Raimes Family Vineyard: Award-Winning English Sparkling Wines from the Hampshire Chalk
Tucked into the chalk slopes of the South Downs, a few miles east of Winchester, Raimes Family Vineyard is one of Hampshire's quietly dazzling producers of traditional-method English sparkling wine. Run by the fifth generation of the Raimes farming family, the estate turns grapes grown on its own single vineyard into a tight, award-winning collection of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier wines, and welcomes visitors to its Tasting Barn from spring through to the end of the year.
About Raimes: A Fifth-Generation Family Farm
Raimes English Sparkling is, at heart, a family farm. Augusta Raimes is the fifth generation of her family to work the land around Hinton Ampner and Tichborne, near Alresford in Hampshire, and the vineyard is an extension of a long-established mixed farm that still grows wheat, barley and oilseed rape and runs a herd of traditional pedigree horned Hereford cattle on its grassland. Her parents Robert and Brenda, her sister Georgia and husband Roy, and the next generation, Isabel, Hugo, Oliver, Jasmine and Hebe, all lend a hand at key moments in the vineyard year.
The first ten-acre block of vines was planted in 2011 on land that the family farms on the historic Tichborne Estate, and the farm now stretches from the protected and ecologically diverse water meadows of the River Itchen up onto the grassy rolling hills of the South Downs near Winchester. The chalk substratum that runs through the slopes is the same seam that underpins the great vineyards of Champagne, and that geology is central to everything the family makes.
As the Raimes team put it themselves, “growing good produce is in our soul,” and that sense of place is what gives the wines their character. The vineyard is part of the South Downs National Park, the farm is certified as a sustainably managed vineyard by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain, and the estate has earned a Gold Audit from the same scheme in recognition of the way it farms with care for the environment.
Heritage and Terroir
The Raimes family's link to this stretch of the South Downs goes back generations. Augusta describes herself as “the fifth generation of the family to farm the fields now flourishing with vines,” and the new plantings are very much an extension of an existing agricultural business rather than a fresh venture.
The estate's terroir is unusually well suited to sparkling wine. The vines sit on south-facing slopes with a chalk subsoil shared with the best vineyards in Champagne, and that chalk lends a particular minerality that helps the team achieve a delicate balance of ripeness, acidity and berry aroma. England's cooler climate, combined with the chalk, allows the grapes to ripen slowly through a longer growing season and to develop flavour complexity well into the autumn, a combination that gives Raimes wines their trademark finesse.
The original 10-acre vineyard planted in 2011 is devoted exclusively to the three classic Champagne grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Subsequent plantings have brought the total to around 15 acres, all of which are tended by hand. The team prunes in winter, rubs out buds in spring, tucks in the new growth through the summer and picks by hand, selecting only the ripest, best-quality bunches, which are then pressed gently at the winery within a few hours of harvest.
The Team and the Winemakers
Day-to-day, the vineyard is run by Augusta, with Georgia, Lauren, Robert and Brenda all playing their part across the seasons, often accompanied on family jobs by the younger generation in what Augusta calls “a tiny tractor” of a team.
Raimes English Sparkling is made in partnership with the award-winning team at Hattingley Valley Wines, one of the leading contract wineries in the UK. The relationship began under Head Winemaker Emma Rice, who won the UK Vineyards Association Winemaker of the Year award in both 2014 and 2016. From the 2019 vintage onwards, blends have been crafted under the careful attention of Rob Macculloch MW, who joined Hattingley from Hawke's Bay Wine Company in New Zealand. Together they turn the Raimes family's hand-picked grapes into bottle-fermented, traditional-method English sparkling wine that is consistently recognised on the international stage.
The Wines
Every Raimes wine is single estate, grown on the family's own vineyard, made using only grapes from the Raimes farm, bottle fermented in the traditional method and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The current collection covers still and sparkling styles, white, rosé and demi-sec, and is sold in limited, vintage-dated releases.
Raimes Classic
The flagship of the range. The 2022 vintage (Chardonnay 62%, Pinot Meunier 19%, Pinot Noir 19%) spends 20 months on its lees and was disgorged in January 2025. The team describe it as “an elegant wine” with a “very expressive” palate of ripe citrus, stone fruit, apple and pear, a soft fine mousse and a delicate patisserie finish. It retails at £35 a bottle and is sold in single-bottle gift boxes.
Blanc de Blancs
Made from 100% Chardonnay and partially aged in oak, the 2019 Blanc de Blancs spends a generous 69 months on its lees (disgorged December 2025) to build complexity. The result is a refined, well-integrated wine with generous fruit, lemon zest and a gentle hint of brioche, capable of ageing for ten years or more. It is priced at £45 a bottle.
Blanc de Noirs
A signature wine for the estate. The 2020 release is a blend of Pinot Meunier 72% and Pinot Noir 28%, aged for 35 months on lees and disgorged in April 2024. It is pale gold in the glass, with a nose of redcurrants, sweet red apples and peach, suggestions of pastry and lemon shortbread, and a creamy, generous palate that balances taut red berry and crisp apple flavours. Limited to 2,700 bottles, it sells at £36 a bottle.
Demi-Sec
Raimes's sweeter style, made from 100% Chardonnay. The 2019 Demi-Sec (33g/l residual sugar) spends 58 months on lees and was disgorged in January 2025. It is a full-bodied but lifted, fresh wine with baked apple, ripe lemon, peach blossom and brioche notes, and is priced at £40.
Vintage Rosé
The 2020 Vintage Rosé is a pale cherry-blossom pink, made from Chardonnay 67%, Pinot Noir 19% and Pinot Meunier 14%, with 34 months on lees and disgorged in January 2024. On the palate it is delicate, with lemon, strawberry and rhubarb notes and a fine soft mousse, priced at £45.
Precocious
A still rosé made from 100% Pinot Noir Précoce, picked early for brightness and freshness. The 2025 Precocious is fresh and dry with red-berry brightness, juicy cherry and wildflower aromas, at 12.5% abv. It is the most accessible wine in the range at £20 a bottle.
Mixed Cases and Gift Trio
For those who want to try the range, Raimes offers two curated six-bottle mixed cases. The Summer Mixed Case (currently reduced from £232 to £225) pairs two bottles each of the 2020 Blanc de Noirs and 2022 Classic with one bottle of the 2020 Vintage Rosé and one of the 2019 Demi-Sec, plus a branded bottle stopper. The classic Mixed Case at £225 features two bottles each of the Blanc de Noirs, Classic and Blanc de Blancs. The Raimes Trio at £115 packages one bottle each of the Classic, Blanc de Noirs and Vintage Rosé with a complimentary branded sparkling-wine bottle stopper, and makes a particularly good gift.
Gift Vouchers
Raimes also sells digital or postal gift vouchers in denominations of £50, £60, £80, £100, £120, £150 and £200, redeemable against any purchase, including vineyard tours, tastings, wines and tasting flights at the Tasting Barn. They are valid for 12 months from purchase.
Awards and Recognition
Raimes English Sparkling has been a fixture in the UK wine trade's awards lists since its debut release. The estate has been named one of The Real Review's Top Wineries of Great Britain for five consecutive years (2021 - 2025), has sat inside the IWSC Top 50 ranking of consistently exceptional producers, and has been certified by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain.
Recent highlights include:
- IWC 2026 - Silver Medal, 92 points, Raimes Classic 2021.
- WineGB Awards 2026 - Silver Medal for Raimes Blanc de Noirs 2020.
- The Real Review (Anthony Rose) 2026 - Gold, 95 points for Classic 2021; Silver, 93 points for Blanc de Noirs 2020; Silver, 92 points for Vintage Rosé 2020.
- IWSC 2025 - Silver Medal, 91 points, Vintage Rosé 2020.
- IWC 2025 - Silver Medal, 93 points, Classic 2020.
- Decanter World Wine Awards 2024 - Silver Medal, 91 points, Blanc de Blancs 2018.
- IWSC 2023 - Trophy Winner and Gold Medal, 95 points, Classic 2018.
- Decanter World Wine Awards 2023 - Gold Medal, 95 points.
- International Wine Challenge 2023 - Gold Medal, 95 points, Vintage Rosé 2018.
- Tim Atkin MW England 2021 Special Report - Best Value Sparkling Wine of the Year, Raimes Classic 2015.
- IWC 2021 - Gold Medal, 95 points, Classic 2015.
- Earlier vintages have taken Gold and Silver medals at the International Wine Challenge, Decanter World Wine Awards, Glass of Bubbly Awards, Sommelier World Wine Awards, Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships, IWSC, The Wine Society's Fine Wine Champions 2022 and more.
Augusta has also appeared on ITV's James Martin's Saturday Morning and on ITV's Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh in 2025 to talk about the farm and the wines. The Sunday Daily Mail's Matthew Jukes has called Raimes wines “silky, polished and luxurious with a cracking price tag” and has made the wines his regular “Star Wine” recommendations.
Visiting: The Tasting Barn & Cellar Door
The Raimes Tasting Barn sits inside the vineyard at Broad Lane, Hinton Ampner, near Alresford in Hampshire (postcode SO24 0JY). It is a large, comfortable timber-clad building with tables inside and outside that look directly out across the vines, and is also home to the Cellar Door wine shop, where visitors can pick up bottles to take home, mix and match their own six-bottle cases from across the Raimes collection, and buy branded tulip glassware, bottle stoppers and wine coolers.
The Tasting Barn and Cellar Door are closed from January to March for winter pruning, except for private bookings. They reopened for the season on 14 March 2026 and are open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm thereafter. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm. Walk-ins are welcome, well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome inside and at outside tables, and the estate has plenty of single-level parking in front of the barn. There is also a direct bridleway from Cheriton and Alresford for those who would rather walk.
At the bar, visitors can order wines by the glass or bottle, or ask for a tasting flight (3 x 40ml serves of any three wines in the collection), a great way to find a favourite. If a guest then buys a six-bottle case on the day, the cost of the tasting flight is deducted from the purchase. Grazing boards are available alongside the wine: a Mini Cheese Board (£12) of Barbers Cheddar, Lyburn Smoked and Shepherds Purse Blue; a Mini Charcuterie Board (£12); a Maxi Sharing Board (£22) that pairs cheeses and charcuterie, or a vegan version with hummus, artichoke hearts and olives; plus Baked Somerset Camembert (£14) and Chalkstream Trout Pâté (£14) when in season. There is also an English Kir Royale made with a generous splash of British cassis and Raimes sparkling.
Experiences and Tours
Raimes runs a small, friendly programme of bookable vineyard experiences between spring and autumn, all hosted by the Raimes team in and around the Tasting Barn.
Vineyard Tour & Tasting - £25, 90 minutes
Running from May to September each year, the vineyard tour starts at the Tasting Barn and takes guests on a gentle walk through the vines to learn about the growing cycle and the work of looking after the plants across the seasons. Back in the barn, guests taste two of the estate's award-winning cuvées overlooking the vines. Group sizes are kept to a maximum of 20, and after the tour guests are welcome to stay on for another glass and order from the menu.
Sunday Cream Tea & Fizz - £25, 2 hours
A Sunday treat hosted at the Tasting Barn. The two-hour experience pairs a scone with Rodda's clotted cream, Geoff's homemade raspberry jam and steeped strawberries, a pot of loose-leaf tea and a glass of your favourite Raimes sparkling wine. Tables can be booked in advance or reserved on the day.
Wine Tasting Flight - 30 minutes
A short seated flight of any three wines from the collection (3 x 40ml serves) in the Tasting Barn. Visitors can pick a date and time, order additional glasses from the bar, and add a grazing board to accompany the tasting.
Private Group Tastings - from £30pp, 90 minutes
For groups of 12 or more, the Raimes team hosts private tours and tastings. From April to October, that means a private vineyard tour and tasting of three wines, while November to March focuses on a guided tasting of four wines in the comfort of the Tasting Barn overlooking the vines. Grazing boards can be added.
Gift Vouchers
All of the above can be paid for with a Raimes gift voucher, available in £50, £60, £80, £100, £120, £150 and £200 denominations, redeemable online, by phone or at the Tasting Barn.
Corporate Events and Private Hire
The Tasting Barn is also available for corporate away days, team-building events, client entertaining and private parties. With exclusive use of the barn, the team can tailor a day to include a guided vineyard tour, a sparkling-wine tasting led by an expert host and artisan grazing options from local producers, with the venue available Monday to Friday as well as on selected dates at the weekend.
Bookings can be made for half or full days, with a minimum food and beverage spend and the option of a private mezzanine space for more intimate gatherings. The estate also welcomes enquiries from private groups looking for an informal birthday, hen party or anniversary celebration. Contact the team at info@raimes.co.uk or on 07792 924 914 to discuss requirements.
Stockists
Alongside buying direct from the Cellar Door or online, Raimes sparkling is available through a growing list of independent wine merchants, restaurants and pubs across the south of England and beyond. Independent stockists include Fareham Wine Cellar, Grape Britannia in Cambridge, Hawkins Bros Fine English Wines (Milford and Petersfield), Heritage Cellars in Emsworth, Naked Grape (Alresford and Four Marks), Novel Wines in Bath, Tivoli Wines in Cheltenham and The Wine Society as a 2022 Fine Wine Champion. On-trade partners include Cabinet Rooms in Winchester, Fat Olives in Emsworth, The General Store in Winchester, The Globe in Alresford, The Groucho Club in London, Master Builders House Hotel at Buckler's Hard, Milbury at Beauworth, The George in Fitzrovia, The Pig's Head in Clapham Old Town, Truffles in Fareham, The Flower Pots Inn in Cheriton and The Tichborne Arms.
For those after something a little different, the Real Flower Company offers luxury scented bouquets paired with a bottle of Raimes, and West Lea Farm Shop and The Long Barn near Alresford also stock the range. Trade enquiries should be directed to Augusta at info@raimes.co.uk.
Getting to Raimes
By road, the barn is visible from the A272. Travelling east from Winchester or Alresford, the vineyard is on the left just after Hinton Ampner House; travelling west from Bramdean, it is on the right. The postcode for sat-navs is SO24 0JY, and the easiest route by public transport is the Stagecoach number 67 service between Winchester and Petersfield via Alresford and Bramdean, which stops at Hinton Ampner Hill at the end of the vineyard drive. Local taxis include Alresford Town Private Hire on 07838 167 117 and T Private Hire on 07455 613 431; both recommend booking in advance where possible.
Practical Information
- Address: Raimes Wine Barn, Broad Lane, Hinton Ampner, Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 0JY.
- Telephone: 01962 732120 (office) / 07792 924 914 (Augusta Raimes).
- Email: info@raimes.co.uk.
- Website: raimes.co.uk.
- Opening hours: Office Mon - Fri 9am - 4:30pm. Tasting Barn & Cellar Door Fri - Sun 11am - 5pm (closed January to March except for private bookings; reopening 14 March 2026).
- Delivery: Mainland UK delivery is a standard £10 charge per order, with free local collection from the cellar door. Single bottles to the Channel Islands can be sent via Royal Mail; international delivery is not available.
- Age restrictions: Raimes operates a Challenge 25 policy for online and cellar-door sales and will request ID from couriers where appropriate.
Sustainability and Outlook
Raimes's vineyard has been certified as sustainably managed by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain since December 2021 and has since earned a Gold Audit under the same scheme. The family's mixed farm, water meadows and chalk-downland setting sit within the South Downs National Park, and Augusta and her team continue to manage the land with the same long-term view that has sustained the family business for five generations. With new plantings, a maturing cellar and a steadily growing reputation for Chardonnay-led sparkling wines on the Hampshire chalk, Raimes English Sparkling looks set to remain one of the most exciting small estates in the south of England for some years to come.