Tillingham Vineyard: Natural & Biodynamic Wines on a 13th-Century Sussex Farmstead
Tillingham is one of the most distinctive natural-wine estates in the south of England: a 13th-century farmstead that has been quietly turned into a working biodynamic vineyard, a winery, a Michelin Green Star restaurant, eleven bedrooms, a wood-fired pizza barn and a small, fiercely independent cultural programme, all on 70 acres of rolling East Sussex countryside a few miles from the hilltop town of Rye.
It is part farm, part winery, part country hotel, and the seams are deliberately thin. Sheep move slowly through the vineyard plots over winter; Georgian qvevri sit in the winery re-waxed with beeswax; vegetables, herbs and edible flowers come from a 15-minute walk to the walled garden; and almost everything visitors eat and drink has been grown, raised or made within sight of the restaurant terrace.
A 13th-century mixed farm in the Tillingham River valley
Tillingham sits amongst 70 acres of rolling hills and woodlands with far-reaching views along the Tillingham River valley and across to the fortified, hilltop town of Rye, the sea and the Romney salt marshes. The mixed farm itself dates from the 13th century and today is home to vineyards, fruit trees, ancient woodland and livestock: laying hens, Golden Guernsey goats and Mangalitsa pigs tended by head gardener Becca Davidson and livestock farmers Sophie and James.
The recently renovated farmstead provides a place to stay, eat and explore the produce of the farm and the wider local area. Tillingham's philosophy is best summarised as progressive: incorporating the best contemporary scientific and technological knowledge available while championing ancient traditions and best practice learnt from millennia of farming and winemaking. The team is committed to farming in a diverse, polycultural way, with the conviction that biodynamics, alongside mixed cover crops, Johnson Su bioreactor additions, fermented plant teas and Korean Natural Farming methods, restores soils to an optimum level of organic matter and microbial and wider ecological diversity.
Getting there is part of the appeal. The Vineyard Trail is a gentle 3.5-mile walk from Rye station to Tillingham via public footpaths, just over an hour of walking through the Sussex Weald.
Winemaking at Tillingham
Winemaking is led by wine manager Tierney Beames alongside head winemaker Salvatore and vineyard manager Seb, working across a programme that mixes traditional and ancient methods with minimal-intervention thinking. Concrete eggs, stainless steel, 1,300-litre fuders and a small fleet of buried Georgian qvevri are all in play, and the team is unusually honest about re-waxing the qvevri with rollers and blowtorches as an ancient, anti-bacterial way of reducing clay porosity.
The vineyard is young, planted and replanted over the last decade, and now hosts a deliberately wide mix of varieties. White and orange varieties include Ortega, Müller-Thurgau, Chenin Blanc, Siegerrebe, Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier; reds lean on Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Précoce, Regent and the more adventurous Trousseau and Pineau d'Aunis, the latter pair blended and co-fermenting in fuder. The cellar also runs in keg, with about 12,800 bottles' worth of 2024 still wines going into keg format so the restaurant can pour fizz, white, rosé and red from tank without the bottle.
The wines of Tillingham
Tillingham's range spans natural-method sparkling wines, skin-contact whites, pét-nats, rosés, lighter reds and small-batch cuvées:
- PN23 Pét-Nat. Gentle bubbles enlivened with wild strawberry and rhubarb, leading to a floral finish with complex apricot notes. The first pét-nat release of recent years.
- Traditional Method Sparkling. A blend far from conventional, with Pinot Noir, Müller-Thurgau, Chenin Blanc and Ortega, finishing on the lees and nearing its first disgorge after a long time out of the spotlight.
- Qvevri Ortega. Skin-contact Ortega raised entirely in buried Georgian qvevri.
- Orange Ortega. The earlier expression of qvevri-aged Ortega, recently re-released from cellar stock.
- Pinot Gris. A new release alongside the Qvevri Ortega and Pinot Noir Précoce.
- Pinot Noir Précoce 2023. An elegant, spicy red of which only 590 bottles exist, released just in time for Bonfire Night and a winter of slow-cooked food.
- Endgrain, Rosé and R. The trio of core Tillingham still wines, all returned to shelves in mid-summer. R is sometimes referred to in the Tillingham journal as the "English gamay".
- Col '23 PINK and Rosé. Two pink wines that anchor the summer "Pink Bundle" and are poured through summer on the bar.
- FLOR (third release). The smallest-production cuvée, recommended with cheese in cooler months.
- Chenin Blanc (Qvevri). Only 478 bottles in existence, a still Chenin Blanc raised in qvevri from biodynamically farmed fruit in the UK, a combination Tillingham believes has never existed before.
Bottles are available to buy direct from the online shop, with bundles released seasonally: a Pink Bundle, the R red-wine bundle and a Bonfire Bundle built around the new Pinot Noir Précoce release are three recent examples.
Where to stay at Tillingham
The accommodation sits in what was formerly the farm's hop barn and now offers 11 unique double rooms, plus two luxury bell tents in the grounds bookable seasonally from April through to September. All rooms include a farmhouse breakfast the following morning as part of bed and breakfast.
- Room 11 boasts a freestanding tub, separate shower room and super king-size bed.
- Room 4 uses a private terrace with shower-over-bath and vineyard views.
- Room 10 is a spacious super-king space with views across the vineyard to Rye and the sea.
- Woodland-facing rooms with king or super king-size beds and shower rooms stocked with Fill, the zero-waste closed-loop refill amenities brand.
- Dew and Pelsham are tucked behind the Oast house with king-size beds, private terrace, log burner, wool blankets, fire pit and their own outdoor loo.
Rooms are deliberately TV-free to enhance tranquillity and immersion, with Roberts radios and Wi-Fi in the main buildings in their place. A small number are dog-friendly, and guests are asked to check the dog policy and contact the team before booking. Tillingham is unable to accommodate children under the age of 12 in the rooms or restaurant for lunch or dinner, and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Voucher bookings should be arranged directly with stay@tillingham.com; direct online bookings are taken via the Guestline booking engine or the Book a room page.
For a longer escape, the Mid-Week Whole Bunch Two-Night Getaway (checking in Wednesday, departing Friday) bundles a dinner in the Michelin Green Star restaurant, wood-fired pizza under the Dutch Barn, a wine tour and tasting on either day, the farmhouse breakfast both mornings and a luxury room from £595 for two people (from £297 per person).
The restaurant, the pizza barn and the bar
Upstairs Restaurant
Tillingham's Michelin Green Star restaurant is open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday (seatings 18:00 - 20:00) with an a la carte menu built around the walled garden, surrounding farms, meat reared on Tillingham's own pastures and fish caught daily at Rye Harbour. Lunch is served Friday to Sunday, 12:00 - 15:00, and on Friday and Saturday the kitchen runs an à la carte lunch while Sunday is dedicated to a Sunday Roast at £40 for two courses and £45 for three courses.
The largest table in the Upstairs Restaurant seats eight; the Private Dining Room, which overlooks the vines to the east and comes directly off the main restaurant, seats up to 16 and runs a set menu priced from £60 per head for lunch or dinner. Bookings go through Upstairs at Tillingham on SevenRooms; sample menus for the current restaurant menu and the Sunday Roast are also available.
Head chef Adam Swain leads the kitchen, with sous chef Micky, exec chef and general manager Tom, and pastry chef Maisy Bull, who works closely with Becca's walled garden and Olivia the sommelier on paired tastings with the chefs.
Pizza Barn and Bar
The Pizza Barn under the Dutch Barn is open Monday to Sunday, 12:00 - 20:00 daily, and is the spot for a more relaxed lunch between the vineyard and the goats. Bookings are taken via Tillingham Pizza on SevenRooms; the pizza menu is available as a Pizza Menu PDF.
The bar runs from 11:00 to 23:00 every day, with bar food from 12:00 to late and a weekday Happy Hour Monday to Friday, 17:00 - 18:00. From spring 2025 most of the still wine list is being poured from keg, including the 2024 Rosé and R, so even the cheapest glass still arrives from tank without ever touching a bottle.
Wine tours and tastings
Public tours run every day and last around 90 minutes, costing £40 per person, with start times of 11:00, 14:00 or 16:00 depending on the day. Each tour covers the working winery and the surrounding vineyards and finishes with a tasting of four Tillingham wines. The largest group on a public tour is seven.
For larger groups, private tours and tastings can be arranged for groups of 8 or more at £50 per person, usually by emailing tours@tillingham.com. Tour bookings are taken via the Wine Tours reservation page on SevenRooms. Bookings can be changed up to 24 hours before the allotted day; cancellations outside that window are charged in full.
Events, courses and the cultural programme
Throughout the year Tillingham runs a wide and slightly eclectic events programme: winemaker dinners, foraging days, wellness and spa retreats, craft courses, art exhibitions and seasonal parties. Past workshops and collaborations recorded in the Tillingham journal include:
- Celestial Summer Art Workshop with Chiara Perano: a £55-per-person evening under the Dutch Barn, including a glass of fizz, with the painter whose work is informed by biodynamic cycles and full-moon rises.
- Screen-printing Workshop with Anthony Burrill, the graphic artist known for work in the Tate Modern and V&A collections.
- New Year's Eve with DJ Antonia Deeson, a fixture that brings together a wine-paired dinner, a house-party crowd and a midnight set on the decks.
- In-Room Treatments with Ruth Aird, a signature Tillingham facial and massage menu including a buccal facial massage technique launching in 2025.
- POM Lager, a collaboration with local brewers Brewing Brothers using grape pomace from Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay, available on draught in the Bar and in tins.
The summer art programme is a particular feature. The current show in the bar and restaurant is Annie Mackin's "Vinum Laetificat Cor Hominum" ("Wine Makes Glad the Heart of People"). The exhibition opens with a private view on 10 July, 4:30pm - 8:00pm, where guests can meet the artist with a glass of wine, and runs in the restaurant and bar until 6 September.
Weddings and private hire
Weddings at Tillingham are described as "just magical". Couples planning a wedding are offered a complimentary glass of fizz on arrival followed by a guided estate tour; the property is available for full takeover for larger groups, with more intimate wedding parties invited to use the Private Dining Room. The Wedding Concierge works with hotel bookings to arrange a personal tour.
Beyond weddings, the converted Dutch Barn and the wider estate lend themselves to away-days, day-trips, stay-overs, creative workshops and large outdoor gatherings. Private dining in the Private Dining Room starts from £60 per head, with the room seating 9 to 14 guests. Private wine tours and tastings run at £50 per person for groups of 8 or more. Both corporate events and weddings are handled by emailing events@tillingham.com, and a Wedding Brochure and Corporate Events Brochure are available on request.
Gift vouchers for rooms, tours, dining and experiences can be purchased through the Tillingham voucher portal.
The team
Tillingham is a deliberately interdisciplinary place to work. Tierney Beames is wine manager and the voice behind the monthly journal, documenting everything from budburst to bottling. Salvatore oversees the winemaking and is fond of reminding the team that wines, like teenagers, are sometimes shy and awkward but eventually turn into balanced adults. Seb manages the vineyard, Adam Swain leads the kitchen as head chef with Tom as exec chef and general manager, and Maisy Bull runs the pastry section, working in close conversation with Becca Davidson in the walled garden. Olivia is the in-house sommelier and runs wine pairings with the chefs. Ruth Aird has introduced a holistic spa menu available in-room, and florist Karen looks after the cut-flower displays that turn the restaurant into a still life.
The kitchen and the cellar stay connected. Olivia recently hosted a sommelier session for the chefs to taste the wines against the dessert menu, which has begun to change how Maisy thinks about pairing.
Practical information: how to visit Tillingham
Tillingham is at Dew Farm, Dew Lane, Peasmarsh, East Sussex, TN31 6XD. The Vineyard Trail from Rye station is the most scenic approach, but most visitors arrive by car. General enquiries go to info@tillingham.com or by telephone on 01797 208226; press and media enquiries should be sent to Holly@Tillingham.com.
- Restaurant dinner: Wednesday to Sunday, 18:00 - 20:00.
- Restaurant lunch: Friday to Sunday, 12:00 - 15:00 (à la carte Fri & Sat; Sunday Roast Sun).
- Pizza Barn: Monday to Sunday, 12:00 - 20:00.
- Bar: Monday to Sunday, 11:00 - 23:00. Bar food from 12:00; Happy Hour Mon - Fri 17:00 - 18:00.
- Wine tours & tastings: daily at 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00, from £40 per person.
Bottles can be bought direct via the Tillingham online shop, and a brand-new Tillingham Wine Club with three subscription tiers is launching in October. The Founding Members' waitlist is open, the winery is active on Instagram @tillinghamwines, and a regular newsletter and a dedicated Offers page share new releases and seasonal bundles.