Marlbank Vineyard

Nestled on the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Marlbank Vineyard is a small but ambitious English wine project that turns the rolling marl soils of Worcestershire into a hand-tended acre of Pinot Noir. The vineyard's signature wine is a Blanc de Noirs - a sparkling white made from black grapes - crafted in partnership with the renowned Three Choirs Winery in the south of the region. With one of the most distinctive terroir stories in English viticulture, a strong ecological ethos, and an award-winning 2023 vintage, Marlbank has quickly become one of the most talked-about vineyards in the Malvern Hills.

A vineyard with deep roots in fruit growing

Marlbank's story does not begin with vines. For generations the land was an orchard, planted with apples and pears that supplied the cider and perry traditions of the western Midlands well into the twentieth century. The transition from top fruit to grapes is, in the words of steward Jeremy Macklin, "a new twist to this Marlbank tradition." In 2021 he planted 1,540 Pinot Noir vines across one acre of marl soil, choosing a variety with a reputation for expressing mineral-rich, hillside terroirs - a variety synonymous with the great vineyards of Burgundy to the east.

The site enjoys a near-perfect north - south orientation, which maximises photosynthesis across the day and helps the vines reach their full potential. Throughout the year, every vine is cared for by hand - from pruning, tying and bud-rubbing, to frost protection, disease management and, finally, harvest.

The steward: Jeremy Macklin

Jeremy brings three and a half decades of agricultural experience to Marlbank, including seventeen years working in French vineyards during his near-two-decade residence in France. It was there that he fell in love with wine - what he describes as "its harmonious marriage of time, craftsmanship, and care" - and where his conviction grew that England, and specifically the Malvern Hills, could produce something genuinely special from Pinot Noir.

He returned to the UK with a clear vision: to grow the best possible grapes and to give them to a talented winemaking team. That team is Three Choirs Winery, one of England's longest-established and most respected producers, whose winemakers transform Marlbank's Pinot Noir fruit into the vineyard's signature Blanc de Noirs.

Jeremy is candid about the challenges that climate change brings. Although warming weather has enabled him to grow wine grapes in the Malvern Hills, he is keenly aware of the devastation extreme weather causes elsewhere. His response has been to commit to a low-impact, biodiversity-led vineyard management philosophy that works with, rather than against, the surrounding land.

Terroir: the marl soils of the Malvern Hills

What makes Marlbank unusual is the soil itself. The marl that underpins the vineyard has been washed down from the Malvern Hills over millennia, producing a calcareous, mineral-rich profile that draws direct comparison with parts of Burgundy famous for Pinot Noir. Combined with the sheltered microclimate east of the ridge and the careful north - south orientation of the rows, the terroir delivers exactly the kind of bright fruit and natural acidity that Pinot Noir - and the traditional-method sparkling wines made from it - thrive on.

The wines: a signature Blanc de Noirs

Marlbank's only wine is its Blanc de Noirs - a traditional-method sparkling wine produced from 100% Pinot Noir grapes. The technique, common in Champagne but still rare in England, involves pressing black grapes very gently so that the juice runs clear rather than taking on colour. The result is a sparkling white wine with the structure, depth and red-fruit aromatics of Pinot Noir but the pale, golden hue of a white.

The 2023 Marlbank Blanc de Noirs was crowned Best Pinot Noir Wine and awarded a Gold Award for white wines at the 2025 London Tasting Awards - a result described by Jeremy as "a humbling moment for Marlbank Vineyard and English wine." The wine has been praised in private tastings for its freshness ("as fresh as a springtime English orchard, with a long-lasting clean aftertaste"), its versatility with food (smoked salmon, dark chocolate truffles), and its ability to drink beautifully on its own.

The 2025 harvest, picked by hand with the help of twenty friends and family members, will be released as a limited-edition Blanc de Noirs and is expected to be available to taste in 2026. Subscribers to the Marlbank newsletter get early access to allocations.

Natural vineyard management and biodiversity

Marlbank is managed as a low-intervention, ecologically minded vineyard. Native trees and hedgerows have been planted around the property to provide food and shelter for pollinators and beneficial insects, and careful mowing patterns have been adopted to support ground-nesting birds and small mammals. Pesticide use is kept to a minimum.

The approach is paying off. Surveys around the property have counted 50 species of birds and seven species of bats, and the vineyard is now home to hedgehogs, butterflies and a wide range of beneficial insects. Jeremy sees this biodiversity not as a side benefit but as a fundamental part of producing fine wine: "As nature flourishes, so does the community."

One recent challenge has been the arrival of the Spotted Wing Drosophila, a fruit fly that lays its eggs in ripe grapes. The larvae then consume the berries from the inside out. The threat has forced Marlbank to be more vigilant in the final weeks before harvest.

The Malvern Hills Vineyards community

Marlbank is one of six vineyards collaborating under the banner of Malvern Hills Vineyards, stretching from Two Beacons in the north to Three Choirs in the south. The group brings together like-minded, award-winning grape growers who share a commitment to quality, sustainability and storytelling.

The Malvern Hills sit at the junction of three of England's finest counties - Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire - all with deep roots in fruit and hop orchards. Today those traditions are evolving, with vineyards, distilleries and farm shops opening across the three counties, all underpinned by the walking and cycling opportunities of the Hills themselves.

A family-and-friends harvest

Harvest at Marlbank is a community event. Each year, friends, family and local supporters turn out to hand-pick the Pinot Noir - a meditative, often muddy, always convivial day at the end of the growing season. The harvest is then transported to Three Choirs Winery for pressing and fermentation.

The community theme runs through every part of Marlbank. Jeremy, a former rugby player, sees the vineyard as a place for "people from different walks of life, finding common solace in the Malvern Hills." In a world full of global challenges, he says, "strengthening connections with local friends and local land feels grounding, comforting and a source of deep joy."

Visit Marlbank: guided vineyard tours

Marlbank offers guided vineyard tours by appointment. Visitors are welcomed at Marlbank Farmhouse, Welland, Malvern, WR13 6NB, just east of the Hills, and led through the vines by Jeremy himself. A typical visit includes:

• A scenic walk through the hand-tended vines with stunning views of the Malvern Hills.
• A behind-the-scenes look at the vineyard's natural management approach, biodiversity work and low-intervention philosophy.
• A meeting with the steward, who explains the journey from pruning to harvest and how the marl soils shape the Blanc de Noirs.
• A tasting of the award-winning Marlbank Blanc de Noirs.

Tours are aimed at wine lovers, nature enthusiasts and anyone curious about how a one-acre English vineyard actually works. To enquire or book, contact Jeremy directly using the details below.

Upcoming events

Malvern Hills Wine Festival - Saturday 5 September 2026

The Malvern Hills Vineyards will host a Wine Festival on Saturday 5 September 2026, from 12 midday to 6pm, at Mathon Court, the home of Two Beacons Vineyard. The event will celebrate the group's recent successes and formally welcome Deer Park Vineyard into the Malvern Hills Vineyards community.

Visitors will be able to taste a wide range of award-winning wines from across the six Malvern vineyards - including Marlbank's Blanc de Noirs - with a commemorative glass to take home. The afternoon will feature:

• Talks on growing grapes and making wine
• Local musicians
• Food stalls
• Games and family-friendly entertainment

Reviews and testimonials

Independent tasters have been quick to praise the Marlbank Blanc de Noirs. A selection of reviews from visitors and tasters:

• "I don't drink much wine, but this was absolutely gorgeous! So smooth and full of flavour - it felt really special."
• "This is a really classy sparkling wine... the first sip was as fresh as a springtime English orchard, with a long-lasting clean aftertaste. It's super on its own but equally with smoked salmon."
• "We were lucky enough to have a very special tasting of this wine at the weekend - what a treat - it was simply delicious and from the subsequent two bottles we finished afterwards we can attest that it fits all occasions - one to watch out for!"
• "Hyper agréable! Et quelle émotion pour nous tous! Bravo!"

A year in the life of Marlbank

Jeremy writes a candid seasonal diary of one acre of English Pinot Noir, charting the vineyard year in his own words. Recent highlights include:

• 2025 Harvest is in! - Twenty friends and family joined the pick, battling the Spotted Wing Drosophila threat in the final weeks.
• 2026: A new year begins - Pruning plans, reflections on the 2023 vintage, and a decision to take a wine-making course at Plumpton to deepen Jeremy's understanding of what Three Choirs do with his grapes.
• A taste of the continent - A trip through Pellerada in Spain, Gérard Bertrand in Languedoc, Sablet and the Côtes du Rhône, and Ruinart in Champagne, exploring how European growers are responding to climate change.

Buying Marlbank wine

Allocations of the Marlbank Blanc de Noirs are released directly via the vineyard, with subscribers to the community newsletter given first refusal on each new vintage. Availability is typically limited by the small size of the one-acre vineyard.

Local partnership and collaboration

Marlbank Vineyard is open to working with local businesses and the wider community. The flagship collaboration to date is the long-running partnership with Three Choirs Winery, whose expertise has transformed Marlbank's Pinot Noir into an award-winning sparkling wine. Jeremy is keen to hear from anyone interested in co-hosted events, off-tastings or joint marketing opportunities in the Malvern Hills area.

Planning your visit

Marlbank is in the village of Welland, just east of the Malvern Hills ridge and within easy reach of Worcester, Ledbury and Hereford. The Hills themselves offer some of England's most celebrated walking, with the Worcestershire Way and the Malvern Ridge passing within sight of the vineyard.

Contact details

• Address: Marlbank Farmhouse, Welland, Malvern, WR13 6NB
• Email: jeremy.macklin@marlbankvineyard.com
• Telephone: +44 7442 490200
• Website: https://www.marlbankvineyard.com
• Instagram: @marlbank_vineyard
• Facebook: Marlbank Vineyard
• LinkedIn: Marlbank Vineyard

Final thoughts

Small in size but mighty in ambition, Marlbank Vineyard embodies the best of the new wave of English wine producers: hand-tended vines, an obsessive focus on a single variety and a single wine, a clear ecological philosophy, and a willingness to learn from the great vineyards of Europe. The Gold Award-winning 2023 Blanc de Noirs is the headline act, but the real story at Marlbank is the land itself - the marl soils, the biodiversity, the community, and the dedicated stewardship of one man with thirty-five years of agricultural experience and a deep love of the Malvern Hills.