High Clandon Estate Vineyard: A Quintessential English Sparkling Wine Producer in the Surrey Hills
High Clandon Estate Vineyard: A Quintessential English Sparkling Wine Producer in the Surrey Hills
High Clandon Estate Vineyard, founded in 2004 by Sibylla and Bruce Tindale, is one of Great Britain's most quietly remarkable boutique wine estates. Set high on the chalky downs of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), now formally recognised as a National Landscape, the vineyard produces singular, matured vintage-only English Quality Sparkling Wines made in the Traditional Classic Method (Méthode Champenoise). Multi-awarded with 14 Gold and 16 Silver Medals between 2015 and 2025, and twice winner of the International Wine Challenge's overall Trophy for Cellar Door of the Year, High Clandon is also celebrated for its hospitality, art exhibitions, sustainable vineyard practices, and a secret truffle orchard. The estate lies within easy reach of Guildford, the M25 (Junction 10) and London, yet feels a world apart when you arrive up the Beech tree-lined lane to the atmospheric Glass Barn.
The Story of High Clandon
High Clandon Estate Vineyard was founded in 2004 by Sibylla and Bruce Tindale, who share a passionate belief that a small, hand-manicured vineyard on the right terroir can produce an exquisite English Cuvée. Sibylla is a lover of great champagnes and completed her studies in Viticulture and Oenology at Plumpton College. Bruce, the vineyard's head vigneron, holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) 1st Class in Viticulture and Oenology from Plumpton and chaired the organising committee for England's first-ever hosting of the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium in Brighton in 2016. He was a Board Member of WineGB from 2018 to 2022.
Their combined zeal is for "the quintessential English Quality Sparkling Wine", a wine that captures "that mystical marriage of soil, of locale, of climate and cultivation", what the estate simply calls the terroir. It is a phrase that appears again and again across High Clandon's communications, and the Tindales mean it quite literally: every intervention in the vineyard and the cellar is designed to express it.
Terroir and Viticulture
High Clandon lies on the same chalky limestone stratum as the Champagne region, the ideal geology for classic-method sparkling wine. That chalkiness forces the vines to struggle, which counter-intuitively magnificently enhances grape flavour. The vineyard's south-east facing slopes concentrate sunlight, ripen the fruit optimally and protect against debilitating spring frosts. Viticulture is intensely hand-manicured: leaves are removed around the fruiting zone so that "the sun can kiss the grapes", and at least 25% of bunches are culled during ripening to concentrate fruit flavours further. Harvest happens only at optimum ripeness, usually in early to mid-October.
The estate's philosophy is explicit: "We are not interested in volume and focus solely on quality berries to produce our long-aged elegant vintage sparkling wines." The result is small in volume, big in personality.
The Winemakers and Wine-Making Philosophy
High Clandon's Quintessence, their name for the classic-method bottle-fermented English Quality Sparkling Wine, is now crafted by Matthieu Elzinga and John Worontschak, award-winning winemakers, judges and directors of Litmus Wines. Cuvées are crafted from the classic trio of Champagne grapes, with Pinot-led blends built around a high proportion of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for body and fullness, balanced with Chardonnay. Every Cuvée is matured for at least five years on its lees in bottle before release, delivering the depth, finesse and texture that has earned the estate a string of major awards.
The Cuvées and Sparkling Wines
The current release range of vintage-only English Quality Sparkling Wines includes:
- The Borealis Cuvée 2021 Prestige Vintage Brut - 75cl, £43.00. A heavenly result of 2021's hot mid-summer and early October harvest, matured for five years on lees. Pale golden, ultra-fine mousse, hints of violets and roses on the nose, confit lemon and delicate spice on the palate with a silken, textured finish. Medal winners at both IWC and DWWA.
- The Borealis Cuvée 2021 Prestige Vintage Brut (6x75cl) - £240.00, with a saving of £18 when buying six bottles.
- The Shakespearean Cuvée 2019 Prestige Vintage Brut - 75cl, £43.00. Elegant, rich and harmonious, the gilded result of 2019's warm summer. Multi-awarded with an elegant vibrant mousse.
- The Shakespearean Cuvée 2019 Prestige Vintage Brut (6x75cl) - £240.00, with a saving of £18 when buying six bottles.
- The Magnum Cuvée 2018 Gloriana - 1.5L in a presentation casket, £110.00. Rich, elegant and sumptuous. Roses and elderflower on the nose with patisserie; creamy with citrus crispness on the palate, then confit peach and full body reflecting six years' lees-ageing. Limited edition of just 50 hand-numbered and signed Magnums, degorged June 2025 for release December 2025.
All bottles are presented in a gift carton and orders are limited (typically six bottles per order for 75cl, two per order for Magnums). UK postage and packaging is £13 for 1 - 4 bottles, £20 for 5 - 6 bottles, and £13 for 1 - 2 Magnums. Wines and gifts are sold through the Wine Shop.
Beyond the Sparkling Wines: Gin, Liqueur and Picnic Hampers
High Clandon's craft range extends well beyond Cuvée, drawing on the estate's own fruit, herbs and distilling partners.
- Cupid Blue Gin - 50cl bottle, 48% vol, £45.00. A herbal, botanical and elegant gin made with the estate's Eau de Vie de Vin and 11 botanicals found at High Clandon in the Surrey Hills, hand-distilled in traditional copper. Its name is inspired by the rare Blue butterfly, Cupido minimus, which depends on the wildflower meadow for survival.
- The Essence of High Clandon Eau de Vie de Vin Liqueur - 35cl bottle, 26% ABV, £35.00. A fresh, herbal and honeyed liqueur, delicious as an aperitif with pâté or foie gras, in cocktails or with English cheeses. A devotee described it as "pure delight…tastes like Swiss mountain air bathed in Grecian sunshine".
- High Clandon Wicker Picnic Hamper - £85.00. Stylish, fully fitted for two with a special zip-close chill compartment that keeps your Cuvée and picnic chilled for four hours, plates and cutlery for two, plus a bottle of vintage High Clandon Cuvée. Additional Cuvées, the Essence Liqueur or Cupid Blue Gin can be ordered separately to add.
- Specialist High Clandon Bottle Stopper - £10.00. Keeps the fizz and freshness in an opened bottle of Quintessence for days, presented in a gift pouch.
- Greeting Cards - Series 1 - A5 set of five with envelopes, £12.50, free P&P. Designs include The Frog Band, The Japanese Garden, Winter at High Clandon, Bluebell Wood and Summer Meadow.
- Gift Vouchers - A Tour, Talk and Tasting Gift Voucher is £30.00 per person; the Gift Voucher for Two paired with a vintage High Clandon Cuvée is £105.00.
The Glass Barn and the Visitor Experience
High Clandon's hospitality hub is the Glass Barn, an atmospheric space that frames sweeping views across the Surrey Hills AONB to London's dramatic skyline. It is here that the celebrated Tour, Talk, Tasting is hosted by Sibylla and Bruce themselves, and it is where art exhibitions, charity concerts, intimate weddings and seasonal shopping events take place throughout the year.
The estate has been awarded the overall Trophy for IWC Cellar Door of the Year twice over and Gold Medals for Visitor Experience by Visit England. As Victoria Moore, wine correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, put it: "High Clandon proves that small players make a big impact on the English wine scene… High Clandon is exquisite… we're looking across the Surrey Hills from what might be England's best vineyard you've never heard of." The piece was published in The Daily Telegraph.
Tour, Talk and Tasting
The Tour, Talk and Tasting is the heart of the High Clandon visitor experience. Lasting approximately 90 minutes, the experience includes:
- A fascinating talk by owners Sibylla and Bruce about the vineyard, terroir and their vision.
- A short walk through the gardens and English wildflower meadow, with vistas across the Surrey Hills to London's skyline.
- A tour of the vineyard and the atmospheric Glass Barn.
- A tutored tasting of one of the gold-awarded vintage Cuvées, the Essence Liqueur and the Cupid Blue Gin.
- An opportunity to view the art on display and, for the bold, to attempt a sabrage.
Tours are priced at £30 per person plus booking fee where applicable, and are run on Open Days at 11.30am and 2.30pm. The ideal group size is up to 15, and bespoke tours can be arranged for groups of six or more. Children are welcome and not charged for admission. Tours are booked through the Book a Tour page or through TryBooking. For those who wish to make a day of it, lunch or dinner can be enjoyed at the award-winning local pubs The King William IV in West Horsley or The Queen's Head in East Clandon, about five minutes by car or a seven-minute walk from the vineyard.
Truffle Hunt Experience Days
High Clandon is one of very few English estates to host both autumn Burgundian truffles (Tuber uncinatum) and, since a remarkable find in January 2024, the prized Winter Perigord truffle (Tuber melanosporum), only the second such find ever recorded in England, the other being at Sandringham. Autumn 2019 yielded what is believed to be England's biggest truffle, weighing in at 604g, unearthed by the sensitive-nosed truffle hound Jack.
Each Truffle Hunt with Cuvée Experience Day, run in partnership with The English Truffle Company and master-truffler James Feaver, is a full day that begins with coffee and an illuminating talk in the Glass Barn. Guests then accompany the dashing dog into the secretly located Truffière to witness the highs and lows of the search, enjoy a lunch, and finish with a tasting of freshly unearthed truffle over truffle-infused scrambled eggs paired with High Clandon Cuvée, "heaven in a bite". Cuvée and truffles are often available to purchase on the day, alongside High Clandon's Winter Truffle Butter.
Upcoming 2026 dates are 26 September, 31 October and 28 November. Tickets are booked directly through The English Truffle Company's experience days page.
Art and Sculptures in the Vineyard
Each summer, High Clandon hosts its celebrated Art and Sculptures in the Vineyard exhibition, now in its 13th year. The summer spectacular launches the vineyard's newest five-year-aged vintage Cuvée and showcases over 200 works of art by notable artists throughout the wildflower meadows, gardens, vineyard and Glass Barn. High Clandon takes no commission; instead, an entrance donation of £8 per person goes to Cherry Trees, the estate's long-term charity supporting children with disabilities, alongside 10% of art sales. The Glass Barn Cellar Door is flung wide in welcome with the vintage Cuvée on ice.
Throughout the year, between major summer events, High Clandon also invites artists of the moment to show selections of their work in the Glass Barn and gardens, with works sold benefiting the artists and Cherry Trees.
Open Days and the 2026 Calendar
Entry to the vineyard is free on Open Days, where visitors can drop in, enjoy the vistas, stroll the wildflower meadows, view the art and sculptures, and enjoy a glass or bottle of Cuvée. The 2026 Open Day dates with Tours at 11.30am and 2.30pm are:
- Monday 31 August - Summer Bank Holiday Open Day and Tours
- Saturday 19 September - Vineyard at Harvest Open Day and Tours
- Saturday 3 October - Vineyard at Harvest Open Day and Tours
- Saturday 24 October - Into Golden Autumn Open Day and Tours
Volunteers are also warmly welcomed for the harvest itself, which usually takes place for the morning in mid-October. Well-behaved dogs on leads are very welcome, although the beautiful ponds on site require caution for both children and dogs.
Charitable Partnerships and Other Events
High Clandon maintains a long-term commitment to Cherry Trees, the local charity for children with disabilities, providing the Glass Barn and gardens for concerts, charity days and donor events. The estate also opens annually to the National Gardens Scheme during the Art in the Vineyard summer event, with Cherry Trees providing cream and Cuvée teas.
Other recurring events on the High Clandon calendar include:
- Jazz in the Vineyard - a celebration of cool jazz and the Great American Songbook, hosted in aid of Cherry Trees. In 2025 the event raised over £15,000.
- The Battle of the Bubbles / Battle of Waterloo Taste-off - a tutored tasting led by Oz Clarke pairing English sparkling wines from the Vineyards of the Surrey Hills against French Champagne Grande Marques, held during Surrey Hills Wine Week.
- Fizz and Firelight - the Glass Barn's festive Christmas shopping weekend, with Cuvée, mince pies, truffle butter and gifts from local artisans.
Sustainability and Wildlife
High Clandon is a Founder Member of Sustainable Wines of Great Britain. Vineyard practices, the wildflower meadows, the wildlife pond, the Truffle orchard and the gardens all play their part in creating a sustainable environment that supports bees (whose honey is harvested on site), wildflowers, butterflies and the rare Cupido minimus Blue butterfly that inspired the Cupid Blue Gin. The vineyard has also featured in national media for its humane, sustainable approach to deterring parakeets at harvest, including a 2026 appearance in Channel 4's Chris Packham documentary Invasion of the Parakeets, in which co-owner Sibylla Tindale demonstrated the estate's 'Jurassic Park'-style bird scarer and finished with a sabrage.
Visiting High Clandon
High Clandon is open by appointment, with the Glass Barn hosting Open Days throughout the year and special Truffle Hunt, Art and Jazz events. The estate is roughly ten minutes from Junction 10 of the M25 via the A3 and A246, and ten minutes from Guildford via the A246. Ample parking is provided in the woodland area beyond the entrance gate, and access for wheelchairs and aided walkers is good. Guildford Station offers direct trains to London Waterloo, Woking and Reading, and the local taxi firm FiveSixes (01483 565656) covers the fifteen-minute journey from the station. A map to the estate and a map of the wider Vineyards of the Surrey Hills are both available.
Vineyards of the Surrey Hills
High Clandon is one of five founder members of the Vineyards of the Surrey Hills, the spectacular wine region set in the rolling downs of the Surrey Hills AONB / National Landscape. The original five are Denbies Wine Estate, High Clandon Estate Vineyard, Albury Organic Vineyard, Chilworth Manor Vineyard and Greyfriars Vineyard, with Soloms Court Vineyard and Tanhurst Estate joining more recently. High Clandon has been awarded the Trademark of Excellence by Surrey Hills Enterprises.
Practical Information
- Wines and gifts are sold through the Wine Shop.
- Tours are booked through the Book a Tour page or TryBooking.
- Vineyard news is published on the High Clandon News page.
- Contact is by telephone (01483 225660, mobile 07711 266918) or through the Contact page.
- High Clandon is active on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram.
High Clandon's address is High Clandon Estate Vineyard, East Clandon, Surrey GU4 7RP.