What we love about Hattingley is the atmosphere at the cellar door. It’s passionate, welcoming and youthful; if you’ve ever visited a New World vineyard, you’ll know what we mean.

Glamorous on the outside it may be, but on the inside winemaking is tough. A late-harvest frost might wipe out your crop and the margins are small especially for our plucky Hampshire vineyards who don’t have the budget or history of your Moët or your Veuve. Yet, the world is waking up to the brilliant sparkling wine produced right here in the South (we’re on the same chalk seam as Champagne, folks!).

Still, to pull it off you need to be resilient and, more than anything, passionate. When needs-must during harvest time the whole Hattingley team (and a small army of volunteers) grubs-in with the delicate process of picking. And that’s just the beginning of the journey from grape to glass. Once the fruit is in the winery, the team then begins a process that can take up to seven years and which in the end, results in some seriously good quality English wine.

Don’t just take our word for how good it is – Hattingley has picked up a string of awards in industry competitions, including a Gold for their Classic Reserve at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships.

Picking up the reigns from the trailblazing Emma Rice, Hattingley Valley appointed Robert MacCulloch as their new Head Wine Maker in 2022. Previously client winemaker for Hawke’s Bay Wine Company in New Zealand, MacCulloch is a Master of Wine – one of only around 400 in the world – and has a Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology. And he brings global experience and know-how, having worked in vineyards as far afield Australia’s Margaret River, Germany’s Mosel Valley, South Africa’s Olifants River, New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay and the Napa Valley in California.

Alongside the critically-acclaimed fizz Hattingley Valley is known for, the producer now makes some some excellent still wines too including rosé, chardonnay and a German-style Entice dessert wine, made in the style of an ice wine.

The Hattingley Valley team also runs vineyard tours, so you can visit the 600-tonne winery, barrel barn and tasting rooms, sit at the cellar door, hear the stories and taste the wine: one of the best ways to sample this special, local fizz. Cheers!