Last month, The Tudor Pass team ventured down from Great Fosters to Ridgeview Wine Estate in Ditchling, just beneath the South Downs Ridge to find out more about the brand, explore the vineyard and for a wine tasting to determine which of their fabulous English Sparkling Wines will be available in a wine flight pairing for a special menu and evening in The Tudor Pass at Great Fosters, in Egham on Wednesday, 28th June.

The Day

The day started with a run through the history of the brand with their Head of Trade Sales, Brandon, who told us all about the family-owned business, which came to life in 1995 and has been producing world-class English Sparkling Wine in Sussex ever since, with the ethos of “focusing on quality and sustainability from grape to glass”.

In 2000, their first bottling was released and won English Wine of the Year. Following that, in 2006, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 80th birthday with their Blanc de Blancs 2004 served at her banquet. Ever since, Ridgeview has only increased in popularity, becoming a go-to choice for houses (and hotels!) across the UK and the world, after more than 20 years the production has increased to more than a quarter of a million bottles!

Following a rundown on the history, we were then taken on a tour of their vineyard, where we were shown their wide range of vines, some up to 30 years old, dotted around their 10 acres in the South Downs.

After the tour of the vines, we were then shown to the winery, where Brandon spoke us through the processes of perfecting each of their wines, “from grape to glass”. It was great to get an idea of the full operation of the company, and the wine-making, from processing, to fermenting and then onto aging, which then led us on to exploring their Wine Cellar, where the majority of their wine goes to age.

Following our tour, we were then taken on a guided tasting, by Brandon, of their Signature range and two Limited Edition English Sparkling Wines, all while overlooking panoramic vistas of their Chardonnay vines.

The day was extremely valuable to The Tudor Pass team and it was great to experience everything about the brand ‘hands-on’ as we go on to work together across 4 of the 5 hotels in our Collection and for our Tudor Pass x Ridgeview evening at Great Fosters on Wednesday, 28th June.

Join us for the gastronomic evening in the one Michelin starred Tudor Pass hosted by Head Chef Alex Payne and Ridgeview’s Ambassador Brandon Barnham for £210 per person, to include a seven course menu, all wines with dinner & service. With only seven tables available the evening promises to be an intimate affair with each course of Alex’s summer menu paired with a Ridgeview wine, carefully chosen to complement the dish.

You can find out more about the exciting event and book your table here.