Natalia Harris Wines - A Family-Run Organic Vineyard Near Hastings
A family vineyard at the foot of the Sussex High Weald
Tucked into the rolling countryside of Westfield, just inland from the Sussex coast near Hastings, Natalia Harris Wines is one of the most quietly distinctive small-scale vineyards in southern England. The project is the life's work of viticulturist Philip Harris and his three children, who together tend two hectares of organically farmed vines set among old hedgerows, woodland and the crater-marked landscape of former Roman iron-ore workings. The grapes they grow - Bacchus, Ortega, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - are turned into three English wines that already carry a remarkable reputation for so young a winery. Jancis Robinson has called Philip a "name to watch", and Henry Jeffreys has described the wine as "a sensational English wine".
Where the vineyard sits
The vineyard was planted in 2019 on a south-facing slope of clay loam. The underlying geology shifts across the site from Tunbridge Wells Sand into the Wadhurst Clay Formation, leaving the soils just sandy enough to drain freely while retaining the iron-rich red clay that gives the wines their character. Crater-like Roman iron-ore workings pock the surrounding woods, and the sea at Covehurst Bay lies a little over four miles away - close enough to soften frost risk and lift light exposure, but exposed enough to keep the vines honest. Thick old hedges of oak, willow and hawthorn, together with a newer windbreak of apples, pears, poplar, quinces and maple, shelter the site from coastal gusts.
Every operation on the vineyard is run with biodiversity in mind. The ground is no-till, no herbicides are used, and the undervine strip is managed with strimming, hand weeding and the welcome attention of grazing sheep. More than sixty plant species have so far been identified in and around the vineyard, and the team continues to add to that growing botanical catalogue.
Organic from the soil up
The vines are certified organic with the Soil Association. It is a working philosophy rather than a marketing line: no cultivation or ploughing, no herbicides, and a deliberate policy of building a thriving ecosystem that supports the vines rather than fighting them. All the vineyard work - from pruning (Philip is a triple UK pruning champion) to harvest - is carried out by Philip and his three children, with help from friends and neighbours when the fruit comes off.
Winemaking at Davenport
The wines are made under the supervision of Will Davenport, widely regarded as Britain's leading organic winemaker, at Davenport Vineyards. Philip trained at Plumpton College (degree in Viticulture & Oenology), managed Davenport's vineyard from 2011 to 2021, and has worked harvests at Domaine Zind Humbrecht with Olivier Humbrecht MW and at Vinné Sklepy Kutná Hora with Lukas Rudolfsky.
In the winery, Philip uses natural and wild yeasts for fermentation and keeps the wines on their gross lees until bottling wherever possible. Fining agents are never used, and filtration is avoided unless residual sugar makes it essential. Fermentation and ageing take place in a mixture of concrete eggs and stainless-steel tanks - a deliberately minimalist toolkit chosen to let the fruit and site speak.
The wines
Three wines are produced, two released and one waiting in the wings.
Still Bacchus Ortega Blend
The annual still white is made from Bacchus and Ortega, the two varieties that ripen reliably in this part of the south coast. Ortega, in particular, has a long history on English soil and gives the blend perfume and weight, while Bacchus contributes the citrus-and-elderflower cut that has become a hallmark of English still wine.
Bacchus Ortega Col Fondo
The col fondo is a traditional cloudy, bottle-conditioned take on the same blend. Rather than disgorging, the wine is bottled with its lees and finished under crown cap, so a gentle sediment remains in the bottle and the secondary fermentation adds texture, yeasty savouriness and a soft, natural spritz. It is the kind of wine that feels both ancient and entirely contemporary.
Traditional Method Sparkling (Chardonnay & Pinot Noir)
A traditional-method sparkling wine is made from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blocks. In sunnier vintages these grapes may be considered for still wine, but in cooler years they are reserved for sparkling, where their naturally high acidity shines. The cuvée is yet to be released and is being held until it is ready.
The labels
Every bottle carries original artwork by Sir Quentin Blake, whose unmistakable line brings a touch of literary mischief to the range. A percentage of profits from each bottle is donated to Survival International, the global movement for tribal peoples' rights.
Visiting, tasting and buying
Natalia Harris Wines is, by design, a working family vineyard rather than a visitor centre, so the everyday route to the wines is either the online shop or one of the carefully chosen restaurants, bottle shops and wine bars that act as stockists. The stockist list stretches from Hastings, St Leonards and Rye across Sussex and Kent, into London and the East, up to the Midlands and the North, and west into Wales - a quietly impressive footprint for a two-hectare estate.
Where to find the wines locally
- Hastings and around: Bistro Albo, Collected Fictions, Cornucopia, The Crown, Farmyard, The Gallivant, Goat Ledge, Noah's Goat, The Plough Rye, The Union, Winifred's.
- More Sussex and Kent: Angela's of Margate, Brunswick Fine Wine & Spirits, Dill Lewes, Dilsk, Middle Farm, On Air, Palate, Penelope Ramsgate, The Pig, The Smallholding, The Well Brighton, Wine Barrel Hove.
- Wales and West: Liam Penn, Motley Pies, Native Vine, Stroud Wine Company, Tyddyn Llan.
- Midlands and North: Cultures Saltaire, Linden Stores, Pine, Tenaya Wine, The Westwood.
- London and East: Bedford Street Wines, Bleeding Heart Bistro, Flock and Herd, Lasdun, Les Caves de Pyrène, Lower Wine, Oma, Prawn on the Lawn, Salthouse Bottles, Umu, Vinovero.
The farm and the wider landscape
The vineyard sits within a larger family farm whose woodlands are a mix of hornbeam, hawthorn and oak. In spring the woods are carpeted with wood anemones, early purple orchids and bluebells, and the site attracts large numbers of migratory birds. The land carries layer upon layer of history - Roman iron-ore extraction, the events around 1066, medieval farming and, more recently, Spitfire cannon shells unearthed in the woods. Walking the farm, you get a real sense of how thin the line is between a working English agricultural landscape and a wild one.
A 60-strong botanical census
Philip maintains a public, growing list of the plants found in the vineyard and its hedges. It includes old indicators of ancient woodland such as early purple orchid and wood anemone, classic hedgerow species like hawthorn, blackthorn and honeysuckle, coastal specialists including wild cabbage and buck's-horn plantain, and a long roll-call of grasses, clovers and wildflowers. The list is a small but pointed statement of intent: a vineyard can only be as good as the ecology that surrounds it.
People behind the wines
The project is unmistakably personal. Philip Harris looks after the vineyard and the winemaking; his three children help with the day-to-day work; and the family is supported at harvest by friends and neighbours. Will Davenport provides winemaking oversight and the use of his winery. Sir Quentin Blake has lent his artwork to the labels. Jancis Robinson and Henry Jeffreys have both singled the wines out in print.
Orders, delivery and returns
Orders from the online shop are dispatched by APC Overnight. At present, the winery can only ship to mainland UK and Northern Ireland. Buyers have the right to cancel within seven working days of delivery under the Distance Selling Directive, provided the wines are returned unused and in their original packaging. Any claims for breakages or damage should be made to the courier on receipt and confirmed in writing to nataliaharriswine@hotmail.com within three days. The full returns policy applies.
Returns address
RETURNS - Natalia Harris, First House, Doleham Lane, Westfield, Hastings, East Sussex, TN35 4ST, England, United Kingdom.
Contact
The fastest way to reach Natalia Harris Wines is by email to philiplewisharris@yahoo.co.uk. Postal correspondence can be sent to 9 Mercatoria, St. Leonards-On-Sea, East Sussex, TN38 0EB, England, United Kingdom. Day-to-day vineyard news is shared on the @philipharriswine Instagram feed, and a regular newsletter keeps supporters in touch with the latest from the vines.
Why Natalia Harris Wines matters
English wine is no longer a curiosity, but it is still rare to find an estate of this size operating with such a coherent philosophy. Soil Association organic certification, no-till soils, wild-yeast fermentations, concrete eggs, no fining, no filtering unless absolutely necessary, an evolving 60+ species botanical census, and a structured donation to Survival International on every bottle - these are choices, not decoration. Combined with Philip's international training and his long stint at Davenport Vineyards, they have produced a small, focused range that punches well above its weight. If Jancis Robinson is right that he is a "name to watch", the rest of us would do well to start watching - and drinking - now.