Artelium Wine Estate (Ditchling)

Artelium Wine Estate: A Creative Sussex Vineyard on the South Downs

Nestled in the rolling landscape of the East Sussex South Downs, between Ditchling and Plumpton, Artelium Wine Estate is one of England's most exciting contemporary wine producers. Where chalk soils, cool maritime breezes and quiet patience meet the creativity of celebrated winemakers and the imagination of contemporary artists, Artelium is crafting award-winning English sparkling and still wines that put Sussex at the very heart of the country's evolving wine story. A working vineyard, a tasting room, a restaurant, a sculpture garden and a year-round cultural programme all live on the same estate, making Artelium as much a destination for art, food and conversation as it is a winery.

A Vision Born on the South Downs

Artelium was founded by Julie Bretland and Mark Collins, a couple who shared a vision that English wine could be more than a traditional farmhouse vineyard. From the beginning, Artelium was about the meeting of creativity and craft: exceptional wine, world-class art, and an estate designed for people to come together and celebrate the slow, patient skills that produce both. The name itself is a quiet declaration of intent. Artelium blends Art with the Latin suffix -ium, used in words like stadium or aquarium to describe a place of congregation. Artelium is, quite literally, a place to gather around art.

From the outset, Julie and Mark enlisted two of the most respected names in English winemaking to shape the wines: celebrated Sussex winemaker Dermot Sugrue and Owen Elias, who has long been associated with innovative small-lot winemaking in the UK. They are now joined in the cellar by Solly Monyamane, with all three names appearing on the winemaker credits of Artelium's most distinctive releases.

"England is an emerging wine region; we are not restricted by the rules and regulations that govern the Old World," the founders explain. "At Artelium, we welcome this freedom and see each vintage as an opportunity to create pioneering styles of wine that will shape the future of the industry." That philosophy, giving talented winemakers the freedom and the raw materials to express themselves, runs through every bottle on the shelf, from the classic Sussex sparkling Cuvées to the boundary-pushing small-batch Artefact series.

Today, Artelium is recognised as one of the top ten wineries in Great Britain (The Drinks Business / The Real Review, 2026), a Walpole Brand of Tomorrow 2026, and a recipient of 97 points from Wine Enthusiast for the flagship Curators Cuvée 2018, placing the wine in the top 0.5% of wines reviewed worldwide. None of this would have seemed obvious when the first vines were being planted; all of it now feels completely in keeping with the founders' original ambition.

The Vineyards: Madehurst and Streat

Artelium farms around 65 acres of vineyard across two carefully chosen Sussex sites, with more than 125,000 vines in the ground. The two vineyards offer a deliberate contrast in terroir, allowing the winemaking team to capture a broader spectrum of English wine character than a single site could.

Madehurst Vineyard

The largest of the two sites is the 45-acre Madehurst Vineyard, set within the South Downs National Park near Arundel. Planted in 2019 and 2020 and home to more than 85,000 vines, Madehurst sits on the chalk-rich soils that have long been associated with the finest sparkling wines of northern Europe. It is also the home of the Artelium winery, with its first vintage produced here in 2022. Madehurst is farmed regeneratively, with biodiversity and soil health positioned as essential building blocks of wine quality.

Streat Vineyard

Located between Ditchling and Plumpton, the 20-acre Streat Vineyard spans clay soils and hosts around 40,000 vines. Streat carries the same varietal and clonal diversity as Madehurst, providing a deliberate foil of heavier, more water-retentive ground. Streat is also home to the Artelium Cellar Door, open Thursday to Sunday year-round for wine tastings, vineyard tours and hospitality, with panoramic views across the vines to the Downs beyond.

Clonal Diversity and Innovation

Across both vineyards, Artelium uses a deliberate mix of Champagne clones (chosen for sparkling wine elegance and finesse), Burgundian clones and Alsace clones (favoured for more textural, still wines). This clonal diversity gives the winemaking team the raw materials to craft expressive cuvées that respond to each site and each season. As part of their sustainability mission, Artelium has also planted more than 17,000 PiWi (disease-resistant) vines, including Souvignier Gris, Sauvignac, Rinot, Pinotin, Cabaret Noir and Divico - hybrid varieties that offer natural resistance to mildew and other diseases and the potential for distinctive, less interventionist wines.

The Wines of Artelium

Artelium's winemakers work with classic Champagne grape varieties - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier - alongside Pinot Gris, producing an estate range that runs from long-lees-aged traditional method sparkling wines to fresh still whites, rosés and experimental small-batch releases. Across the board, the wines share a clear signature: precision, freshness, and a sense of place that speaks of the Sussex Downs.

Award-Winning Sparkling Wines

The sparkling collection is built around two flagship cuvées and a small portfolio of single-vintage and limited releases:

• Artelium Curators Cuvée 2019 - £38. A 49% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 17% Meunier blend made by Dermot Sugrue, given five years on the lees. Green orchard fruit and toasted brioche, with a long, tense finish ("a fantastic aperitif … beautifully pairs with shellfish, seafood and fresh vegetable dishes"). The 2018 vintage earned 97 points from Wine Enthusiast and Gold at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024.
• Artelium Makers Rosé 2019 - £42. A Pinot Noir-led sparkling rosé (66% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay, 5% Meunier), bright with fresh cranberry and red currant, toasted brioche and a soft mousse. Scored 90 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025.
• Artelium × Vagabond Nature Series Cuvée 2019 - £45. A collaboration with Vagabond Wines, made from the same Sussex-grown blend and aged five years on lees. The 2018 vintage of this cuvée won Gold at the IWSC 2025 with 95 points. The abstract label is hand-painted by Sam Hodge, using pigments made from vines, soil, clay and chalk from the vineyards themselves.
• Artelium Blank Canvas 2021 - £28. An approachable traditional-method sparkling made from Pinot Gris rather than the classic Champagne trio. Pear, peach and soft citrus, fine-bubble texture and refreshing acidity make it an everyday English sparkler.
• Artefact #10 - Lil' Dizzy - £28. A new-release, 500-bottle sparkling rosé from Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Divico, six months in oak barriques followed by seven months on lees.

Elegant Still Wines

Artelium's still wines are sourced from grapes grown across both Streat and Madehurst (and partner vineyards), giving the winemakers a generous palette from which to build:

• Chardonnay 2023 - £25. 100% Chardonnay, multi-layered orchard fruit, citrus zest and beeswax on a long, elegant finish. 90 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025.
• Pinot Gris 2023 - £25. A crisp, refined white with pear, fresh pollen and gentle tropical fruit, medium-bodied and creamy. 92 points from Wine Enthusiast.
• Rosé 2023 - £25. An 80% Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir still rosé, whole-bunch pressed for delicate creamy texture, with floral aromatics and a juicy strawberry-and-cream palate.

Labels for the still range were created by Sussex-based Artist in Residence Judith Alder, whose distinctive visual interpretations of elementary chemistry form some of Artelium's most recognisable bottle designs.

The Artefact Collection

Artefact is Artelium's playground of experimentation. Small batch, artisan wines made only in the finest years and produced in strictly limited volumes, the Artefact series celebrates the ingenuity of the winemakers - and pairs each wine with a contemporary artist whose commissioned artwork becomes both the label and a permanent artefact of the collaboration.

• Artefact #11 - Maiden Harvest Pinot Gris - £36. Limited to 550 bottles from Madehurst's 2022 first harvest, aged ten months in a single puncheon barrel. Ripe peach, golden apple and baked pastry with citrus freshness. Labels by Rosie Mortimer.
• Artefact #12 - Maiden Harvest Chardonnay - £36. The first ever still Chardonnay from Madehurst, Clone 548, also 550 bottles, with orchard fruit, citrus purity, pastry richness and a long age-worthy finish. Labels by Rosie Mortimer.
• Artefact Duo - #11 & #12 - from £72. The paired case.
• Artefact #7 - Motley Wild - £30. A wild ferment from equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris - creamy red and yellow stone fruit with a generous mid-palate and refreshing acidity. Labels by The Baron Gilvan.
• Artefact #8 - Skinny Gris - £30. A characterful dry orange rosé from Pinot Gris, pink rose petals and mixed red berries with woody barrel-aged undertones.
• Artefact #6 - Barrel Aged Saignée Rosé. 600 bottles of cool-climate Pinot Noir, previously released (woodblock labels by Walter Bailey).

Earlier releases (Artefacts #1 through #5) are sold out, but their artworks remain on the estate as lasting testaments to each collaboration. The newly launched Artelium Artefact Prize, developed in collaboration with The Sussex Contemporary, now awards the design of an upcoming Artefact wine to an artist selected from the Sussex Open Call. Artefact #13 will be designed by 2025 prize winner Katharine Rabson Stark.

Curated Cases and Gift Sets

Alongside individual bottles, the Artelium shop offers a series of curated cases designed for the season - many with complimentary UK delivery:

• The Summer Case - £190. Two bottles of Makers Rosé 2019, one Curators Cuvée 2019, one Pinot Gris 2023, one Rosé 2023 and one Chardonnay 2023.
• The Summer Duo - £63. A Curators Cuvée 2019 paired with an Artefact #7 Motley Wild for an instructive side-by-side tasting.
• The Rosé Duo - £67. Makers Rosé 2019 with the still Rosé 2023.
• The Rosé Trio - £103. Makers Rosé 2019, Rosé 2023 and Artefact #10 Lil' Dizzy.
• The Wakehurst Trio - £95. A celebration of the Artelium × Kew Wakehurst partnership: Chardonnay 2023, Makers Rosé 2019 and Artefact #7 Motley Wild.
• The Makers Experience - £90. A bottle of the award-winning Makers Rosé 2019 bundled with a Vineyard Tour & Tasting voucher for two - a ready-made English wine experience.

Collaborative Spirits

In partnership with Henstone Distillery and winemaker Owen Elias, Artelium turns the off-cuts of the grape press into a small range of exceptional grape-based spirits. Following the 2020 harvest, Dermot Sugrue crafted a base wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier which was distilled by Chris Toller into Artelium's Twenty Twenty English Grape Spirit, the foundation of the Twenty Twenty Collaborators range.

• Collaborators Vermouth 2020 - £25. Barrel-aged Vermouth Noir blending the Twenty Twenty grape spirit with Artelium Pinot Noir - rich in sloe, damson and medlar. 50cl, 17% ABV.
• Collaborators Dry Gin 2020 - £30. A second distillation with angel's breath, cardamom and coriander for a refined gin with juniper, citrus and spice. 50cl, 43% ABV.
• Collaborative Spirit Duo - £55. The matching pair for Vermouth & Gin serves.

The Artelium Collective Wine Club

Artelium's wine club - The Artelium Collective - is built around the same principles as the estate itself: access, curation and shared experience. Three tiers offer different combinations of seasonal cases, member discounts, dining privileges and exclusive events:

• The Artelium Club. A flexible, twice-yearly subscription: March and September shipments of six bottles each, 10% off additional wine and on-site food and drink, member-event invitations and complimentary UK delivery. Cancel any time with one month's notice.
• The Artelium Collective. The most popular tier, with four seasonal cases per year (March, June, September and December, each of six bottles), 15% off additional wine, 10% off on-site food and drink, exclusive member events, the Summer BBQ and Christmas Tasting, and a complimentary Public Tour & Tasting for four each year. Available as annual or pay-as-you-go membership.
• The Collective Reserve - £1,100 per year. Six cases a year (including larger summer and Christmas shipments), 15% off additional wine, 10% off on-site food and drink, premium events, a Summer BBQ and Christmas Tasting, and a private Tour & Tasting for six each year. The membership is rounded off with a welcome gift of Curators Cuvée and an Artelium bottle stopper.

Members of the Artelium Club and Collective tiers can customise the wines in each case; the Collective Reserve is fully curated by the Artelium team. The club is administered through The Collective Reserve Annual Wine Club Membership (£1,100) and the standard Artelium Collective Annual Wine Club Membership (£600) options, both payable annually at sign-up or renewal, with annual memberships available as gifts. Membership enquiries can be directed to hello@artelium.com.

Visiting Artelium: Tours and Tastings

Artelium's guided Vineyard Tours & Wine Tastings are the definitive introduction to the estate. Running from the Cellar Door at Streat on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the experience takes around an hour and a half and is hosted by one of Artelium's knowledgeable team. Guests begin among the vines, learning about the South Downs terroir, the rhythm of the growing cycle, and the role Artelium is playing in the future of English viticulture - often pausing to take in one of the estate's striking outdoor sculptures en route. The tour continues in the contemporary tasting room, where three still and sparkling Artelium wines are poured and discussed. Tours are £60 for two people via the gift voucher, with an additional £30 e-voucher gift card option for any value from £30.

Public tours run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday; if your chosen date is not available online the team will do their best to accommodate. Dogs on leads and well-behaved children are welcome - although, as a working farm with uneven ground and livestock on site, the tours are not always suited to wheelchairs or mobility aids (the tastings themselves take place on a level, gravelled terrace or inside the tasting room and are accessible). Tours and tastings do not include food; most visitors extend their visit with lunch in Artelium Kitchen.

Private tours, corporate away days and bespoke tasting experiences can be arranged through the Celebrations & Private Events team.

Artelium Kitchen: Seasonal Dining

Artelium Kitchen is the estate's restaurant, open Thursday to Sunday for lunch and dinner, with a menu rooted in Sussex produce. Vivid, seasonal plates showcase grilled meats, fresh seafood and homegrown vegetables - a mixture of small and large plates designed for communal dining and conversation, perfectly paired with Artelium's wines. In summer, the sun-soaked south-facing terrace overlooking the vines is the place to linger over a long, lazy lunch, while winter sees the dining room warmed by a wood-burning stove.

Kitchen opening times are designed around the rhythm of the day:

• Thursday: 12:00 - 15:30
• Friday: 12:00 - 15:30 and 18:30 - 19:30
• Saturday: 12:00 - 19:30 (apart from Tasting Menu evenings, when the kitchen closes from 15:30)
• Sunday: 12:00 - 15:30

Reservations are strongly recommended, particularly for lunch, where the intimate dining space books up quickly.

Art at Artelium

If you have wandered through the Artelium vineyards in summer you will already know that art is at the very root of the estate. Artelium is home to a growing sculpture garden of large-scale outdoor works, each commissioned as part of an Artefact collaboration and reflecting the character of the wine whose label it accompanies. Currently in place across the estate are:

• Wood, Earth Hoop by Walter Bailey (Artefact #6), situated below the lower terrace.
• Futures, Past by Will Nash (Artefact #4 & #5), located at the end of the first field.
• Surface, Edge, Shadow by Rosie Mortimer (Artefact #11 & #12), positioned on either side of the path to the first vineyard.

Inside the tasting room, a rotating selection of works from Artelium's permanent collection is on view year-round. Judith Alder, a long-standing Artelium collaborator and the estate's Artist in Residence, is the artist behind the labels for the core still wine range; original works by Judith can also be purchased directly through the estate, ranging in price from £240 to £850, with collection from Artelium or from her Sussex studio.

Artelium hosts two seasonal Makers' Markets each year: one in early spring and a Christmas edition in late November or early December. The markets gather a curated community of Sussex makers, producers and artisans, offering handmade craft and produce, food, drink and on-the-day wine tastings. Past installations have included the current Artwave exhibition Divided Light by Rosie Mortimer (in The Barn at Artelium), and Inherent Rhythms, an Artist Open Houses show by ceramicist Kate McMinnies. Skelton Workshops, based in the estate's barn, continue a tradition of letter carving and stone sculpture inspired by the late John Skelton.

Events and What's On

Artelium's events calendar runs alongside the standard Thursday-to-Sunday tasting and dining offering, with seasonal food events, creative workshops, art exhibitions and partnerships. The most distinctive of these is the long-running Fire & Wine Fridays summer BBQ series, which transforms the terrace on Friday evenings throughout July, August and into September.

Upcoming Friday supper dates include:

• Fire & Vine - Friday 7 August 2026, 18:30 - 22:00. A feasting BBQ straight from the fire, followed by an evening vineyard walk and a tasting around the fire pit, hosted by founders Julie and Mark.
• Fire & Wine - Friday 14 August 2026, 18:30 - 22:00. A two-course meal around crackling fire-pits, with sharing-style small plates and large plates of barbecued meat or homegrown vegetables.
• Fire & Wine - Friday 21 August 2026, 18:30 - 22:00.
• Fire & Wine - Friday 28 August 2026, 18:30 - 22:00.
• Fire & Vine - Friday 4 September 2026, 18:30 - 22:00.

Earlier in 2026 the calendar also included a Valentine's Day Wine-Paired Tasting Menu, a Hand-Printed Card Workshop, the Spring Makers' Market with complimentary wine tastings, an Easter Sunday Lunch with classic Sunday roasts, a Mother's Day Lunch, the Wine Walk: Henry Moore Edition at Kew Wakehurst (a partnership with Kew's wild botanic garden, taking in works by Henry Moore across the gardens), the Stone, Wood, Metal Studio Safari with The Makers Directory, and a Sofar Sounds evening in the vineyard. Festive programming returns each Christmas with Festive Winery Open Days at the Madehurst winery, lino-printed gift wrapping workshops and wine-paired Christmas tasting menus.

Private Events and Celebrations

Artelium's sunny Terrace and chic Barn can be hired for private events - from birthdays and intimate gatherings to corporate away days - with capacity for groups of all shapes and sizes, from dedicated private spaces through to full venue hire. Two key formats are offered: Corporate Events (private hire is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays all year, with exclusive areas offered on other days by arrangement, and excellent train links to London via Burgess Hill) and Private Tours, Tastings & Dining - bespoke packages of guided vineyard tours, wine tastings or wine-pairing dinners, priced per person, with no full venue hire required.

Bespoke menus, paired Artelium wines, seasonal flowers and on-the-day coordination are all arranged by the events team. The contact line for private event enquiries is the estate main number on +44 1273 569155.

Plan Your Visit

Artelium Wine Estate sits at Streat Lane, Streat, Sussex BN6 8SA, with grid reference 50.936189, -0.077413 and What3Words middle.dumplings.tables. Due to narrow rural lanes, visitors arriving by car are asked to enter Streat Lane via St Helena Lane from the north of the village (turning off the A23 at Hickstead).

For those without a designated driver, Plumpton Station is less than a 30-minute walk through the fields across the South Downs - a beautiful approach in itself. Burgess Hill Station is less than 10 minutes by taxi (Station Taxis: 01444 410410), and direct trains run from London Victoria and Brighton. Local taxi firms serving the estate include Smith Taxi (01444 300800), HP Taxis (01444 672300), Haywards Heath Cabs (01444 304304), and a number of Brighton and Lewes-based firms. Note that Uber will not pick up from the estate, so pre-booking is essential, particularly if you have a train to catch.

Riders are equally welcome: Artelium is a former horse livery and there are plenty of spots to tie up before enjoying a glass or two.

Where to Stay

Artelium has curated a small portfolio of nearby accommodation, all within easy reach of the estate, so you can make a proper weekend of a visit:

• Gallops Cottage, Streat - a beautifully restored 16th-century farmhouse ~5 minutes by car from Artelium.
• The Jolly Sportsman, East Chiltington - a country pub with rooms, ~5 minutes by car.
• The Bull, Ditchling - a stylish village pub with rooms, ~10 minutes by car.
• Blackberry Wood, Streat - a quirky glamping site with woodland pitches, helicopters, buses and treehouses, ~10 minutes by car.
• Ockenden Manor Hotel & Spa, Cuckfield - an Elizabethan manor with spa and fine dining, ~25 minutes by car.
• South Lodge Hotel & Spa, Lower Beeding - a five-star country house hotel with panoramic South Downs views, ~25 minutes by car.
• The Tack Barn at Upper Lodge, near Lewes - a converted stable in a serene woodland garden, ~30 minutes by car.
• Gravetye Manor, West Hoathly - a Michelin-starred country house hotel with enchanting gardens, ~35 minutes by car.

Awards and Recognition

In recent seasons Artelium has gathered an impressive portfolio of critical and industry recognition:

• The Drinks Business - Top 10 Wineries of Great Britain 2026 (in association with The Real Review blind tasting). Artelium climbed 11 places, from 21st to 10th, breaking into the top ten for the first time and joining Nyetimber, Chapel Down and Gusbourne in the listing.
• Walpole Brands of Tomorrow 2026, recognising Artelium as one of Britain's most promising luxury brands.
• Wine Enthusiast 97 points for Curators Cuvée 2018, placing the wine in the top 0.5% of wines reviewed worldwide.
• Decanter World Wine Awards 2024 - Gold for Curators Cuvée 2018.
• Decanter World Wine Awards 2025 - 90 points each for Chardonnay 2023 and Makers Rosé 2019.
• IWSC 2025 - Gold (95 points) for the 2018 vintage of the Artelium × Vagabond Nature Series Cuvée.
• Wine Enthusiast 92 points for Pinot Gris 2023.

Press features in Sussex Life, Woman & Home, Dagens Næringsliv, Sussex Living and elsewhere have cemented Artelium's reputation as one of the most-talked-about new names on the English wine map.

Whether you arrive for the morning vines, a long lunch on the terrace, a tasting of Curators Cuvée in front of the fire, a Friday-evening Fire & Wine supper, or one of the estate's many art events and makers' markets, Artelium is a vivid demonstration of what contemporary English wine can be: carefully made, beautifully presented and rooted in a deep sense of place on the Sussex South Downs.