The Walsingham Estate has farmed this North Norfolk land for generations. The vineyard is the newest thing the family has planted here.

This is how we came to make wine.

The Estate

The estate’s long history here shapes how we grow grapes. When a family has worked the same land for generations, you think beyond a single season. You think in generations.

The chalk under our vineyard goes back to the Cretaceous period. The Stiffkey Valley’s south-facing slopes, its drainage and its microclimate were here long before the estate, and long before Walsingham drew medieval pilgrims.

Our role has always been understanding what this particular land does well and working with rather than against its character.

2019: The Beginning

In April 2019, we planted our first vines. The south-facing field was chosen with free-draining soil in the Stiffkey Valley. Three varieties went in: Bacchus, Solaris, and Pinot Noir.

The decision to plant wasn’t impulsive. England’s wine industry had been proving itself for decades. Climate patterns were shifting. The same chalk seam that runs through Champagne, Chablis, and Burgundy passes through south-eastern England and emerges here in Norfolk. We’re in England’s driest county with good sunshine hours.

Other producers had already shown that grapes ripen in Norfolk. We wanted to know what our particular site in the Stiffkey Valley could do.

We planted young vines in old land and began learning what they had to say.

2022: First Vintage

The vineyard produced its first vintage from Walsingham Estate land in 2022. Three years from planting to first harvest. Quick by vineyard standards, though it felt long at the time.

Those first wines told us something about this site. The Bacchus had the aromatic lift we’d hoped for, with elderflower and green apple over crisp acidity. The Solaris offered citrus and stone fruit. The Pinot Noir surprised us with its balance and structure.

2023: Recognition

The 2023 vintage earned attention from critics whose judgment carries weight.

Jane MacQuitty featured the Pinot Noir as her top English red pick in The Times, describing vibrant, jolly, red plum fruit. That bright style, good with food, was what we’d aimed for.

The WineGB Awards gave Bronze medals to both our Bacchus Reserve 2023 and Pinot Noir 2023.

This recognition arrived faster than expected for a first commercial vintage. It suggested we’d made reasonable decisions about site selection, variety choice, and winemaking approach. It also indicated the Stiffkey Valley has something worthwhile to express through wine.

We also made Traditional Method sparkling wines that year, a Brut and a Demi-Sec. Norfolk’s only sparkling Demi-Sec, as it turned out.

The Winemaking Approach

We keep the winemaking simple and let the fruit lead. In 2023 our still wines were made at Burn Valley and our Traditional Method sparkling at Halfpenny Green.

The big decisions happen in the vineyard: when to pick, which parcel goes where, how the fruit is handled. The 2023 Pinot Noir that The Times picked out was wild fermented in stainless steel with 14 days on skins.

We want each wine to taste of this valley and this chalk, in that year’s weather.

Abbey Grounds

Walsingham Estate has access to the Abbey grounds in Walsingham, eighteen acres of them. We hold our summer tastings in the Abbey Crypt.

The Abbey grounds close in November and reopen in February for the snowdrop season. Visit walsinghamabbey.com for current opening times.

The vines are young. The family has farmed here for generations.

Medieval pilgrims walked these grounds. Now vines grow nearby. Both represent ways of paying attention to place.

2025: Building Foundations

We launched our website in 2025. Our Wine Club now takes members online, with places limited to 50.

The wines are now stocked at Walsingham Farms Shop alongside local produce. They’re also available through selected stockists across Norfolk and Suffolk, including Wyken Vineyards Restaurant, Norfolk Food Hall in Norwich, Bakers and Larners, VinedMe in Walsingham and Thornham, and Stiffkey Stores. You can also order direct from our shop for UK delivery.

What Comes Next

The vines are young. Six years from planting means they’re still establishing the deep root systems that will define their character for decades. Each vintage teaches us something new about how these particular vines respond to the season, the soil, the aspect.

The 2023 vintage told us we’re asking the right questions, even without all the answers yet.

Sustainability

Sheep graze the vineyard in winter and we spray less each year.

When you’ve been responsible for land across centuries, sustainability isn’t a buzzword. It’s how you think about everything. The decisions we make now affect what this land can produce for decades to come.

The Longer View

The Walsingham Estate’s story spans centuries. The vineyard’s story spans years. That contrast provides useful perspective.

The vines are young and we’re still learning what this site can do. Each vintage teaches us a bit more.