Bolney winery to double in size in merger

As Bolney Wine Estate in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, continues to establish itself as a leading producer of high-quality English wine, the vineyard has announced a merger with neighbouring vineyard Pookchurch Vineyard.

The merger will see the pair form a 104-acre estate dedicated to increasing the production of premium still English wines.

Following the addition of the neighbouring 67-acre Pookchurch estate, the newly enlarged vineyard will see the area planted with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Bacchus, Pinot Menuier and Chardonnay.

Pookchurch is also expected to produce an additional 200 tonnes of grapes for the estate, allowing Bolney Wine Estate to boost its production to around 300,000 bottles a year by 2022.

Sam Linter, a managing director and lead winemaker at Bolney Wine Estate, said the merger will see the winery further establish itself as one of the key players in the English wine industry and added it marks a “big step forward” in putting still English wine on the map.

“Merging with Pookchurch’s vineyard has strengthened our business for the future,” explained Linter.

“Both Bolney Wine Estate and Pookchurch Vineyard share the same sandstone soils and aspect so there is a lot of potential for new single vineyard wines.

“It’s also an opportunity to increase research, development and benefit from greater economies of scale across the larger vineyard.”

David Wood, Pookchurch founder, echoed Linter’s excitement and added the merger firmly puts them within the top 10 of English wine brands.

“This is a really exciting period of growth for us, by combining our vineyards we are in a powerful position to grow the brand and facilities across the estate,” he added.