Ancre Hill Estates: Biodynamic Welsh Wines from the Monmouthshire Border
A Biodynamic Welsh Estate on the English Border
Tucked into the south-east corner of Wales where the country meets England, Ancre Hill Estates is a quietly ambitious family vineyard whose wines punch well above their geographic weight. The estate sits on the outskirts of Monmouth in the lee of the Cambrian Mountains and the Brecon Beacons, which shelter the vines from the worst of the Atlantic weather. Vines are grown at around 50 degrees northern latitude, close to the climatic limit for reliably ripening grapes, and this cool-edge terroir produces wines of crisp natural acidity, purity of fruit and a distinctly mineral character.
Ancre Hill is Demeter-certified biodynamic and organic, a status it has held since 2014. Production is deliberately modest: around 30,000 bottles a year from just nine hectares of vines. The owners, Richard and Joy Morris, practise a non-interventionist philosophy that treats the vineyard as the engine room of quality. As the estate puts it, great wine is made in the vineyard and the work done in the winery can only realise the potential at harvest, never increase it.
The Vineyard: Ancient Soils, Living Canopy
The estate's nine hectares are inspected annually by Demeter to ensure that all cultural practices go beyond organic standards. No insecticides, pesticides or herbicides are used. Instead, the team relies on biodynamic preparations, wild plant tisanes brewed on the estate and biostimulants applied through a carefully timed spray programme. A healthy micro-organism population is built up through composting and cultivation, removing any need for petro-chemical fertilisers.
The canopy is managed extensively to maximise airflow and light penetration, with the Geneva Double Curtain trellising system, developed for cooler climates, helping to expose the fruit to the sun. Co-plantations and wild flora are actively encouraged across the estate to maintain biodiversity and a functioning ecosystem. The result is a self-sustaining vineyard in which the vines are able to find the balance of life forces necessary for healthy growth and quality fruit.
The Winery: A Building That Grows Out of the Philosophy
The winery at Ancre Hill is an extension of the same philosophy that drives the vineyard. Wherever possible, natural materials have been chosen over synthetic ones. The walls are constructed from straw bales, and a living green roof provides natural temperature and humidity regulation. Waste water is treated through a series of ecological pools and plantings, which also supply many of the plants used in the tisane treatments applied in the vineyard.
The winemaking is uncompromisingly low-intervention. Fermentations are spontaneous, kicked off by indigenous yeasts and bacteria. The wines are not fined or filtered, and no sulphur dioxide is added to the orange wine. A long, slow élevage is standard, with extended time on the lees for the sparkling wines. The wines, like the grapes that go into them, are fully Demeter-certified.
Terroir: Ancient Mudstone and Sandstone
The character of every Ancre Hill wine is rooted in the geology of the estate. The vines sit on ancient mudstone and sandstone soils, and that bedrock translates directly into the wines through natural minerality, tension and savoury depth. Combined with the cool climate and long, slow ripening cycle, this geology gives the wines their distinct personality: fresh, structured and reflective of vintage and provenance.
The Sparkling Wines: Méthode Traditionnelle in Oak, Concrete and Steel
Ancre Hill's sparkling wines are made using the méthode traditionnelle, with a long élevage and, in most cases, extended lees ageing. Base wines are fermented in a mix of Austrian oak, Burgundian concrete eggs and stainless steel, depending on the cuvée. All sparkling wines are bottled at zero dosage.
Blanc de Blancs
The Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay, made from a typically vintage blend. The base wine is fermented entirely in Austrian oak with an élevage of more than 12 months, then aged for a minimum of five years on lees. Zero dosage. The result is a wine of ripe grapefruit and lemon zest with tart apple-pie fruit, a long finish and pronounced autolysis and brioche character.
Blanc de Noirs
The Blanc de Noirs is 100% Pinot Noir, bottled as a non-vintage. Base wine is fermented in concrete egg and stainless steel with an élevage of over 12 months, then aged for a minimum of three years on lees. Zero dosage. On the nose, apple skin and Brazil nut; on the palate, ripe apple and citrus with a super-crisp finish. This is the wine that earned high praise from Matthew Jukes in Vineyard Magazine in April 2024 for its "four-year-long lees contact and lack of interventions", and from Victoria Moore in The Telegraph, who called it "truly brilliant".
The Pefriog Sparkling Wine
The Pefriog, Welsh for "sparkling", is 100% Pinot Noir, typically from a single vintage. The base wine is fermented in stainless steel with an élevage of over 12 months, then aged for one to two years on lees at zero dosage. It is intense, brisk and moreish, bursting with citrus and apple freshness.
Still Wines: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
The estate's still wines benefit from long fermentation and maturation on their gross lees, in either Austrian oak, Burgundian concrete eggs or stainless steel, or a combination of these, depending on the style. None are fined or filtered, and carbonic maceration is used for the red wines and the orange wine.
Chardonnay
A typically vintage 100% Chardonnay made from a blend of skin maceration and whole-bunch pressing. Fermentation is in stainless steel and Austrian oak, with a long élevage on gross lees, natural malolactic fermentation, and no filtration or fining. The wine shows light lemon and ripe green apple, with hints of honeysuckle and vanilla. The 2018 vintage was singled out by Vineyard Magazine in June 2020 for its "superb balance, with a bitter grape skin tang and a juicy lemon-grass core".
Pinot Noir
A typically vintage 100% Pinot Noir made from a blend of skin maceration, whole-bunch pressing and carbonic maceration. Fermentation finishes in oak and stainless steel, with ageing on gross lees for a minimum of two years. Natural malolactic fermentation, no filtration, no fining. Fragrant strawberry, cherries, savoury notes and liquorice with sweet spice.
Sui Generis: Orange Wine and Pét Nats
Ancre Hill uses the Latin phrase sui generis, meaning "in a class of itself", for the three idiosyncratic wines it makes outside the conventional still-and-sparkling brackets. These are the orange wine, the red Pét Nat and the pink Pét Nat.
Orange Wine
A skin-contact blend of Albariño, Chardonnay, Solaris and Ortega, typically from a single vintage. The grapes undergo 100% whole-bunch carbonic maceration for between 30 and 50 days, with fermentation finishing in oak and stainless steel and ageing on gross lees for a minimum of 10 months. Natural malolactic fermentation, no filtration, no fining and no sulphur dioxide additions. Deep, savoury, nectarine and tangerine with herbal notes. The wine was highlighted by The Independent in July 2024 among "8 best orange wines to raise a glass to this summer", praised for its Clockwork Orange-esque label and its serious substance. It was also named among Simon J Woolf's "Top 30 Amber Champions" for Decanter in July 2020, described as "featherlight and fresh as a daisy, with bruised apple and pear fruit plus hints of hay and camomile" and "one of the few orange wines that really is quite shockingly orange in colour".
Red Pét Nat
A blend of Triomphe and Chardonnay, typically non-vintage, made using the Entre'acte (Intermission) Méthode Ancestrale. New vintage juice is blended with previous-vintage base wine while still fermenting, and primary fermentation finishes in bottle to produce a lightly fizzy wine of between two and three bar pressure. On the palate: hedgerow fruit, earthy spice, wild grassy grapey-ness, untamed and very drinkable. Decanter's tasting team picked it out as a "must try fizz" in May 2024.
Pink Pét Nat
Typically a blend of Pinot Noir, Triomphe and Chardonnay, made in the Interruption Méthode Ancestrale. All components are new vintage; the wine is bottled when fermentation is roughly 90% complete, producing a lightly fizzy wine of between two and three bar pressure. Bruised apple, sour red fruit, tangerine and herbs with a tangy, tart finish.
Where to Buy Ancre Hill Wines
Ancre Hill Estates does not sell direct through an online shop. Wines are distributed in the UK by Les Caves de Pyrène in Guildford, Surrey (trade 01483 538820, retail 01483 554750, lescaves.co.uk), and are available through selected independent merchants across Wales, England and Scotland, as well as overseas.
Stockists in Wales
- Blas ar Fwyd, Llanrwst - 01492 640215 - blasarfwyd.com
- Cheers Wine Merchants, Swansea - 0800 9994895 - cheerswinemerchants.co.uk
- Chilled & Tannin, Cardiff - 07968 451083 - chilledandtannin.com
- Fine Wines Direct, Cardiff - 029 2078 7500 - finewinesdirectuk.com
Stockists in England
- Tanners, country-wide - 01743 234455 - tanners-wines.co.uk
- The Oxford Wine Company - 01865 301144 - oxfordwine.co.uk
Stockists in Scotland
- L'Art du Vin, Dunfermline - 01383 821212 - aduv.co.uk
Stockists Overseas
- Canada: Boutique Wines - boutiquewines.ca
- Hong Kong & Macau: La Cabane Group, Central - +852 6300 2402 - www.lacabane.hk
- Singapore: The Wine Distribution Co. - geraldine@twdc.com.sg
Buy Online
- Chilled & Tannin, Cardiff - 07968 451083 - chilledandtannin.com
- Grape Britannia, Cambridge - 01223 311100 - grapebritannia.co.uk
Press & Recognition
Ancre Hill's wines have attracted consistent attention from leading UK wine writers. Highlights include:
- The Independent - 4 July 2024: Ancre Hill's orange wine included in "8 best orange wines to raise a glass to this summer", recognised as one of two UK producers making standout orange wine.
- Decanter - May 2024: Red Pét Nat selected as a "must try fizz" in the Weekday Wines tasting.
- Vineyard Magazine - April 2024: Matthew Jukes praises the Blanc de Noirs for its four-year lees contact, lack of interventions, deeply invigorating flavour and "eventual completeness".
- Vineyard Magazine - June 2020: Ancre Hill singled out as a leader in organic, biodynamic and natural wines, with the 2018 Chardonnay praised for its superb balance.
- Susy Atkins - June 2021: Featured in The Telegraph's "Yes, Wales makes wine - and some of the best in the country", highlighting the growing reputation of Welsh wine.
- Simon J Woolf - July 2020: Orange wine named among Decanter's Top 30 "Amber Champions".
- Rose Murray Brown - August 2020: Ancre Hill Estate named as her pick of the newcomers, citing the Morris' terroir-driven, minimum-intervention ethos and the Albariño-based orange wine and Pét Nat.
A Glossary of Ancre Hill's Winemaking Terms
The following specialist terms appear on the estate's labels and tasting notes.
Zero Dosage
A méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine with no dosage, the sweet wine or spirit that is sometimes added before final corking. Wines bottled without dosage may also be labelled brut nature or sauvage, and are sometimes marketed as sugar-free.
On the Lees
A stage in a wine's maturation: lees are the dead yeast cells and other particles that settle as sediment at the bottom of the fermenting vessel after fermentation. Extended lees ageing contributes complexity, texture and autolytic character.
Élevage
The French term for the progression of a wine from fermentation to bottling, literally its "raising" or "education". Decisions taken during élevage (barrel ageing, filtering, fining) help the wine achieve its full potential.
Sui Generis
Latin for "unique, in a class by itself". Ancre Hill uses the term for its Orange Wine and its Red and Pink Pét Nats.
Albariño
A thick-skinned white variety traditionally grown in Galicia, Spain, and the Vinho Verde region of Portugal. In Wales, the climate produces small bunches of sweet fruit that are primarily used as a component of Ancre Hill's Orange Wine.
Pét Nat (Pétillant Naturel)
A naturally sparkling wine made using the méthode ancestrale, bottled before primary fermentation is complete and without added secondary yeasts or sugars. The result is a low-alcohol, low-intervention wine with no added sugars or preservatives. The technique predates the méthode champenoise used for Champagne.
MLF (Malolactic Fermentation)
A secondary fermentation in which the malic acid naturally present in grape must is converted to softer, creamier lactic acid. Standard for most red wines and common for whites such as Chardonnay.
Visiting and Getting in Touch
Ancre Hill Estates is based in Monmouth, NP25 5HS, Wales. Press and trade enquiries can be directed to Richard or Joy Morris on +44 (0)7885 984918 or by email to info@ancrehillestates.co.uk. The estate is also active on Facebook and Instagram, with its location viewable on Google Maps.