Nutbourne Vineyards: A Family-Run English Wine Estate in the Heart of West Sussex
Tucked away down an ancient holloway lane near the South Downs, Nutbourne Vineyards is one of the warmest, most quietly idiosyncratic boutique wine estates in England. The single 24-acre vineyard, planted as far back as 1979 and brought into the Gladwin family’s ownership in 1991, sits on a gentle south-facing slope above Gay Street, near Pulborough in West Sussex. From grape to glass, every step of growing, pressing, fermenting and bottling happens on the farm, and the same family that farms the cattle and sheep is the family that pours the wine at the cellar door.
Location & Setting
The Nutbourne estate lies just outside the village of West Chiltington, close to the foot of the South Downs and within easy reach of both Pulborough and Billingshurst stations. Despite the postcode - RH20 2HH - this is still quietly rural West Sussex countryside. The vineyard is reached via Gay Street only (there is no vehicle access from Nutbourne village itself), and what3words pinpoints the courtyard at grabs.coasted.yield. From the vines, the eye travels across the Downs, taking in wildflower meadows, two natural lakes, a working farm, a flock of alpacas and an old windmill that has become the estate’s most photographed landmark.
The Gladwin Family
Nutbourne is a family business in the truest sense, and the people who run it still do nearly every job themselves. Five Gladwins - Peter, Bridget, Gregory, Richard and Oliver - own and operate the vineyard alongside their Local & Wild restaurant group in London. When you visit you are likely to be met by any of them: Peter leading a tour, Bridget arranging flowers or hosting the cellar door, Gregory in the winery or on a tractor, Oliver cooking at the outdoor kitchen, or Richard pouring wine at one of the special evenings.
Peter Gladwin, the family’s patriarch, prefers chef, writer or vineyard worker to businessman. He has published six cookery books - most recently An English Vineyard Cookbook - and remains chairman of the Gladwin Restaurant Group. His favourite Nutbourne wine is the Nutty Vintage Brut, described fondly as “a drink for all occasions”, Madame Bollinger-style.
Bridget Gladwin heads up the vineyard team and is the public face of the Nutbourne brand. She is also the artist behind the paintings that decorate every Nutbourne label. Gregory Gladwin manages the vines and the winemaking, and in the early mornings tends to the cattle and sheep that graze the estate. Richard Gladwin runs the Local & Wild restaurants together with his brother Oliver, and Oliver himself designs seasonal dishes, runs the outdoor kitchen, and forages wild ingredients in the woodland at Nutbourne.
The Vineyard
Vines were first planted at Nutbourne in 1979 as part of the new wave of English wine growing. Since 1991 the estate has been managed and expanded by the Gladwin family, and today it is considered one of the finest boutique producers in the South East. Across 24 acres the team uses three trellising systems - Guyot, Scott Henry and Geneva Double Curtain - to coax the best from eight different grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc for the sparkling, rosé and red wines, and the older Riesling-style plantings of Bacchus, Huxelrebe and Reichensteiner that go into the signature Sussex Reserve field blend.
The terroir is exceptional: a south-facing slope, a warm microclimate protected by the South Downs, and the same green sand soil that underlies much of the Champagne region. The vines are pruned by hand over winter and then trained, trimmed and nurtured through summer before harvest in September or early October.
Winemaking
The Gladwins are firm believers that a good wine is created in the vineyard, not the winery. Production averages around 50,000 bottles per year, with grapes pressed, fermented, bottled and disgorged on the farm. Sparkling wines are made by the traditional Classic Method bottle-fermentation and aged in the estate’s hillside cellar cave; reds and whites are kept on a minimum-intervention path, with a small barrel room in oak and a separate cave for the maturation of vintage sparkling.
Gregory now leads the wine production, guided by his father Peter and consultant winemaker Emma Rice. The winery itself is one of the most sustainable in Sussex: solar panels on the roof mean Nutbourne is the first wine producer in the county to run entirely on renewable energy. Storage is in an underground wine cave that stays cool in summer and ambient in winter without air-conditioning, and the team uses biodegradable natural cork, recycles bottles and packaging, and is the first UK producer to fill re-used glass bottles - a fact noted proudly in Peter Gladwin’s December Journal.
Sustainability & Farming
The vineyard sits in a wider working farm that the Gladwins run on regenerative principles. In winter, vine rows are shared by sheep and alpacas that browse and graze the same ground; cover crops between the vines recycle organic matter back into the soil. Wildflower strips, wetlands and natural lakes have been left wild to encourage birds, insects and small mammals - and the family is visibly proud that biodiversity counts on the estate rise every year.
Gregory hand-rears cattle and sheep on water meadows at Amberley in summer, then brings them back to the farm for the winter months, and his wife Lani runs a polytunnel at Nutbourne growing produce for the cellar door, picnics and events. Meat, vegetables, salads, berries and plants are all available at the cellar door when in season, and Lamb - including hogget from sheep that have worked among the vines - is hung, butchered and vacuum-sealed on the farm.
The Wines
All Nutbourne wines are produced solely from grapes grown on the estate, and each bottle carries a Bridget Gladwin painting on its label that reflects the character of the wine inside.
Still Wines
- Sussex Reserve 2022 - £14.50. The estate’s quintessential “field blend” of old-vine German-style grapes with Pinot Noir. Crisp, dry, aromatic, full of wild fruit. View bottle.
- Bacchus 2023 - £18. Nutbourne’s signature dry white, crisp and elderflower-led, with gooseberry and a botanical finish. View bottle.
- Blush 2025 - £15. A dry rosé pressed from a blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, gentle wild strawberry on the nose and soft sherbet on the palate. View bottle.
- Pinot Gris 2023 - £15. A limited release of 100% Pinot Gris, beautifully rounded with floral pear and stone fruit, partially matured in French oak. View bottle.
- Hedgerow 2018 - £18. An off-dry, beautifully rounded Sussex-landscape blend of Schönburger, Bacchus and Huxelrebe; pairs with blue cheese and orchard-fruit puddings. View bottle.
- Barrel Fermented Chardonnay - £21. Two vintages of Chardonnay fermented in aged French and American oak and matured for a further twelve months. Yellow apple, crisp citrus and peach with a creamy texture and honeyed finish. View bottle.
- Pinot Noir 2022 - £21. Rounded and structured, with black cherry, blackberry and smoky nutmeg; a portion aged in French oak for six months. View bottle.
- Forager 2024 - £19.50. A limited-edition Late Harvest dessert wine, blush pink, made from 100% Pinot Gris with delicate hedgerow fruits; a 50cl bottle. View bottle.
Sparkling Wines
- Nutty Wild NV - £21. A light, joyous, lower-alcohol (10.5%) classic-method pink fizz from the second pressing of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Strawberries and raspberries in a glass. View bottle.
- Nutty Vintage Brut 2019 - £29.50. The estate’s flagship Classic Method sparkling, aged 36 months on lees in the underground cave. White gold, with pastry, ripe apple and a floral bouquet. View bottle.
- Nutty Blush Pinot Noir 2018 - £40. 100% Pinot Noir, vintage Classic Method rosé, complex and dry with balanced red fruit, fine mousse and a biscuity finish - what the French call œil de perdrix. View bottle.
- Sussex Reserve 2024 Magnum - £40; Nutty Blush Magnum from £80. Generous formats for feasting.
Gifts & Accessories
- An English Vineyard Cookbook by Peter Gladwin - £25. Over 100 seasonal recipes, wine recommendations and foraging notes, with photography by Ed Dallimore and Bridget Gladwin’s art; royalties go to City Harvest.
- Nutbourne Tasting Case - From £115.
- The Sparkling Selection - From £150.
- Still Wine Gift Box - £48; Pinot Noir Gift Box - £70; Sommelier Gift Box - £95.
- Nutbourne Vineyards Corkscrew and Sparkling Wine Stopper - £7.50 each.
- Gift Vouchers - From £35. Redeemable online or at the cellar door for wine, vineyard experiences, or any combination of tour, picnic, platter and Sussex Reserve or Nutty Wild.
Cellar Door & Vineyard Trail
The cellar door at Nutbourne is the natural starting point for any visit. Currently open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm (call ahead in extreme weather), the veranda shop sells the full range of still and sparkling wines, family cookbooks, accessories, gift vouchers, farm eggs, fresh beef and seasonal produce from the polytunnel. In summer you can taste the wines by the glass, by the bottle or in tasting flights; in winter you can share a bottle by the fire or buy wine to take home.
Pick up an illustrated map and follow the self-guided vineyard trail through the vines to learn how grapes are grown and made into wine. Look out for vine-quiz information boards, wildflower meadows and cover crops, an ancient oak sculpture, and the resident alpacas. Sturdy footwear is recommended in winter - the estate is famously muddy underfoot.
Picnics & Platters
The Gladwins turn their farm produce into proper seasonal feasting. Three Vineyard Platters for Two - Cheese, Pâté and Farm Table - come on a board of Oliver’s homemade parfait, hummus, sausage rolls and quiche, with polytunnel tomatoes, crudités and fresh fruit. The Vineyard Picnic for Two (from £42) is the same generous spread in a wicker hamper, including a dark chocolate and granola tiffin. Add a bottle of Sussex Reserve to your platter or Nutty Wild fizz to your picnic when you book.
Collect your order from the cellar door and choose a spot: the covered Wine Lodge or the round Windmill with squishy sofas, the platforms and benches looking across the vines, or bring a blanket and sit among the rows. The Wine Lodge, Windmill and platforms all have outdoor furniture.
Tours & Tastings
Public Saturday Tours
Every Saturday from May to September, the vineyard hosts a guided tour and tasting at 10:30am for an 11am start. The morning begins with tea, coffee and Bridget’s homemade cakes over views of the South Downs, then takes in the vines, the wildflowers and a lakeside meeting with the alpacas. In the winery the team looks at every step of pressing, fermenting, bottling and disgorging, before finishing in the Wine Lodge with a tutored tasting of still and sparkling wines. The session lasts about three hours and costs £35 per person.
Private Tours
On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday afternoons the team can host private tours and tastings for groups - wine societies, hen parties, corporate clients or groups of friends - with a bespoke tasting and optional lunch. The minimum is £400 for up to 12 guests. Tours are for adults over 18; well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the vineyard but not in the wine lodge or winery.
Tour & Sparkling Afternoon Tea
On selected Saturdays, the tour is paired with a glass of Nutty overlooking the vines followed by a sparkling afternoon tea in the rustic wine lodge. View upcoming dates.
Burgers & Bubbly in the Wine Lodge
On Friday evenings and Bank Holiday Mondays through summer the Nutty Bar opens with gentle music in the breeze. The Burgers & Bubbly evenings have become something of a tradition, with Gregory Gladwin’s mouthwatering Sussex-reared beef burgers cooked in the vinewood-fired oven and served in brioche buns with local tomatoes and salad. A burger, salad and half-bottle of Nutty Wild costs £24 per person; vegetarian Sussex Blue Mushroom Burgers are available; platters and chocolate tiffin accompany the full Nutbourne wine list.
Confirmed upcoming dates include Friday 21 August (5 - 8pm), Bank Holiday Monday 31 August (12 - 4pm) and Friday 11 September (5 - 8pm). Tickets are limited and prebooking is essential.
Farm Feasts in the Vines
On selected special occasions through the year the Gladwins’ Local & Wild restaurants “pop up” in the vines for a four-course seasonal feast served in the Wine Lodge, Barrel Room or Windmill. Guests are greeted with a Nutty sparkling reception overlooking the vines; the menu - introduced by the Gladwins - is built around produce from the farm and coastline, paired with a special selection of Nutbourne wines. The headline Harvest Farm Feast takes place on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September 2026, with a 6:30pm sparkling reception and dinner at 7pm. Tickets are £108 per person. On each pop-up date the Windmill is also available for a private dinner for 10 - 12 guests, with breathtaking balcony views over the vines.
Corporate Hospitality & Weddings
Nutbourne is well set up for entertaining, with its own Corporate Away Days brochure covering vineyard tours, tutored tastings, barrel-room dinners and lunches cooked by the Gladwin brothers. Small, daytime celebrations and weddings can take exclusive use of the estate: guests gather on the viewing platform for Nutty and canapés, the newly-weds walk between the vines, and the Gladwin family delivers fine Sussex cuisine and hospitality (the estate is not a late-evening party venue). Enquiries go to info@nutbournevineyards.com.
Local & Wild Restaurants
Most Nutbourne wine is sold directly through the Gladwin brothers’ Local & Wild restaurant group, founded on the same farm-to-fork principles as the vineyard. Each restaurant has its own character and its own animal motif:
- The Shed, Notting Hill - the flagship since 2012, two minutes from Notting Hill Gate, sharing plates built around foraged, homegrown and wild ingredients.
- Rabbit, King’s Road - a bistro-style Chelsea favourite with open-grill and rotisserie dishes.
- Sussex, Soho - a West End British bistro famed for its Beef Wellington to share and its candlelit private dining rooms.
- The Black Lamb, Wimbledon Village - seasonal British cooking with an exclusive “Little Black Book” cellar of one-off vintages.
- The Pig’s Ear, Chelsea - a countryside-style locals’ pub with seafood, game and a fine wine list.
- The Black Horse, Amberley - the latest addition at the foot of the South Downs; bedrooms, bars, restaurant, garden and outdoor cooking.
All five London locations and the Amberley pub have been awarded 3 Stars by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, the highest rating possible.
Art in the Vines
Painting runs through the Gladwin family. Bridget Gladwin’s bold watercolours appear on every Nutbourne wine label - from the lobster of the Barrel Fermented Chardonnay to the Seven Sisters cliffs of the Pinot Gris - and larger works hang in the winery buildings, the Barrel Room and the London restaurants. Bridget is a Pallant House Gallery volunteer partner and hosts Partners in Art workshops and fundraising runs in the vines.
Where to Buy - Stockists
The full range is available from the online shop for UK mainland delivery (free over £150; £10 packaging and delivery under £150). The wines are also poured in every Local & Wild restaurant and listed with selected stockists across Sussex, the South East and beyond, including:
- Retail: Amberley Village Stores; Charlie’s Farm Shop, Pulborough; Cowdray Farm Shop, Midhurst; Crates Local, Horsham; Elizabeth Rose Wines; Grape Britannia, Cambridge; Hennings, Pulborough; Hepworth Brewery, Pulborough; Levels Wine, Eastbourne; Middle Farm, Firle; Pallant of Arundel; Partners in Wine, Goring-by-Sea; Spring Gardens Nursery, Washington; The Village Larder, Washington; Neill Wines, Northern Ireland.
- Trade: Gusto Wines; Hennings Wine.
Other restaurants pouring Nutbourne include The Rising Sun, Nutbourne, The Parsons Table, Arundel, The Dysart, Petersham, The Bull, Charlbury and Annwyn, Narberth.
Planning Your Visit
- Address: Nutbourne Vineyards, Gay Street, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 2HH. There is no vehicle access from Nutbourne village; enter via Gay Street only.
- Opening hours: Cellar Door Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.
- Parking: Free on site next to the windmill and in the apple orchard.
- By train: Pulborough and Billingshurst stations (taxis are recommended, especially on Saturdays).
- Walking & cycling: The estate is on a public footpath and welcomes walkers and cyclists.
- Contact: info@nutbournevineyards.com • 01798 815196.
- Map: Find us on Google Maps • what3words: grabs.coasted.yield.
- Reviews: Nutbourne Vineyards on Tripadvisor.
Whether you arrive for a tasting flight at the cellar door, a Saturday tour and tasting in the vines, a Friday evening of burgers and bubbly, or one of the Local & Wild farm feasts under the South Downs, Nutbourne offers a properly family-run English wine experience in a setting that few vineyards anywhere in the world can match.