Rothley Wine Estate - Kingfishers' Pool Vineyard
A Boutique English Vineyard in the Heart of Leicestershire
Rothley Wine Estate, also known as Kingfishers' Pool Vineyard, is a small, award-winning English vineyard tucked into a sheltered, south-facing slope above the Rothley Brook in the village of Rothley, Leicestershire. Founded in 2008 as a personal hobby by Liz Robson and developed into a commercial one-woman enterprise from 2014, the vineyard has grown from a single inherited vine to 1,200 vines producing still, sparkling and fruit wines under a marquee of evocative royal and heritage names: King Richard, King Henry, Battle Royal, Noble Purpose, New Sovereign and more.
Set within the Charnwood Forest Geopark and bounded at its lower edge by the picturesque Kingfishers Pool and a tumbling granite waterfall, the vineyard is a working farm that places equal weight on viticulture, biodiversity and sustainability. In recognition of that ethos, Rothley Wine Estate was awarded the 2023 Leicestershire Tourism Ethical Award and has been certified as both a Dog Friendly venue and a Regenerative Tourism business.
Yet for all its charm, the estate is currently pausing its in-person experiences. Liz has explained that future wine tours, tastings, tête-à-têtes and safaris are suspended due to a serious ankle injury that requires surgery and a prolonged recovery time: "we apologise and hope to see you next year." In the meantime, visitors can still order wine for collection, and Liz's wines continue to be poured at the Great Central Railway's Wine and Cheese events.
The Story of Rothley Wine Estate
The vineyard traces its roots to a single vine. When Liz Robson inherited the property with her home, one vine by the back door was thriving. With a lifelong passion for food and wine, Liz took the bold step of planting more. "This started in 2008 as a hobby!" she writes. Over the following years, more vines were added, along with three rows of cultivated blackberry bushes, cherry and blueberry trees, and an organic vegetable garden.
The hobby vineyard began winning awards, and in 2014 Liz took early retirement from her career as a university lecturer to sell wines to the public. The estate grew to include vineyard tours and tutored wine tastings, and during the Covid-19 pandemic Liz launched two new formats - the Safari and Tête-à-tête - initially as a temporary measure. They proved so popular that they have remained part of the offering ever since.
Today, Rothley Wine is described by Liz as "a one woman enterprise with no employees," supported by a band of stalwart volunteers who hand-prune the vines, harvest the grapes, bottle the wines and take it in turns to lead tutored tastings. Many tickets are bought as presents - for Christmas, birthdays or simply as a treat.
Land, Geology and the Charnwood Forest Geopark
Rothley Wine Estate sits within the Charnwood Forest Geopark, an area recognised for its international geological significance and one that is working toward UNESCO Global Geopark status. The vines are rooted in glacial deposits laid down during the Quaternary Period over the last five million years. These deposits contain far-travelled geologies, including rounded quartzite 'bunter' pebbles eroded from the ancient mountains of Brittany and carried north by the Budleighensis river system 250 million years ago before their final journey south to Leicestershire via glacial ice flows.
The gravels beneath the Rothley vines have been observed to include flint from the Cretaceous period and pebbles of Carboniferous rocks that may originate to the west of Charnwood Forest. The loamy, sandy soil of this sheltered, south-facing slope gives a unique character and crisp flavour to the grapes, which - in keeping with the vineyard's traditional approach - are still trodden in the traditional manner by Liz's friends and volunteers.
At the bottom of the vineyard, the Kingfishers Pool is fed by a waterfall that tumbles over granite boulders. Those boulders were originally brought to the site from Mountsorrel by the Romans to create a mill-pond dam; when the dam collapsed it left the picturesque cascade that gives the vineyard its name. It is, Liz notes, "a lovely spot to sit near and pop a cork, sip a glass of wine and gaze upon the unique geology."
Grape Varieties and Growing Methods
Around 1,200 vines are planted on a double Sylvos trellis system, adapted in places by Liz's own "Kingfisher Curtain" trellis design - an innovation that won the Mercian Vineyards Association's David Stanley Award for Innovation in 2012. The trellis encourages vine layering while the vines are bearing fruit.
White Grapes
- Orion
- Siegerrebe
- Solaris
- Muscaris
Red and Rosé Grapes
- Rondo
- Regent
- Pinot Noir Précoce (Frühburgunder) - used to make the rosé Battle Royal
- Cabernet Cortis
- Divicio
Four of these - Solaris, Orion, Regent and Rondo - are PIWI varieties, bred for disease resistance, which allows Liz to dramatically reduce the use of fungicides. "We only use chemicals, such as fungicides, when there is a definite need and we never use insecticides," Liz explains. An agronomist who specialises in grapevines supervises the foliar feeding programme.
The Wines of Rothley
All Rothley's current still wines are suitable for vegans and vegetarians, with the exception of King Henry, which is fined using egg whites. Grapes are grown on site and the still wines and fruit wines are made in the boutique winery at Rothley. Sparkling wines are made at Halfpenny Green Vineyard in the traditional méthode champenoise style.
Still Wines
- King Henry - a flagship white (not vegan due to egg-white fining); winner of multiple regional medals.
- King Richard - a red wine and the estate's most decorated bottling, awarded a Gold Medal at the 2023 WineGB Midlands & North regional competition, along with multiple Silvers and Bronzes in subsequent vintages.
- Battle Royal - a rosé made from Frühburgunder (Pinot Noir Précoce); regularly medal-winning.
- Total Recall - a red wine that has picked up Silver and Bronze medals in successive vintages.
- Rondo - a red from the eponymous grape variety, Silver in 2024 judging.
- High Hopes - Silver medal winner in the 2024 WineGB M&N competition (2022 vintage).
- Noble Purpose - Silver medal winner (2022 vintage).
- Well Trained - a Silver medal winner from the 2021 vintage.
- New Sovereign - a 2022 vintage produced to commemorate the coronation of King Charles in 2023; bottled only in recycled glass in honour of his environmental principles.
- Gracious Lady - Silver medal winner, 2022 vintage.
- Enigma - Silver medal winner.
- Lilah Fellowship - Bronze medal winner.
- Madeline Angevine - Bronze medal winner.
- War Horse - described by Guardian wine writer Fiona Beckett as her "Wine of the Week" in April 2020; sold out shortly afterwards.
Fruit Wines
The fruit wines are made from fruit grown in the vineyard's own hedgerows:
- Blackberry - "similar to a light pinot noir"
- Elderflower - "very dry and wonderful with gin"
Sparkling Wines
Rothley's sparkling wines are made at Halfpenny Green Vineyard using the traditional méthode champenoise. The vineyard's sparkling Orion picked up a Silver medal at the 2014 UK Vineyards Association national competition, and the Pink Sparkling variant has won the MVA Coaster Pink Sparkling Trophy.
Awards and Accolades
Rothley Wine Estate has built an extensive medal haul since its first vines were planted. Highlights include:
- 2025 WineGB Midlands & North (2024 wines): Silver for King Henry, Total Recall and Rondo; Bronze for King Richard 2024 and Battle Royal.
- 2024 WineGB Midlands & North (2023 wines): Silver for High Hopes 2022, Noble Purpose 2022 and King Richard 2023; Bronze for Battle Royal 2023, King Henry 2023 and Total Recall 2022. MVA Coaster Pink Sparkling Trophy.
- 2023 WineGB Midlands & North (2022 wines): Gold Medal for King Richard 2022 (the estate's first-ever Gold), plus the Renishaw Trophy (Best Dry White Wine), the Morville Trophy (Best Small Producer) and the Millington Trophy (Grower-Winemaker). Silvers for Well Trained 2021, New Sovereign 2022 and Gracious Lady 2022.
- 2022 WineGB Midlands & North (2021 wines): Silver for King Richard 2021, Mark One Bacchus 2021, Hadland Muscat 2019 and Enigma 2021; Bronze for King Henry 2021, Lilah Fellowship 2021 and Well Trained 2021. Sweet Wine Trophy and Grower-Winemaker Trophy.
- 2021 WineGB Midlands & North (2019/2020 wines): Silvers for King Richard 2019 and 2020; multiple Bronzes and Commendeds.
- 2019 WineGB National: Bronze for Madeline Angevine 2018.
- 2019 Independent English Wine Award: Silver for King Richard 2018, Bronze for War Horse 2017 and High Hopes 2016.
- 2018 Mercian Vineyards Association: Robson Trophy for Personality of the Year; Silver for King Richard 2017.
- 2017 Leicester Mercury Women in Business Awards: Entrepreneur of the Year.
- 2016 Mercian Vineyards Association: Silver for Noble Purpose 2014.
- 2015 WineGB National: Silver for King Richard 2014, Bronze for Spirit of Freedom 2013.
- 2014 UK Vineyards Association: Silver for Sparkling Orion 2012.
- 2013 Mercian Vineyards Association: East Midlands Trophy (Best Wine - East Midlands) and Morville Trophy (Best Small Producer).
- 2012 Mercian Vineyards Association: David Stanley Award for Innovation (Kingfisher Curtain trellis system).
Beyond the medals, the estate has also been featured by Forbes in "England's wine country - from chalk slopes to royal banquets" and by the Sunday Times Style magazine, which mentioned the Wine Safaris in its "How cool is your postcode?" feature (11 January 2026). Rothley's King Henry 2021 was used by chef Marianne Lumb on the 2023 Great British Menu Central Region heats, and the red wine War Horse was named Wine of the Week by Guardian wine writer Fiona Beckett in April 2020.
Sustainability and the Environment
Sustainability is built into the fabric of Rothley Wine Estate. Liz embraces both the sustainability goals of WineGB and the tools of the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation. Her approach is rooted in low-intervention, traditional and regenerative methods.
Soil and Grass
The vineyard was planted by hand. Farmyard manure was dug into the potential vine rows by hand and resulting weeds removed by garden fork or weed wand. Grass under the vines and between the rows prevents soil loss through tilling, maintains soil moisture, stabilises soil temperatures, provides habitat and stores carbon.
Agroforestry
On a small scale, Rothley practices agroforestry. Fruit trees - alongside producing fruit - provide shade, improve soil quality, prevent soil erosion and contribute to carbon collection.
No Insecticides
Liz maintains a strict "No Insecticide" policy to protect resident colonies of bumble bees and ladybirds. To control wasps and hornets - which can kill bees and decimate grape crops - she uses hanging bell-jar traps, designed so that bees cannot enter because they cannot achieve vertical flight.
Foliar Feeding and Reduced Fungicides
Vines are fed with a foliar feed every two weeks when in leaf to promote strong cellular growth in the leaves, which protects against fungal disease and so reduces the need for fungicides. A fungicide is only sprayed when necessary and under the guidance of an agronomist specialising in grapevines. The PIWI grape varieties (Solaris, Orion, Regent, Rondo) further reduce the need for chemical intervention.
Compost Strategy
Wherever wildlife - or vineyard pointers - have dug a hole, kitchen and vegetable waste is buried directly in the ground and left to the worms. Grape stalks, pressed skins, pips and yeast deposits from fermentation are used as a surface dressing on the vine rows.
Nature's Lawn Mowers
The end-of-year grass tidy-up is left to "a greener alternative to the petrol lawn mower," which keeps the grass under control while also providing natural fertiliser.
Plastic-Free Champion
Rothley Wine Estate was one of the first vineyards to be named as a Plastic Free Champion by Surfers Against Sewage. The vineyard is a founder member of Plastic Free Rothley (which became Sustainable Rothley), participating in clearing plastic from Rothley Brook and local roadsides.
Recycling
Glass bottles are returned by customers and volunteers, then thoroughly washed and sterilised for reuse. The 2023 Coronation wine New Sovereign was bottled only in recycled glass. Diam corks come from sustainably farmed cork forests in the Iberian Peninsula and are bought in sterile bags, sometimes with the estate's own branding to prevent alcohol fraud. Peelable glassine labels and loose sparkling wine capsules are designed to be easily recycled.
Certifications
- 2023 Leicestershire Tourism Ethical Award
- Regenerative Tourism certification (2024)
- Dog Friendly certification (2024, 2025)
- Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Champion
Wildlife at the Vineyard
Rothley Wine Estate supports a remarkable diversity of wildlife. Not all of it is welcome - Liz points out that not all the wildlife is great for the vines or the grapes - but where management is needed she does so without insecticides or lethal means.
Birds
Swans regularly bring their cygnets to the brook at the bottom of the vineyard; greater and green woodpeckers enjoy the bird feeders and inspect the grass; robins oversee the winter pruning; and partridges have been known to check out the wine tanks. The vineyard is named after kingfishers seen at the pool - though, Liz notes ruefully, "there are currently no photographs of the kingfishers after whom the vineyard is named - too fast and too shy, but we keep watching and trying."
Insects
Bees swarm regularly in the vineyard, contributing to the biodiversity Liz actively protects.
Mammals
A stoat has been spotted on a tour of the vineyard, bats rest on the winery wall, and mice make less-desirable visits. The brook also hosts an American Crayfish - described by Liz as "hostile."
Visiting the Vineyard
Visitors are welcome at the vineyard by appointment. The vast majority of tastings take place outdoors; when the weather is unfavourable, a conservatory suitable for small groups of up to eight and wheelchair-friendly is available.
Wine tasting and purchase are only available to those aged over 18. Rothley Wine operates a Challenge 25 policy, so please bring ID.
You are welcome to bring your own picnic to conduct a food-pairing exercise with any of the experiences.
Vineyard Tour and Tutored Wine Tasting
A guided tour of the winery and vineyard followed by a tutored wine tasting. Includes a glass of elderflower wine on arrival, the guided tour, and a tutored tasting with a flight of still wines. The whole experience lasts approximately two hours.
- Price: £30 per guest
- Non-drinking / under-18 option: £15 per guest
Booking is made through the tour booking form; an invoice is sent by email and tickets are released once paid by BACS. Note: this experience is currently suspended.
Tête-à-tête / Tête-à-trois
A wine tasting for two or three people, available Monday to Friday only, lasting approximately two hours. Includes a glass of elderflower wine on arrival, an introduction to the winery and winemaking, a self-guided tour of the vineyard, a bottle of sparkling wine enjoyed on the jetty by Kingfishers Pool, and a glass of still wine to finish.
- Price for two: £60
- Price for three: £75
Wine Safari
A wine tasting for four to ten people, available Monday to Friday. Includes an introduction to the winery and winemaking, a self-guided tour of the vineyard finishing at the gazebo, a bottle of sparkling wine and a flight of red, white and rosé still half-bottles. Currently suspended.
Accessibility
Rothley Wine Estate makes every effort to welcome disabled visitors and those with restricted mobility.
- Disabled parking in the courtyard by the house and winery, accessed via the main entrance
- Toilet/wet room suitable for wheelchair users
- Ramps into the small winery
- Access ramp from the courtyard into the conservatory tasting room
- Wide doors for wheelchair access into the conservatory
- Grass pathway and alleys into the vineyard - access limited if the ground is wet
- Wheelchair route around the grass alleys in the upper part of the vineyard (rolled regularly to keep as level as possible)
- Access to the riverbank, jetty and bird hide is not suitable for wheelchairs
Wheelchair users and visitors with restricted mobility are warmly welcomed. Arrangements should be made well in advance so that access - particularly to the vineyard, which depends on the weather - can be evaluated and prepared.
Dog-Friendly Vineyards
The vineyard is genuinely dog-friendly. Well-behaved dogs are welcome to run free (within reason) in the vineyard when attending a Tête-à-tête or a Wine Safari. For tutored wine tastings, where there are other guests, dogs should be on a lead.
For the dogs themselves:
- Chance for a spot of mousing amid the vines
- Chance to swim in Kingfishers Pool (part of the Rothley Brook)
- Wet-room shower (ask for a dog towel)
- Water bowls
- Poo bag bins
- A mattress on request
- Free running on Tête-à-tête and Safari tours
- Plenty of interesting smells
And for the paw-rents:
- The opportunity to enjoy great English wine in a wonderful vineyard while exercising your four-legged friend
- Hen or badger poo to roll in
- Fox poo remover on standby
Car Parking
Visitor parking is available on the side paddock. This can be a little muddy on wet days, so do wear appropriate footwear. When events are running, signage on Westfield Lane will direct you to the right pull-in. Parking is not permitted on the roadside; guests arriving on foot are also welcome to use the paddock entrance.
Buying Rothley Wine
The vineyard is currently unable to take internet orders or send wine by courier, but wines can be ordered and collected by appointment.
Click & Collect
Orders can be placed through the Click & Collect form, by emailing rothleywine@btinternet.com, or by phoning 0116 237 5168. Payment is by credit card, BACS or cash, taken when the wine is collected. Wine can only be ordered and collected by people over 18. Collection is from 43 Westfield Lane, Rothley, LE7 7LH.
Mail Order and Online Retailers
For internet orders and home delivery, Rothley wines are stocked by George Hill Ltd, the renowned Loughborough wine merchants, who can deliver most of the range. The vineyard's own David North's Delicatessen is also a stockist, alongside a wide selection of independent retailers across Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and beyond. The full list includes:
- Rothley: Kingfishers' Pool Vineyard (Click & Collect by appointment), Norths Delicatessen, Great Central Dining Cars
- Mountsorrel: Wilfred Pinsent & Grandson
- Quorn: The Manor House
- Leicester: Cask23, Deli Flavour, Bryter Moon, The Offie, Knighton Londis
- Loughborough: The Needle and Pin micropub, George Hill Ltd Wine Merchants, Charnwood Brewery shop, Great Central Gift Shop, Radnor Restaurant (Loughborough College)
- Nottinghamshire: Delilah Fine Foods (Nottingham)
- Melton Mowbray: Ragdale Hall, Brocklesbys Pie Shop
- Market Harborough: The Roaming Artisan
- Oakham: Ovation Wine Bar
- Staunton Harold: Staunton Deli
- Lutterworth: The Cork and Hop
- Market Bosworth: Battle of Bosworth Visitor Centre
- Donnington Le Heath: 1620s House
Great Central Railway Wine and Cheese Events 2026
While the vineyard's own experiences are paused, Rothley wines are poured at the Great Central Railway's Wine and Cheese events. The confirmed 2026 dates are:
- 8 August 2026
- 19 September 2026
- 17 October 2026
- 7 November 2026
- 5 December 2026
Full information and bookings are available via the Great Central Railway dining page.
Plan Your Visit
Rothley Wine Estate - Kingfishers' Pool Vineyard - is located at 43 Westfield Lane, Rothley, Leicestershire, LE7 7LH. Telephone 0116 237 5168 or email rothleywine@btinternet.com to make an appointment or order wine.
The vineyard's principal place of business (Rothley Wine Ltd) is 154 Rothley Road, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, LE12 7JX.