Tanhurst Estate Vineyard - A Family-Run Winery on Leith Hill in the Surrey Hills
A boutique English vineyard on the slopes of Leith Hill
Nestled on the sheltered, southwest-facing slopes of Leith Hill in the heart of the Surrey Hills National Landscape, Tanhurst Estate Vineyard is the only vineyard and winery on Leith Hill. It is a quiet, family-run enterprise that, in the space of just a few years, has grown from a single field of Pinot Noir planted in the winter of 2020 to a 30,000-vine estate producing still and sparkling wines that increasingly turn heads well beyond Surrey.
Owned and looked after by Colin and Sarah Grimes, who have lived and worked on Leith Hill for forty years, Tanhurst Estate sits on land that has been in the Grimes family since 1826. The estate, originally part of Birkett's Farm, was a cattle farm dating back to the sixteenth century. Today, the pastures and hedgerows are still here, the woodland is still here, but the cattle have given way to vines - and a small winery converted from an abandoned barn now hums quietly at the heart of the property.
A family affair rooted in farming and forestry
Tanhurst is, in every sense, a family affair. Colin and Sarah are supported by their eldest daughter Hannah (Vineyard Manager), their youngest daughter Laura (Events Coordinator, working remotely from Devon), and Terry Knight, a trained engineer who has been with the family for two decades and tends to everything from fencing to mowing. At harvest and in the winery, they are joined by Salvatore Leone, their Sicilian-born consultant winemaker whose career has spanned thirty-eight harvests across seven countries, including senior roles at Pernod Ricard, Constellation Wines and Bodega Familia Zuccardi. Salvatore brings a quiet, technical precision to the wines and a philosophy that lets the Leith Hill terroir do the talking.
A unique position in the Surrey Hills
The location is one of Tanhurst Estate's quiet superpowers. Leith Hill is the highest point in south-east England, its tower topping out at 1,029 ft (313 m) and, on a clear day, offering views from the English Channel to Big Ben. The vineyard itself sits on a transition from the greensand of Leith Hill to the clay of the Weald - a mix that, together with the well-drained loamy soils and gentle south-westerly aspect, is ideal for ripening cool-climate grape varieties. The estate is bordered by ancient woodland, much of it a Site of Special Scientific Interest, alive with tawny owls, dormice, ferns, buzzards, kestrels and a returning population of swallows.
The vineyard and the vines
The first four and a half acres of Pinot Noir were planted in the winter of 2020 after Colin and Sarah ploughed and harrowed the field by hand and erected deer fencing made from locally sourced sweet chestnut timber to keep out the roe deer, badgers and rabbits. A further 12,000 vines followed in 2021, including superior clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir Précoce. In 2023, two new fields of Cabernet Cortis and Sauvignon Blanc were planted - the first vines in the UK to carry these varieties in any significant number - and these will come into production in 2026. Vines are spaced at 1.2 m in 2.2 m rows to maximise light in an English climate.
The first harvest, taken in 2022, was small but hugely symbolic: a still Rosé made from Pinot Noir that has since become the estate's calling card. The first Chardonnay and Bacchus followed, and after two years on the lees, the first sparkling wines - a Classic Cuvée and a sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé - were released in 2025. The full range now comprises five wines, all of them fermented and bottled on the estate.
The grapes and the wines
Tanhurst Estate grows a tight portfolio of varieties chosen to thrive on Leith Hill. The reds - Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir Précoce - underpin the still Rosé and both sparkling wines. The whites - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Bacchus - produce three distinctive still wines, with the Cabernet Cortis waiting in the wings for the first red still release.
- Pinot Noir - the estate's foundation variety; produces juicy, light-bodied wines with complex red fruit aromas and herbal, earthy notes.
- Pinot Meunier - brings mellow cherry and berry flavours that soften the intensity of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blends.
- Pinot Noir Précoce - an early-ripening clone with bright red fruit and herbaceous notes.
- Cabernet Cortis - a newer, hardy variety producing rich, dark-fruit wines with herbal character.
- Chardonnay - the classic sparkling white, thriving in southern England with flavours of green apple, citrus and a whisper of oak.
- Sauvignon Blanc - one of only a handful of UK plantings; zesty, fragrant, dry with bright citrus and mineral notes.
- Bacchus - the cool-climate aromatic workhorse, full of elderflower, gooseberry, citrus and high acidity.
Wine names with deep local roots
The five wines in the current range take their names from the geography that surrounds the vineyard - a conscious echo of the French tradition that the place itself is part of the wine's identity. The three still wines - Stonymoor (Chardonnay), Rosiers (Rosé) and Whitings (Bacchus) - are named after three areas of ancient wet woodland directly above the vineyard, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest rich in ferns and dormice that Colin has managed for forty years. The two sparkling wines take their names from nearby villages: Felday, the estate's Classic Cuvée, is named after an area in the woodland village of Holmbury St Mary, while Folles, the Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, takes the earliest recorded name for the hamlet of Forest Green, nestled at the foot of Holmbury Hill and Leith Hill.
The Tanhurst Estate range
Rosiers Rosé 2023 - £18
The wine that started it all. Made from 100% Pinot Noir clones grown on the Leith Hill slopes, this pale, moreish rosé has notes of peach, pomegranate and wild strawberries, a juicy mouthfeel and a clean mineral finish. At 11.5% vol, it is an easy, food-friendly English rosé that pairs beautifully with salads, seafood, Mediterranean pasta and soft cheeses. Buy Rosiers Rosé.
Whitings Bacchus White 2023 - £20
A crisp, aromatic 100% Bacchus with top notes of ripe stone fruit, kiwi and elderflower, deepening into basil, sage and tomato leaf, and finishing with grapefruit and green apple. At 10.81% vol, it is best served chilled (8 - 10°C) in a Sauvignon Blanc-style glass and shines alongside grilled salmon, asparagus, English goat's cheese or summer salads. Buy Whitings Bacchus.
Stonymoor Chardonnay 2023 - £21
The estate's first single-barrel oak Chardonnay, made from 100% Chardonnay grown on the Leith Hill slopes. Delicately nutty with jasmine on the nose, fragrant white fig, melon and apricot on the palate, and a subtle hazelnut and white chocolate complexity from oak ageing. At 12% vol, it pairs with grilled vegetables, lightly spiced white meats, charcuterie and seafood. Buy Stonymoor Chardonnay.
Folles Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé 2022 - £29
A pale salmon-pink traditional-method sparkling rosé made from 100% Pinot Noir. The nose offers white nectarine, cherry, wild strawberry and a touch of almond blossom; the palate is crisp, mineral and refreshing, with delicate creamy fruit. Serve cool (5 - 8°C) as an aperitif or with grilled fish, prawns, summer salads or light chicken dishes. Buy Folles Sparkling Rosé.
Felday Classic Cuvée 2022 - £33
The estate's debut white sparkling blend: 47% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 16% Pinot Meunier, with no dosage added after disgorging. A pale golden sparkler with an alluring nose of brioche, toasted almonds and white stone fruit, leading into a rich, layered palate of medlar, citrus and stone fruit with crisp balancing acidity and a creamy Chardonnay finish. Serve chilled (8 - 10°C) as an aperitif, or with lobster, scallops, creamy sauces or roast poultry. Buy Felday Classic Cuvée.
Cases and gift options
Each wine is also available in half cases of six bottles and full cases of twelve, with free local delivery within a five-mile radius of Birketts Farm on orders of six bottles or more. Half case prices range from £102 (Rosiers) to £192 (Felday); full cases range from £194 (Rosiers) to £372 (Felday). Collection is by appointment from the winery, and the estate operates a Challenge 25 policy on all collections and deliveries.
Winemaking at Tanhurst Estate
Every part of Tanhurst Estate's winemaking happens on the estate, from harvest to bottle. Vines are hand-tended and hand-harvested at peak ripeness, with bunches rushed from the field to the winery within hours - often minutes - of being picked. Pressing intensity is varied by variety; Pinot Noir's fragile skins and Pinot Meunier's more robust character demand different treatment. The first, lightest pressing produces the prestige juice that goes into the top cuvées.
Fermentation takes place predominantly in closed stainless-steel tanks, with selected parcels in oak barrels for added texture and complexity. Salvatore personally monitors each batch with minimal intervention, tasting and testing continually to let each wine develop its own natural personality from the Leith Hill terroir. Ageing, blending and bottling are all done on site, in a winery that has been converted from an old, abandoned barn with sustainability at its core.
Visit Tanhurst Estate - tours, tastings and the café
Vineyard tours and tastings
The flagship experience at Tanhurst Estate is a guided vineyard tour and tutored tasting, priced at £25 per person. Lasting around 1.5 hours, it begins with an introduction to the vines, the annual growth cycle and the winemaking philosophy of the estate, followed by a guided walk through the vineyard with views across the Surrey Hills. The tour finishes in the tasting barn with a guided tasting of all five Tanhurst Estate wines, accompanied by complimentary tasting bites, a complimentary glass of your favourite wine from the tasting and £5 of the ticket price redeemable against any wine purchases.
Tours run every Friday and Sunday from 4 pm to 6 pm, from 1 May to early October. Advanced booking is essential, with a minimum of two and a maximum of fifteen guests per group. The walk includes some uneven and hilly terrain, so comfortable shoes are recommended. Book a vineyard tour and tasting online.
Tanhurst Estate Café
Open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm in Hither Barn, the vineyard café serves Chimney Fire Coffee (an American Espresso blend roasted at Denbies Wine Estate), loose-leaf teas, cold drinks and a changing menu of locally sourced treats - cakes, hot sausage rolls, bacon baps, quiche and salads. Tanhurst Estate wines are available by the glass or bottle, and guests are invited to take a complimentary self-guided walk through the vineyard while they visit. Directional signs with QR codes lead walkers and cyclists in from the National Trust parking area at Starveall's Car Park. The café is closed the weekend of 15 & 16 August 2026 for staff holiday, although wines can still be ordered online.
Private and corporate hire - Hither Barn
The Hither Barn, the same space that hosts the café, can also be hired for private and corporate entertaining. The fully accessible barn has Wi-Fi, step-free access, accessible toilets, free parking and a commercial kitchen, and can host 20 - 40 seated guests for daytime or evening events from 1 May to 31 October 2026, Tuesday to Wednesday (daytime 9 am - 5 pm, evenings 6 pm - 10:30 pm). Catering and Tanhurst wines can be arranged; corporate tour and tasting add-ons are also available. Enquiries via tanhurstestate@gmail.com.
Holiday barns on the estate
For visitors who want to soak up the vineyard at a slower pace, three beautifully converted timber-framed barns sit in a peaceful clearing on the southern slopes of Leith Hill, with breathtaking views reaching the South Downs.
- Great Foxmoor Barn - sleeps eight across four bedrooms (three bathrooms); luxurious super-king, king and twin rooms, vaulted-ceiling open-plan living, induction Rangemaster kitchen and Scandinavian sauna available for hire at £20 per hour. View Great Foxmoor Barn.
- Middle Foxmoor Barn - sleeps four across two bedrooms (one bathroom), ideal for couples and small families, with the same views, oak beams and Scandinavian sauna. View Middle Foxmoor Barn.
- Little Foxmoor Barn - sleeps four across two bedrooms (one bathroom), a romantic retreat that can also be booked alongside Great Foxmoor Barn for larger groups. View Little Foxmoor Barn.
All three barns are family and couples only, with a two-night minimum stay, free Wi-Fi, Hypnos beds, TVs in every bedroom, off-road parking and Christmas decoration as standard. Bookings are handled through Holiday Cottages.
Events and what's on at Tanhurst Estate
Tanhurst Estate runs a small but carefully curated calendar of vineyard events through the spring and summer months, alongside its regular Friday and Sunday tours.
- Midsummer Music & Wine - Thursday 23 July 2026, 7 pm - 9 pm. An intimate evening of live harp music from internationally acclaimed harpist Luisa, with a glass of estate sparkling Cuvée or rosé and matching canapés. Limited to 40 seats at £26.50 per person. Read more and book.
- Whoof and Wine - Dog Walk - from 30 May 2026. A 1-hour-15-minute guided dog walk around Tanhurst Estate and Leith Hill followed by a tasting of estate wines at the café. £10 per human, dogs free, limited to 30 places. Find out more.
- Woods and Wine - Free Walk - from 30 May 2026. A leisurely wildlife walk through the estate's ancient woodland, followed by an opportunity to taste Tanhurst and other Vineyards of the Surrey Hills wines. Free, donations welcome.
As a member of the Vineyards of the Surrey Hills - alongside Albury Organic, Chilworth Manor, Denbies, Greyfriars, High Clandon and Soloms Court - Tanhurst Estate also takes part in Surrey Hills Wine Week and English Wine Week celebrations, and hosts its own festival days such as the Tanhurst Estate Festival of Wine.
Sustainability at the heart of the estate
Sustainability is not a marketing tagline at Tanhurst Estate - it is the operating system. The Grimes family manages the woodland under a Countryside Stewardship scheme with Natural England supervision, and the vineyard itself is farmed regeneratively: grass grows naturally between the vine rows, including white clover and chamomile, providing food for bees and butterflies and reducing soil erosion. Sheep are brought in to graze the vineyard after harvest and over the winter until bud break, providing natural fertiliser and weed control. The deer fencing is made from locally sourced sweet chestnut timber, and the winery - converted from an old barn - was built with sustainability in mind. Buying a Tanhurst wine is, quite literally, buying local: low food miles, low intervention, and direct support for a Surrey family business.
Places to visit and places to eat nearby
Tanhurst Estate is a perfect base for exploring the wider Surrey Hills, and the team has curated a generous list of recommendations. Within easy reach are the National Trust's Leith Hill Place and its Rhododendron Wood, the iconic Leith Hill Tower, Polesden Lacey, Box Hill, Newlands Corner, the picture-postcard village of Shere, the Abinger Cookery School and the magnificent RHS Garden Wisley. For walkers and cyclists, the Surrey Hills network of footpaths and mountain-bike trails is on the doorstep, with bike hire in Westcott and Peaslake. Day-trippers can also reach the South Downs National Park, Arundel Castle, Brighton and the Blue Flag beach at West Wittering.
For food and drink, local favourites include The Parrot at Forest Green, The Scarlett Arms at Walliswood, The Chequers at Rowhook, The Abinger Hatch, The William IV at Albury, the historic Gomshall Mill, the AA 2-Rosette Kingham's Restaurant in Shere, La Casita in Guildford and the rooftop Thai Terrace.
A vineyard with deep history beneath its feet
Tanhurst Estate sits within the candidate area for one of the most important Saxon battles in English history - the Battle of Aclea, fought in 851 AD between an invading Danish Viking army and the army of Wessex led by King Æthelwulf and his son Æthelbald. Local historian Murray Price and his team of metal detectorists, the Bearded Bleepers, believe the battle may have taken place on the slopes of Leith Hill, near the old Roman road of Stane Street that the Vikings would have used to march south from London. Murray and the team recently visited Tanhurst Estate with the BBC's Simon Furber and Fiona McCarthy, and the resulting episode of the regional BBC Secret Surrey series - The Lost Battle of Surrey - can be heard on BBC Sounds.
Plan your visit
Tanhurst Estate Vineyard is located at Birketts Farm, Tanhurst Lane, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey RH5 6LZ (what3words: ///noises.heave.rungs). The vineyard café is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm, and vineyard tours and tastings (£25 per person) run every Friday and Sunday at 4 pm from May to early October. Wine can be purchased online, by appointment from the winery, or at the café. For all enquiries, telephone 07790 845112 or email info@tanhurstestate.co.uk. Follow the vineyard on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter for release dates, event announcements and vineyard news.