Hawkswood Vineyard: A Family-Run English Winery in Thurston
Tucked away in the village of Thurston in the East of England, Hawkswood Vineyard is a small, family-run English winery that has quietly built a reputation for quality over more than a decade. The vineyard and winery are wrapped around the family home, which means everything from pruning to bottling, pouring and pouring again is done by hand. Production is deliberately kept low - between 1,500 and 3,000 bottles a year - so visitors can taste wines that are made with care rather than at scale.
This is a winery that focuses on quality, not quantity. Hawkswood has won Wine GB national medals for its wines in each of the last three years, and in 2025 added two more national bronze medals to its tally for the 2024 Pinot Rosé and 2023 Pinot Noir. The estate was also voted Best Vineyard in the East of England and has been shortlisted for the UK's best rosé on more than one occasion. A visit here is less about a slick tourist experience and more about a friendly, hands-on encounter with a couple who do everything themselves.
Location and setting
Hawkswood Vineyard sits in Thurston, Suffolk, in the East of England, a region that has steadily grown its reputation as one of England's most exciting wine-producing areas. The vineyard, winery and tasting room are wrapped around the family home, which is what makes the operation so intimate. Unlike larger commercial estates, Hawkswood doesn't run a permanent shop; instead it welcomes visitors by appointment for cellar door sales, tours and tastings. Because the vineyard is a working family home, advance booking is essential - exactly the kind of place where you ring ahead, get to know the team, and turn up for a proper afternoon of wine.
The Thurston setting gives the winery a peaceful, rural feel. Depending on the time of year, visitors can expect frost-tipped vines in winter, bright green canopies in summer, and the dramatic autumn colour shifts that have become a small talking point in the local vineyard community.
How it all began
The story of Hawkswood stretches back to 1977, when one of the founders discovered the German Weinfests while working in Ingelheim am Rhein. From that first encounter, a lifelong interest in wine took root. Over the following decades, vineyards and wineries were visited all over the world, and the couple spent their working lives in hospitals.
It was only after retirement that the dream of making English wine was finally pursued - inspired, the owners say, by local wines they had enjoyed in Norfolk. The first wines made at Hawkswood were, by the founders' own admission, "truly dreadful." But persistence paid off, and the winery has now produced award-winning wines every year for the last six years.
From kitchen hobby to award-winning winery
One of the defining moments came in 2022, when the new tasting room was completed. This unlocked the possibility of welcoming guests properly for vineyard and winery tours and wine tastings, and the awarding of the Best Vineyard in the East of England title followed soon after. The family has also been voted runner-up for the best rosé in the UK - a remarkable achievement for a winery with such a small annual output.
The wines
Hawkswood produces a focused range of still wines from cool-climate grape varieties well suited to the East of England. The current cellar door list, all priced at £20 per bottle, is as follows:
- 2023 Bacchus - Wine GB National Silver
- 2024 Bacchus
- 2023 Pinot Rosé - Wine GB National Gold and 2nd in the UK competition for best rosé
- 2024 Pinot Rosé - Wine GB National Bronze
- 2023 Pinot Noir - Wine GB National Bronze
- 2024 Solaris
Bacchus is the backbone of the range and has won medals every year for the last six vintages. The Pinot Rosé is the showstopper, having earned Hawkswood's first national gold from Wine GB and a runner-up spot in the UK-wide best rosé competition. Solaris, an aromatic German-bred variety, adds an off-dry, perfumed twist to the white selection, while the Pinot Noir offers a cooler-climate red that the winery uses to make both its rosé and a richer red expression.
Recent awards in detail
2025 awards
- Wine GB National Bronze - 2023 Pinot Noir
- Wine GB National Bronze - 2024 Pinot Rosé
2024 awards
- Wine GB Silver - Hawkswood 2023 Bacchus
- Wine GB Gold - Hawkswood 2023 Pinot Rosé
- Winner of Best Vineyard in East of England
2023 awards
- Wine GB Silver - Hawkswood 2022 Bacchus
- Wine GB Bronze - Hawkswood 2022 Rondo Pinot Rosé
- Wine GB Bronze - Hawkswood 2022 Solaris
2022 awards
- Wine GB Silver - Hawkswood 2021 Bacchus
- Wine GB Silver - Hawkswood 2021 Rondo Rosé
Wines are sold almost exclusively at the cellar door here in Thurston, with purchases arranged by email, text, phone call or WhatsApp - giving the team a day's notice to make sure bottles are ready for collection.
Tours and tastings
Hawkswood runs a regular programme of public tours and tastings, designed for individuals, couples and small groups. The standard tour takes in both the vineyard and the winery, followed by a tasting of 4 to 6 award-winning wines. The full tour and tasting experience is priced at £25 per person, and there is a reduced 4-wine option offered for £25 as well depending on the session.
Upcoming tour and tasting dates
Public tours run on advertised Saturdays and the occasional Monday at 14:00. Current upcoming dates are:
- Saturday 8th August - 14:00
- Saturday 15th August - 14:00
- Saturday 29th August - 14:00
- Monday 31st August - 14:00
New dates are added throughout the year and can be found on the winery's tour and tasting schedule.
Private and bespoke tours
For groups of 8 to 20, Hawkswood is happy to organise a private tour and tasting at either 12:00 or 14:00, Monday to Saturday, throughout the year, depending on availability. Bespoke tours can also be arranged at these times for groups of eight or more at any point in the year. Private and bespoke bookings can be arranged by phone on 07920 427423 (09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Saturday) or by email, text or WhatsApp.
Gift vouchers
A Hawkswood tour and tasting voucher is priced at £30 per head. Vouchers are postcard-sized and printed on heavyweight 600gsm card. They are valid for 12 months and can be posted with a gift message or collected at the cellar door. Vouchers are ordered by phone, email, text or WhatsApp.
Cellar door sales
Because the vineyard, winery and tasting room are wrapped around the family home, cellar door sales are by appointment. If you have enjoyed Hawkswood wine at a tasting, or simply want to try some of its small-production, award-winning bottles, you can arrange to buy direct. The process is personal: just email, text or WhatsApp the team, and they'll have your wine ready for collection with a day's notice.
Latest news from the vineyard
Recent highlights include one of the earliest harvests on record, with the Solaris picked on 23rd August - three weeks earlier than ever before. The team has also been dodging rain showers to bring in the Bacchus, Pinot Noir and Rondo, and the second de-leafing of the Pinot Noir was completed by 31st August to make picking easier. Past highlights have captured the Bacchus ripening slowly into early December, the heavy Rondo crop of late August, and the moment Michael and Irene received the Best Vineyard in East of England award from Riedel, the sponsors, alongside the head judges. There's also a memorable photo of Michael chatting with Oz Clarke at the Wine GB national awards luncheon - described jokingly as a new BBC series sadly never to be made.
Visiting at a glance
How to book
Tours, tastings and cellar door visits can be booked by phone on 07920 427423, or by email, text or WhatsApp. Telephone enquiries are available from 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Saturday. Hawkswood is also active on Instagram for the latest vineyard updates and seasonal tasting announcements.
Getting there
Hawkswood Vineyard is located in Thurston, Suffolk. Use the Google Maps location to plan your route. Because visits are by appointment, plan your journey around a confirmed booking time and aim to arrive a few minutes early so the team can welcome you properly.
What to expect on the day
A typical visit begins with a tour of the vineyard and winery, walking through the rows of vines and into the working production area, before sitting down to taste 5 or 6 of the current release wines. With roughly 1,500 to 3,000 bottles produced each year, the range is small but considered, and the couple behind Hawkswood are happy to talk through the winemaking decisions behind each bottle. It's an intimate, relaxed experience that suits anyone with a curiosity for English wine, from keen enthusiasts to complete beginners.
Why Hawkswood stands out
It's worth saying plainly why a trip to Hawkswood is worth making. In a country that is producing more and more wine every year, Hawkswood is a reminder that some of the most exciting bottles are still being made by very small teams, on very small plots, with a great deal of personal investment. National gold medals, a Best Vineyard in East of England title, and a near-miss on the UK's best rosé are remarkable achievements for a winery of this size. The fact that the team does everything themselves, from pruning to pouring, is part of what makes the visit feel personal. Hawkswood is a winery that rewards anyone who enjoys English wine, cares about provenance, and appreciates meeting the people who actually make what they drink.