The Rathfinny Wine Estate was established in 2010 by Mark and Sarah Driver and is now producing Sussex Sparkling wines that rival the best traditional method sparkling wines in the world. As well a wine producer, the Estate is a popular destination for visitors, walkers and wine enthusiasts. In the Winery, the Cellar Door offers organised Vineyard tours from March to September, and an opportunity to taste and buy our wines. Next to it, with its large panoramic windows and balcony overlooking the Vineyard, the new Tasting Room Restaurant is open five days a week and serves seasonal menus using locally sourced ingredients to match our wines and is run by the celebrated chef, Chris Bailey. For those that want to make the most of what the area has to offer, the Flint Barns provide wonderful ‘home from home’ accommodation with full English breakfasts and sumptuous Sunday lunches. Private events and specialist tastings can be arranged. The Rathfinny Estate is located between Brighton and Eastbourne, in the South Downs National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty in Southern England. It occupies the main part of Cradle Valley, on a south-facing slope close to the iconic Cuckmere Valley and just three miles from the sea and half a mile south of the beautiful village of Alfriston. As well as being a stunning site, the Rathfinny Vineyard is perfect for growing sparkling wine grapes: The light, thin, clay loam soils over chalk, are free draining and very similar to the Champagne region of France, perfect for growing sparkling wine grapes. The chalk provides a ready source of water for the vines and a heat sink to aid ripening. The warm semi-continental climate and long summer days ensure perfect ripening and the proximity to the sea helps mitigate frost risk, a major problem in cooler climate vineyards in northern Europe. You can find our sparkling wines in many restaurants and independent wine merchants.