insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 04 - June 2015 | Page 37

food+drink

Jethro Carr, Owen Elias, Christen Monge and Peter Bayless

Kingscote Estate vineyard and visitor centre

Kingscote Wines outside visitor centre

Shop

Country Pursuits

Kingscote Estate wines and ‘cyder’ are on
sale in the Kingscote Estate shop along
with many other brands of sparkling and
English wines and local artisan foods.
Kingscote Estate white wines available to
purchase are: Bacchus Chardonnay, Fat
Fumé and The Bacchus. Kingscote premium
sparkling ‘Cyder’ is made using Champagne
techniques. Kingscote Wines have just won
Decanter Awards medals: Silver for Fat
Fumé and Bronze for both The Bacchus and
Bacchus Chardonnay.

Kingscote Estate has two picturesque fishing lakes, offering a very high standard of coarse fishing
and fly-fishing under instruction. Fishing is available on a day-pass. Birds of prey experience events
can be arranged on-site, teamed with Huxley’s Birds of Prey Centre. Ray Ward Guns-tutored clay
shooting can be booked for all capability levels.

Corporate Days
The visitor centre barn and cookery school is
available for corporate hire and events. The
stunning tithe barn provides a flexible space
suited to a number of different uses such as
exhibitions, meetings, parties, conferences
and team building events.

Family Days
Train children to be master chefs whilst
enjoying a tour of the vineyard and winery.
At the end of the cookery class, children and
parents can sit and enjoy the food together
either out on the lawns or inside the barn.

School Trips
A schedule of activities can be arranged for
school trips which can include a tour of the
vineyard and winery, time with a chef in the
cookery school, and other activities on-site
or in the Kingscote Valley such as horse
riding, falconry, fly fishing, mountain-biking,
canoeing, camping, ultimate laser and a ride
on the Bluebell Railway.

Art Courses
Wilde Art @ Kingscote day courses offer a
unique combination of high quality art tuition
and wine tasting for all ability levels. Kingscote
Estate provides a rich diversity of stimuli to
further or discover creative talents. Choose to
study landscape, architecture, plants, horses,
trains or more.

Vineyard & Bluebell Railway

The Estate and Vineyards
The 150-acre Kingscote Estate previously
formed part of the 1000-acre Gravetye Estate
owned by the ‘father of the English country
garden’, horticulturist and author William
Robinson.
15 acres of vines were initially planted between
2010 and 2013, including Pinot Meunier, Pinot
Noir, Chardonnay, Bacchus, Pinot Blanc and
Regent grapes. The vineyards have been
planted on south facing slopes in the land of the
original English country garden established by
William Robinson and set within the picturesque
backdrop of the Kingscote Valley. The vineyards
have been established to produce more than
100,000 bottles of still and sparkling wine
per annum. 2014 saw Kingscote Estate’s first
harvest. A two-acre apple orchard was planted
in 2011 with 14 different varieties of classic
English apples including Bramley, Jonagold, Cox
and Spartan.
Kingscote Estate Winery contains all the latest
technology for producing premium sparkling
and still wine. All the stages of wine production
from vine to the shop can be undertaken
on-site. In development is a new range of still
wines and a sparkling wine. Award-winning
executive winemaker, Owen Elias, oversees the

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establishment of vines and wine production at
Kingscote Estate.
Public footpaths and a bridle path run through
the estate and connect it to the Gravetye Woods
and local attractions in Kingscote Valley, with the
River Medway meandering through the estate
and valley. The Bluebell Railway steam trains
can be viewed from the estate and you can even
travel by steam train to get to the Kingscote
Valley area. Deers Leap mountain bikes are
available to hire.
Vineyard tours and wine tasting can be booked
and a voucher makes the perfect gift.
Kingscote Estate is proud to be part of
Exper