Grange Estate Wines (Burges Field)

The Grange Estate Wines (Burges Field) - Hampshire English Sparkling Wine

A Hampshire family vineyard with chalk, sibling spirit and a Gold-medal habit

If you are mapping the rise of English sparkling wine over the last fifteen years, you will not get far without pausing at a quiet, south-facing slope of the Hampshire Downs. The Grange Estate Wines - marketed simply as The Grange - is the project that four siblings, Zam, Rose, Lucy and Mark, planted on a thirty-acre field called Burges Field in 2011, overlooking the crystal-clear tributaries of the River Itchen seven miles east of Winchester. In 2018 they loosened the corks on their first bottles; in 2022 they built their own state-of-the-art winery on the estate; and in 2026 they added three International Wine Challenge gold medals to a trophy cabinet that already sparkles. From the wines and the team to the tours, the Thursday Lates evenings and the wine club that lets members live the year alongside them, Burges Field is one of the most exciting English wine estates of the moment.

Where the Grange sits on the map

The Grange is in Itchen Stoke, a few miles outside Alresford and roughly seven miles east of Winchester in Hampshire. The postcode is SO24 0QW and the address reads: The Winery, Alresford Road, Itchen Stoke, Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 0QW. The estate itself is much bigger than the vineyard - it stretches to include holiday properties, wedding venues and the much-loved Grange Hampshire experience - but Burges Field, where the vines live, is the heart of the wine project.

Burges Field is a single thirty-acre block sitting on a thin cap of gravelly clay above a deep layer of pure white chalk dotted with hard silica flints. The chalk runs hundreds of metres deep, acts like a sponge storing winter rain for the summer heat, and - crucially - imparts the steely minerality that runs like a thread through every bottle The Grange releases. The slopes face south, which gives the grapes their ideal balance of acidity and sugar, and the elevation means they look straight down over the River Itchen, a chalkstream whose waters are some of the cleanest in England.

A family story in five generations

The Grange is not a new venture parachuted in from outside. Their forebear, Alexander, bought the estate more than two hundred years ago, and five generations of the family have farmed, lived on and loved this downland ever since. The four siblings came back to it after careers in television, publishing, design and finance respectively, and in 2011 took the decision to plant fifty-two thousand vines together on Burges Field. Their objective, in their own words, was to make something "more than a simple agricultural product, something that would stand the test of time."

English sparkling wine, they agreed, was the obvious choice - and the chalk, the slope, the climate and the family all said yes. The first vintage was released in 2018, and the rest is now becoming a quietly thrilling English wine story: their wines have since collected medals at the International Wine Challenge, an IWC Trophy for the WHITE FROM BLACK 2019, and a much-shared review from Victoria Moore in The Telegraph Magazine - "Luminous and crisp, with flavours of apple snow and croissant" - for the CLASSIC NV.

The grapes and the ground

Three varieties are grown on Burges Field: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Each is treated with the respect it deserves.

• Pinot Noir brings raspberry fruit, body and a savour of earthiness.
• Chardonnay delivers green apple and citrus freshness and the briochey, vanilla-buttery character that makes it so moreish in a traditional-method blend. It is also usually the last variety to be picked at Burges Field, because the team waits for its famously high acidity to fall.
• Pinot Meunier is rarely used on its own in a wine but here it thrives in the cooler UK climate and brings an aromatic, fruit-filled roundness. In 2018 they finally had enough of it to bottle a Meunier-only White From Black.

Almost everything in the vineyard is done by hand. Pruning begins in February, followed by bud-rubbing, wire-lifting, canopy management, leaf thinning, green harvest and finally the harvest itself - with mowing, weeding and spraying done by tractor in between. The seasonal team that comes in to help is mostly Romanian and grew up in wine country, which helps.

The team that turns grapes into wine

Behind every bottle of The Grange sits a small, international team whose experience spans the southern hemisphere and the great sparkling regions of the world.

• Zam Baring - Managing Partner. The youngest of the four siblings. He grew up splashing about in the clear tributaries of the upper Itchen and now runs the business day-to-day.
• Harry Pickering - Head Winemaker. His fascination with fermentation began with a lively batch of sparkling elderflower in his garden shed. A first-class Winemaking degree from Lincoln University, New Zealand followed by stints around the world eventually brought him to the shed at Burges Field. He is the winemaker who led the move from contract winemaking at Hattingley to the in-house winery in 2022.
• Samuel Philippot - Vineyard Manager. Originally from Montpellier in southern France, Sam grew up surrounded by vines. He has worked in Bordeaux and led operations at Burges Field since 2018 with what the team calls "a laser-like focus on quality".
• Juan Montenegro - Operations Winemaker. Grew up in Santiago, worked his way around Australia and New Zealand before joining Hattingley Valley in the UK and then The Grange.
• Louis Wood - Production Manager. Grew up in Australia's Adelaide Hills and worked at The Lane Vineyard, Union Wine Co in Oregon, Shaw + Smith in the Adelaide Hills, a Burgundy vintage, Indigo Wine in London and Defined Wine in Kent before crossing to Hampshire.
• Will Francis - Assistant Vineyard Manager. Hampshire-born and bred, with a Plumpton Agricultural College apprenticeship behind him.

The sparkling wine portfolio

The Grange's sparkling wines are made in the traditional method and built around the Chardonnay - Pinot Noir - Pinot Meunier blends that the estate's chalk seems to demand. The full current line-up is available from the online shop, and the headline bottles are:

The CLASSIC NV - £39.00

This is the workhorse - and the wine that brought home the gold. The current release is made predominantly from the 2022 harvest, the eighth from Burges Field, and is the first release of a sparkling wine made at the estate's own winery rather than at Hattingley. It is a blend of 45% Chardonnay, 28% Pinot Meunier and 27% Pinot Noir, with around 10% solera reserve, partly fermented in fifth and sixth fill barrels from the Tonnelerie de Champagne and aged on lees for 32 months before disgorgement in March 2026. The judges at the International Wine Awards 2026 gave it 95 points and a Gold medal; their note reads "Great concentration with plenty of lemon citrus, smashed almonds, grapefruit, nuance of acacia honey, and underpinned by a saline acidity. Yum!" On the nose it shows ripe orchard fruits and lifted citrus with almonds and buttered patisserie; on the palate it is crunchy, bright and fresh with a long, savoury, saline finish. Drink it as an aperitif or with fine iberico ham, rich smoked fish, oysters or ROKA cheese crispies.

The PINK NV - £41.00

A 60/40 blend of Meunier and Pinot Noir that, in the words of The Grange, "tastes almost like a CLASSIC". It is pale onion skin crossed with white peach, threaded with a persistent, fine mousse. The nose shows wild strawberry, cherries and heady summer florals wrapped in a soft, bready frame; the addition of 2015 and 2016 reserve wines brings toasted nuts and sweet spice. Long lees ageing gives roundness and creaminess, balanced by fresh acidity that leads to a long, luxurious finish. Try it with smoked mackerel, chicken schnitzel, creamy vegetarian risotto, oysters or chocolate fondant. As the team puts it: "Birthday drink or Tuesday supper, summer or winter, by the fire or al fresco, the PINK is always complex, delicious and satisfying." Buy The PINK NV here.

The WHITE FROM BLACK 2019 - £48.00

A blanc de noirs made from a balanced blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Bright gold in colour, the nose is packed full of ripe summer berries, toasted and buttery patisserie derived in part from 9% reserve wines and 13% fermentation in neutral oak barrels. On the palate it is energised and focused with bright acidity supported by structure and creaminess, with 30% partial malolactic fermentation of the base wines and 5 years of lees ageing. Think ripe summer berry crumble served with cream. Pair it with cured meats, roast chicken or turkey, or a crumbly, creamy cheddar. The 2019 also took the IWC Trophy for sparkling English white wines made from black grapes.

The WHITE FROM WHITE 2018 - £43.00

A blanc de blancs born out of an extraordinary harvest. In 2018, vineyard yields across Europe were through the roof and Burges Field ended up with ten tonnes of beautiful, clean Chardonnay left on the vines after every grape supply contract was maxed out. Zam rang every winery in England trying to sell them but everyone was full - apart from Hambledon in the Meon Valley, who had two milk tankers arriving from Holland the following week. A swap deal was agreed and ten tonnes of Chardonnay were delivered in return for finished wine whenever it was ready. After just five years and two months on the lees, it is. Golden yellow, luxuriously rich and toasty with aromas of baked orchard and citrus fruits reminiscent of caramelised tarte tatin. On the palate the wine is full of ripe citrus fruit with a backbone of crisp mineral acidity, a slight salinity and pithiness that makes it perfect with oysters, fish and chips, roast turkey or butternut squash risotto.

THE PINK NV Pair - £82.00

A two-bottle case of the PINK NV for those who can't quite decide which bottle to open. Fresh raspberry, cranberry and wild strawberry overlay a rich brioche patisserie base, with vibrant citrus on the palate and a long, textural finish. View the pair.

Still wines, magnums and bundles

When vintage conditions allow, The Grange also bottle a limited supply of expertly crafted still wines - and the magnum releases are where the longer lees ageing really shows what the chalk can do.

Still wines

• THE CHARDONNAY 2023 - £26.00. The team's first still Chardonnay, made possible by the unusually low acidities of the 2023 vintage. Pale electric yellow, the nose is an intense blend of ripe citrus peel, gunflint and toasty oak; the palate is rich, round and creamy thanks to a full-solids ferment and 100% malolactic approach. Roast chicken or pork on a Sunday afternoon is where this wine belongs. See the Chardonnay 2023.
• THE STILL PINK 2025 - £19.00. Made from a single clone of Pinot Noir grown in the sheltered, south-facing vineyard. The fruit was de-stemmed and held for five hours in the press to add a soft pink tint, fermented mostly in steel at low temperatures to preserve the fresh fruit profile, then blended back with a single old oak barrel for weight and texture. Macerated strawberries and red cherries on the nose; juicy, warm palate with crunchy red apple characters and a refreshingly dry finish. Pairs with herb-roasted chicken, salty Parma ham, peppery rocket salads or dark chocolate.

Magnums

The team believe longer-lees-aged magnums turn their wines into something spectacular. The current line-up includes:

• The CLASSIC 2016 Magnum - £85.00. Triple first for The Grange: first dated vintage, first magnum, first late-disgorged wine. 65% Chardonnay, 20% Meunier, 15% Pinot Noir, six years and four months on lees, disgorged July 2023. Smooth and creamy palate reminiscent of delicately poached orchard fruits.
• The CLASSIC 2017 Magnum - £85.00. The same recipe, different year.
• The PINK 2018 Magnum - £89.00. 40% Pinot Noir, 60% Pinot Meunier from the stellar 2018 vintage, 53 months on lees and 8 months under cork. A delicate copper hue with strawberry yogurt, burnt toast and citrus marmalade; velvety mousse with mouth-filling creaminess.
• The WHITE FROM BLACK 2018 Magnum - £97.00. A monster Meunier-only white sparkler; plump, soft apricots and extraordinary length.
• The WHITE FROM WHITE 2018 Magnum - £102.00. Chardonnay-only and from the same Hambledon-swap story as the 75cl bottle. Crunchy red fruits, marmalade and exquisite creaminess.

Curated cases and bundles

• SUMMER FAVOURITES CASE - £153.00 (was £170.00). A beautifully curated collection of four wines: one CLASSIC NV, one PINK NV, two STILL PINK and two CHARDONNAY, delivered free across the UK.
• A Mixed Case - £225.00. Six bottles: three PINK NV and three CLASSIC NV.
• A Case of The Grange PINK NV - £246.00. Six bottles, all PINK NV.
• THE CHRISTMAS CASE - £200.00. All the Christmas wine in one perfect case.
• A PINK Pair - £78.00. Two bottles, both PINK NV.
• A CLASSIC Pair - £72.00. Two bottles, both CLASSIC NV.
• The WHITE FROM BLACK 2020 case - £252.00. Six bottles of luscious white stone and orchard fruit.

Tours and tastings at Burges Field

The Grange runs three core tour experiences, all leaving from the winery at the estate. Tickets are available online or by using a gift voucher. Tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable, and the tours go ahead come rain or shine.

Vineyard Tour & Tasting - £25.00

The classic, two-hour Saturday morning tour: 11am to 1pm. Guests walk through Burges Field and learn how the vines are tended and why the chalky, flinty soils of Hampshire produce such distinctive wines, tour the state-of-the-art winery built in 2022, and finish in the airy tasting room with a guided tasting of three current releases. Groups are capped at 15 people and led by key members of the team. A £25 tour voucher is valid for one year and redeemable against any tour.

Thursday Lates Tour & Tasting - £25.00

The same tour but starting at 5pm, finishing around 6:30pm, so guests can stay on for the Thursday Lates evening gathering with food trucks, music and good vibes. See a sample Thursday Lates tour here.

Evening Canapé Tour - £60.00 (reduced to £50.00)

A premium experience that runs from 4:30pm. Guests tour the vineyard and winery, then take a seat under a stretch tent on the vineyard with sweeping views across the Itchen Valley. Wines are poured with the vines that produced the grapes within touching distance, and a selection of canapés prepared by Becka Cooper - who uses local ingredients and prepares everything freshly for each evening - is served alongside. The owner, Zam Baring, hosts. View the Evening Canapé Tour.

Winter Tour & Tasting - £25.00

The same format as the Saturday Tour but on a wintry date - perfect for a Christmas present or a slightly more atmospheric vineyard walk.

Private Tours

For larger groups, business away days or any kind of bespoke event, private tours and tastings can be arranged on request via email.

Thursday Lates: the social season at the winery

From May until it gets too cold in September, every Thursday evening from 5:30pm to 9pm, the canopy of the winery at Burges Field becomes one of the loveliest hangouts in Hampshire. The Landy Bar - a bar built into a 1982 Series III Lightweight Land Rover - is rolled out under the winery canopy, and the team pour award-winning wines by the glass, bottle or case, all chilled to the perfect temperature. Tables, hay bales, fire-pits, pallet tables and deck chairs are arranged so guests can soak up the sunset over the Itchen Valley.

Each week a different local caterer is spotlighted. The 2026 line-up includes Field & Furnace (steak that pairs perfectly with the WHITE FROM BLACK 2019), Pala Food, OFM, Chaat Street Food, Forte Kitchen, Becka Cooper and Down D'Islands. @thegrangewine on Instagram shares which caterer is on which night. The food is first-come, first-served - when it's gone, it's gone. There is no need to book for Thursday Lates itself; just turn up and grab a seat.

Upcoming tour and tasting dates

The full run of currently scheduled tour dates - all bookable individually via the shop - includes a mix of Saturday Tours, Thursday Lates Tours and Evening Canapé Tours. Dates currently available include Saturday 8 August, Saturday 15 August, Thursday 20 August (Thursday Lates), Saturday 22 August (sold out) plus an Evening Canapé Tour on Saturday 22 August, Saturday 5 September and an Evening Canapé Tour on Saturday 5 September, Saturday 31 October, Saturday 7 November and Winter Tours on Saturday 12 December and Saturday 19 December.

First Pressings - the wine club

The Grange's wine club is called First Pressings and comes in two tiers. Members are described by the siblings as "a fruitful bunch" - friends of the estate who want to play a part in the next chapter of the winery.

FIRST PRESSINGS - £500 per year

The premium tier. Twice a year, in May and November, members receive six bottles of their choice - so they can decide whether that's 6 × STILL PINK for the start of summer or 3 × PINK NV and 3 × WHITE FROM BLACK for the autumn chill. Membership also includes a private vineyard tour for eight people each year, early access to new releases and special bottlings, an invitation to the FIRST PRESSINGS summer event, invitations to blending sessions in the winery, a chance to come and pick during harvest, invitations to other special events, 15% off up to 30 bottles and 20% off 30+ bottles, occasional discounts from the estate's friends, and a mixed pair of magnums if a friend is referred who also joins. Sign up to First Pressings.

FIRST STEPS - £280 per year

"A gentle initiation" into The Grange. Three times a year members receive a rotated assortment of two bottles - six bottles over the year - that uncovers the complexities of the blends and the flavours of each wine in the portfolio. Members get a tour voucher for two each year, early access to new releases and special bottlings, an invitation to the FIRST PRESSINGS summer event, other event invitations, 15% off wine purchases, occasional discounts from friends, and a bonus bottle if a friend is referred. Sign up to First Steps.

Merchandise and gift ideas

Alongside the wines, tour vouchers and wine club subscriptions, a small but characterful range of branded and curated accessories is available from the estate.

• The Grange CORKY Stopper - £8.50. A branded stainless-steel stopper shaped like a real cork. Airtight closure of sparkling wine bottles, made of food-safe plastic (TPE) with a stainless-steel handle.
• The Grange Tote Bag - £10.00. A medium-weight canvas tote printed with The Grange logo on one side and an E. E. Cummings quotation on the other: "His lips drink water. His heart drinks wine." 33cm W × 34cm H × 10cm D, with 25cm handles.
• The Grange Umbrella - £38.00. An elegant wood-walker umbrella with a gunmetal tip in a peachy pink tone, 104cm canopy diameter, automatic opening.
• The Grange Ice Bucket - £40.00. A metal ice bucket designed to keep every bottle of The Grange perfectly chilled.
• Ad Hoc Steel GUSTO Stopper - £40.00. Stainless steel, plastic and silicone. The team's pick of the stoppers.
• AD HOC GUSTO STOPPER - £28.00. A flatter-topped version that fits in the fridge door.

Stockists across the UK

The wines are poured at hotels, pubs, restaurants and venues from Cornwall to Northumberland, with a particularly strong showing in Hampshire, London and the Cotswolds. Wholesale is via New Generation Wines; public stockists include Dorfold and Grangefields in Cheshire, Wildhive in Derbyshire, Cripps Barn, Old Gore, Stone Barn and Ivy Lodge in the Cotswolds, Aviator, Bar Lento, The Bugle Inn, The Chestnut Horse, The Cricketers, The Montagu Arms, The Winchester Hotel & Spa and The Woolpack Inn in Hampshire, Fishmongers Hall, Goldsmiths' Hall, The Lansdowne Club, Rochelle Canteen, The Ship Greenwich and The Trafalgar Tavern in London, Healey Barn and The Tithe Barn in the North, Hazel Gap in Nottinghamshire, Thorpe Garden in Staffordshire, Shustoke Barn in Warwickshire and Haynes Hanson and Clark in Gloucestershire, among many others. Hampshire independents stocking the wines include Candover Valley Store, Caviste, The Dell, The Fareham Wine Cellar, Hampshire Pantry, Kingsgate Wine and Provisions, Long Barn, The Naked Grape, Stone Vine & Sun, Thyme and Tides Deli, Twyford Stores, Wellington Farm Shop and West Lea Farm Shop. Bedford Street Wines, Monmouth Street Wines and The Wine Society are all London-based stockists.

Cellar door, contact and wider estate

The cellar door is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, at the Winery, Alresford Road, Itchen Stoke, Alresford, SO24 0QW. The phone number is (+44) 01962 458069 and the email is info@grangeestatewines.co.uk. The Grange is part of the larger Grange Estate, which offers exceptional stay-with-us properties, weddings and corporate events, as well as the Grange Hampshire brand and the Grange Festival. The estate offers the elegant eight-bedroom Farmhouse and the charming Victorian Clock Tower for those after an overnight stay to go with a tour, both nestled in tranquil surroundings with peaceful bedrooms and crisp white linen.

News, awards and the Wine Widow

The team publishes regular news and updates from the estate, alongside the Wine Widow's "perspective on goings on here, there and everywhere". The Wine Widow pieces are observational, often hilarious, dispatches from life alongside a Hampshire winemaker - hornet invasions, greenhouse demolitions, Spanish road trips, the loss of the family Micra, and the slow clearance of a beloved parent's house. Recent highlights include vintage reports, an English Wine Hero award from Oz Clarke and Tom Surgey, Makers' Sale announcements and the festive wreath-making workshop.

A glowing English Wine Week 2026

The Grange has been having a glittering 2026. The CLASSIC NV took Gold with 95 points at the International Wine Challenge - the first gold for a 75cl CLASSIC - and the PINK NV and WHITE FROM BLACK 2019 also returned with golds, with the WFB also lifting the trophy for sparkling English white wines made from black grapes. English Wine Week 2026 (mid-June) was celebrated with 20% off magnums ordered before 28 June, and Thursday Lates were in full swing beneath the winery canopy. As the team puts it, "a banging start to 2026".

Final word

What makes The Grange Estate Wines worth knowing about is the combination: a multi-generational family on land they love, a chalk slope that has waited a couple of centuries for the right grape varieties to be planted on it, a small international winemaking team with the confidence to bring production in-house, and a quietly confident line-up of wines now backed by IWC gold medals and trophies. The visitor experience is built around small-group vineyard and winery tours, the Thursday Lates evenings under the Landy Bar, the Evening Canapé Tours hosted by Zam himself, and two tiers of wine club - making Burges Field an English wine stop that can anchor a whole weekend, from a stay at the Farmhouse through to a chilled glass under the winery canopy at sunset.