The Dark Peak Vineyard: Greater Manchester's First Vineyard on the Edge of the Peak District
The Dark Peak Vineyard is a family-run community vineyard on the southern edge of the Peak District, overlooking the village of Mellor and the Stockport skyline of Greater Manchester. Planted in May 2024 by a four-strong founding family and funded largely through a crowd-style membership scheme, it lays claim to being Greater Manchester's first vineyard. While its own grapes will not be ready until at least 2027, the project already produces a sell-out Mellor-inspired gin and stocks a small, fastidiously chosen range of English wines from like-minded northern producers. Membership remains the backbone of the business, and a festive winter gathering at the farm has become the standout annual event on its calendar.
Location and landscape
The vineyard takes its name from the dark gritstone geology that defines the Dark Peak - the higher, wilder northern half of the Peak District - and that lends Mellor and its surroundings their brooding character. From the site, the views extend east into the Peaks and up to St Thomas's Church in Mellor with Kinder Scout beyond. South and west, the prospect opens across Lyme Park and Disley towards the hills of North Wales; to the north, surprisingly, the towers of the Manchester skyline appear over the shoulder of the hill. It is, in the founders' own words, "a farm that seems miles from anywhere, but we're minutes from everywhere."
The site is a former dairy farm on Knowle Road, Mellor, in the metropolitan borough of Stockport. The aspect matters: the south-facing slopes, free-draining ground and a natural gradient that pulls frost away from the vines make it workable for viticulture, even at this exposed, wind-and-rain-prone edge of the Western Peaks.
The story so far
In 2022, Katherine, Tim, Sully and Greta moved out of Manchester to the farm on the edge of the Peak District. They had no master plan - only a weakness for the tumble-down buildings and the sloping meadows. The crumbling farmhouse had no central heating, but it felt like home. The vineyard idea grew out of conversations with friends Michael and Mary at Carr Head Vineyard in nearby Hathersage, who encouraged the family that vines might genuinely thrive on the slopes. Soil samples confirmed the land was well-suited, and the family then teamed up with Martin at Halfpenny Green Winery in Staffordshire - award-winning English wine producers since 2005 - to learn the craft and to oversee vinification once harvest begins.
Vines were planted in May 2024. The first still wines are expected in 2027 and the first sparkling wines in 2028. In the meantime the team is tending the vineyard, bottling gin and steadily growing a community of paying members who effectively crowd-funded the planting in the first place.
Grape varieties
The vineyard sits in a cooler, wetter part of England than many wine regions, so variety choice has been guided by hardiness. Four grapes have been selected for the planting:
- Pinot Noir - the classic cool-climate red.
- Divico - a Swiss-bred variety widely tipped as a "game changer" for English reds, able to stay on the vine longer and ripen more completely.
- Solaris - an early-ripening, disease-resistant German variety already producing excellent results in English still and sparkling wines.
- Calardis Blanc - a relatively new German white variety with high resistance to fungal disease and good acidity.
Until the estate's own fruit reaches maturity, the cellar door and online shop rely on bottles sourced from other quality-minded English producers - in particular Pattingham in Staffordshire and Ryedale on the Yorkshire Wolds - chosen because they showcase the same grape varieties and styles that The Dark Peak will eventually produce itself.
The wines currently available
The shop stocks four English wines today, all chosen to give members and visitors a sense of what The Dark Peak's own wines will taste like in a few years' time.
Pattingham Nurton Brook 2023 Solaris - £14.99
A crisp, refreshing English white from Pattingham, made from 85% Solaris and 15% Siegerrebe. The Dark Peak team describe it as fresh, with a smooth, less acidic finish than a Sauvignon Blanc - and a particular favourite of founder Tim, who is generally no fan of that variety. Pair with fish, seafood or salad. ABV 12%, T/A 6.75 g/l, Dosage 2 g/l.
Order the Pattingham Nurton Brook 2023 Solaris.
Pattingham Rudge Heath 2023 Divico - £18.99
A full-bodied, lightly oaked English red made from 85% Divico and 15% Rondo. Rich in colour with black-cherry notes, the wine showcases the variety that has now been planted at The Dark Peak itself, where it is being hailed as a potential "British Malbec". Try with roasts, steaks or a hearty chilli con carne. ABV 11.5%, T/A 8.5 g/l, Dosage 4.5 g/l.
Order the Pattingham Rudge Heath 2023 Divico.
Pattingham Sparkling White Wine 2021 - £23.50
100% Seyval Blanc, made in the traditional method with nine months of tank ageing followed by 20 months on lees. Lively bubbles, vibrant citrus, crisp acidity with notes of lemon and pear - what The Dark Peak team call "summer in a glass". Seyval Blanc is the grandparent of Calardis Blanc, the variety actually planted at The Dark Peak, so this wine is a useful pointer to the style of sparkling the estate expects to produce from the 2028 vintage onwards. ABV 11.5%, T/A 8 g/l, Dosage 8 g/l.
Order the Pattingham Sparkling White Wine 2021.
Ryedale 2024 Strickland Red - £16.00
A fruity English red grown on the Strickland Estate on the Yorkshire Wolds, light and easy-drinking with cherries, berry and a hint of liquorice. The Dark Peak brought a small batch in for its Christmas 2025 event and found it so popular that it bought up the rest of the stock. Best lightly chilled in summer, equally at home with a Yorkshire roast. ABV 11.5%.
Order the Ryedale 2024 Strickland Red.
The Dark Peak Pest Gin
While the vines establish, the headline product from the estate is a small-batch gin with a deeply local story. On the farm above Marple Bridge, the family wages an annual battle against rapidly spreading brambles and invasive Himalayan Balsam. Rather than waste the offenders, the team harvests the delicately flavoured pink flowers and peppery Balsam seeds by hand on long summer evenings and blends them with juicy blackberries (and raspberries in later batches) for a Balsam and Bramble gin.
The result is the Dark Peak Pest Gin, bottled at 44% ABV and distilled by Duncan McLean at the award-winning Green Room Distillery in London. The first batch was a complete sell-out and the gin is now back for another year, with stocks expected to move quickly. Every bottle sold helps raise funds for Greater Manchester's first vineyard.
- Dark Peak Pest Gin 500ml - £39.00. Pre-order the Dark Peak Pest Gin 500ml.
Membership and crowd-funding
Membership is the financial engine of The Dark Peak. Described by the family as "crowd-funding with dividends", it secures members one of the first cases of The Dark Peak wine once it is ready to drink, plus member-only events, discounts on future wine purchases and a welcome pack.
Two streams are offered - Collection from The Dark Peak or the Oddfellows Arms in Mellor, and Delivery to the door, which includes a physical Welcome Package - across five tiers:
Collection packages
- 3 Year - Still 6 Member Package - £150. Six bottles of still white wine from the 2027 vintage, plus welcome pack, certificate, members' events and discounts.
- 3 Year - Still 12 Member Package - £280. Twelve bottles of still white wine, same benefits.
- 4 Year - Sparkling 6 Member Package - £225. Six bottles of sparkling, expected from 2028.
- 4 Year - Sparkling 12 Member Package - £420. Twelve bottles of sparkling.
- 4 Year - Wine Later Membership - £50. Buy wine when it is available at a 20% discount on the first case, plus members' events.
Delivery packages (with Welcome Pack)
- 3 Year - Still 6 (Delivered) - £155.
- 3 Year - Still 12 (Delivered) - £285.
- 4 Year - Sparkling 6 (Delivered) - £230.
- 4 Year - Sparkling 12 (Delivered) - £425.
- 4 Year - Wine Later (Delivered) - £55.
Memberships can be given as gifts via the Gift A Membership Package, with email delivery on a chosen date or physical collection from the Oddfellows Arms in Mellor. A £5 Membership Pack Delivery add-on handles physical fulfilment. The team is upfront about the inherent risk that vineyard start-ups carry: vines may perish, harvests may fail, and delivery may be delayed. The promise is transparency and a feeling of shared ownership while the venture takes shape. Full terms are set out in the Membership Packages.
Events at the vineyard
The vineyard's annual calendar is small but warmly attended. The flagship event is Mistletoe and Vines, a festive barn celebration timed to round off the year on the farm.
Mistletoe and Vines
Hosted in the barn at Knowle Farm, the evening features the Mellor Church Choir, a Santa's Grotto, a Makers Market for seasonal browsing and a tasting of English wines. Hot food comes from Crescent Pizza Oven and desserts from Bridge Bakes and Cakes. The bar offers English wines, locally brewed beer from Thornsett Brewery, mulled wine, lagers, alcohol-free beers and soft drinks. The barn is heated but, as the family note, it is still a barn, so warm layers are recommended. The full address for the event is Knowle Farm, Knowle Road, Mellor, Stockport SK6 5PL. Upcoming dates are published at Vineyard Events.
Volunteering
With the vines now in the ground, the team is building a community of volunteers to help with pruning in winter, tucking-in through spring and summer, the constant battle with weeds, and ultimately the autumn harvest.
Visiting and cellar door
The Dark Peak is at the working-farm stage of its life rather than a polished visitor centre - there is no permanent tasting room or restaurant yet. The public footpath through the vineyard to St Thomas's Church is open to walkers, and the team plans a Cellar Door in due course where members and visitors can sample the wines once production begins.
Enquiries are handled by email:
- Email: info@thedarkpeak.co.uk
- Address: Knowle Farm, Knowle Road, Mellor, Stockport SK6 5PL
- Opening hours (office/enquiries): Monday to Saturday 09:00 - 17:00; Sunday closed.
- Instagram: @thedarkpeakvineyard
Why The Dark Peak matters
Greater Manchester is one of the largest urban regions in the UK without its own vineyard. By planting on the western fringe of the Peak District, the family behind The Dark Peak have shown that vines can survive, and arguably thrive, on land that would once have been considered marginal. The model - community-funded vineyard plus a small, locally inspired product range - gives members a stake in a long-term agricultural project rather than a quick-turnaround wine brand. With first still wines due in 2027 and sparkling in 2028, the bottle that every existing member eventually receives will be the literal first harvest of Manchester's first vineyard, made from grapes grown in full view of both the Peaks and the city skyline.