Rathfinny Wine Estate

About the venue

Family-run wine estate near Alfriston in the South Downs, founded in 2010 by Mark and Sarah Driver and certified as a B Corp. Its single-site vineyard of 385,000 vines makes vintage Sussex Sparkling. The estate hosts weddings, parties, tastings and company meetings, with dining and ten bedrooms at the Flint Barns.

The Romans held that the best place to plant a vineyard was three miles from the sea. Rathfinny's vines grow on a south-facing slope of the South Downs at about that distance from the English Channel. The slope is on the same band of chalk as the Paris Basin, which runs under the Channel from northern France. Its chalk soil holds water through the summer, and the sea air helps protect the vines from late frosts.

Mark and Sarah Driver founded the estate in 2010 on a working arable farm near Alfriston. The first 50 acres of vines went in during April 2012. Today there are 385,000 vines on 230 acres, mostly Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. The four vintage Sussex Sparkling wines are made from hand-picked grapes and aged on lees for at least 36 months, or 24 for the rosé. In 2023 Rathfinny became the world's first single-site sparkling wine producer to be certified as a B Corp. In winter, sheep graze between the rows.

Tours visit the RIBA-nominated winery and the bottling building, and every one ends with a tasting. The Flint Barns were first built to house grape pickers. They are now a restaurant with ten en-suite bedrooms, serving dinner on Wednesday to Saturday evenings and lunch on Sundays. The Hut is an outdoor wine bar by the Cellar Door, and Rathfinny Lodge sleeps ten.

For private events, the estate hosts weddings, parties, private tastings and company meetings. The winery has a balcony bar overlooking the vineyard, and the Flint Barns snug suits smaller gatherings. Rathfinny is about 90 minutes from London.

Family-run wine estate near Alfriston, founded 2010

B Corp certified since 2023

385,000 vines on 230 acres of chalk

Vintage Sussex Sparkling, aged 36 months or more

Winery tours and tastings from £24

Flint Barns restaurant with ten bedrooms

Meetings with an optional talk and tasting

Weddings, parties and private tastings