in the west corner of Berkshire, between Hungerford and Newbury in the United Kingdom. The estate was founded in 2012, when owners Robert and his partner — both of whom had retired from professional careers in dentistry and publishing — decided to replace grazing sheep in one of their paddocks with vines. The first vines were planted shortly afterwards, and the vineyard has since released multiple vintages of English sparkling wine. The vineyard is planted on free-draining loam over flint and chalk, and grows the classic Champagne varieties. Its wines are made using the Traditional Method, with two fermentations — the first in oak barrel and the second in bottle. Wines are aged on their lees for a minimum of 24 months before disgorging, followed by six months resting on cork before release. The stated winemaking philosophy is that "fruit always comes first." Winding Wood only produces vintage wines. At the end of 2024, after a three-year conversion, the estate became both organic and Demeter certified — described as one of only a small handful of vineyards in England and Wales to hold that status. It embraces a biodynamic approach to both land and vines, using regenerative methods, avoiding tilling under the vine, improving soil biology, employing no synthetic chemicals, and making medicinal plant teas for spraying over the vines to build disease resistance. The brand has earned recognition in UK wine competitions. Its Rosé 2020 won a gold medal and the Trophy for Best Sparkling Rosé at the WineGB Awards 2024, while its Brut Reserve 2018 (now sold out) took gold at the same awards. The 2020 Brut Rosé also won a gold medal and the Trophy for Top Sparkling Wine at the Independent English Wine Awards (IEWA) 2024. Earlier accolades include a gold medal at the Independent English Wine Awards 2022 for the 2018 Brut Rosé and a gold at WineGB 2020 for the 2016 Classic Cuvée Brut. Winding Wood Vineyard operates as a private, owner-run boutique producer. It sells its wines directly and offers vineyard tours and tastings. The estate is small in scale, with the owners reporting around 250 days a year spent in the vineyard, and its wines are released in limited quantities.

Winding Wood Vineyard began in 2012, when owners Robert and his partner were sitting on their front lawn one summer evening, watching sheep graze in one of their paddocks. Robert remarked that it might be more rewarding to plant a vineyard instead. The sheep were evicted with due notice, and vines were planted. Both owners had recently retired from long professional careers — Robert from dentistry and his partner from publishing — and had expected a quieter life, but the vineyard became all-consuming, with around 250 days a year spent working among the vines. The estate is located in the beautiful west corner of Berkshire, between Hungerford and Newbury, on free-draining loam over flint and chalk. It grows the classic Champagne varieties and makes its wines using the Traditional Method: a first fermentation in oak barrel and a second in bottle, followed by a minimum of 24 months ageing on the lees before disgorging, and then six months resting on cork before release. The guiding principle is that fruit always comes first, and only vintage wines are produced. Over the years the vineyard released many vintages of Winding Wood sparkling wine. Its second release, the Brut 2016, won a clutch of medals including a gold from WineGB. The 2018 wines harvested five medals in 2022 — one gold and four silvers. The Brut Rosé 2020 later won two national trophies. At the end of 2024, after a three-year conversion, Winding Wood became both organic and Demeter certified, making it one of only a small handful of vineyards in England and Wales to achieve that. The estate embraces a biodynamic approach to land, vines and winemaking, using regenerative methods at all times: no tilling under the vine, always striving to improve soil biology, employing no synthetic chemicals, and using plants with medicinal properties to make teas sprayed over the vines to build up their resistance to disease. The brand's competition record includes a gold medal and the Trophy for Best Sparkling Rosé at the WineGB Awards 2024 for its Rosé 2020, and a gold medal at the same awards for its Brut Reserve 2018 (now sold out). Its 2020 Brut Rosé won a gold medal and the Trophy for Top Sparkling Wine at the Independent English Wine Awards 2024. Earlier, the 2018 Brut Rosé won gold at the Independent English Wine Awards 2022, and the 2016 Classic Cuvée Brut won gold at WineGB 2020. The owners describe the venture as a labour of love and note that the more one learns about viticulture and winemaking, the less one feels one knows.

• 2024

  After a three-year conversion, vineyard becomes organic and Demeter certified.

• 2024

  Rosé 2020 wins gold medal and Trophy Best Sparkling Rosé at WineGB Awards 2024; Brut Reserve 2018 wins gold (now sold out).

• 2024

  Brut Rosé 2020 wins gold medal and Trophy Top Sparkling Wine at Independent English Wine Awards 2024.

• 2022

  2018 wines harvest five medals — one gold and four silvers; Brut Rosé 2018 wins gold at the Independent English Wine Awards 2022.

• 2020

  Classic Cuvée Brut 2016 wins gold at WineGB 2020.

• 2016

  Brut 2016 (second release) wins a clutch of medals including a gold from WineGB.

• 2012

  Winding Wood Vineyard founded; sheep removed and vines planted in West Berkshire.

Boutique, organic and biodynamic English sparkling wine producer focused on vintage Traditional Method wines.

• Rosé 2020

  Vintage sparkling rosé; won gold medal and Trophy Best Sparkling Rosé at WineGB Awards 2024, and gold medal and Trophy Top Sparkling Wine at IEWA 2024.

• Brut Reserve 2018

  Vintage sparkling wine; won gold medal at WineGB Awards 2024; now sold out.

• Brut Rosé 2018

  Vintage sparkling rosé; won gold medal at Independent English Wine Awards 2022.

• Classic Cuvée Brut 2016

  Vintage sparkling wine; won gold at WineGB 2020.

• Brut 2016

  Second release; won a clutch of medals including a gold from WineGB.

1. 1Winding Wood Vineyard official websitewindingwoodvineyard.co.uk
2. 2Our Story — Winding Wood Vineyardwindingwoodvineyard.co.uk
3. 3Winding Wood Vineyard — Wikidatawikidata.org