Wine at THE PIGs
Raising a glass to the best homegrown bottles and beyond
We are big fans of the fruit from our own soil
Loving homegrown and local produce is in our DNA, so it should come as no surprise to learn that we're big supporters of English wine! Take one look at our PIG Wine Menu and you’ll spot a sizeable chunk (over 50!) dedicated to talented winemakers here in the UK.
The bottles you’ll find on our menus are there thanks to our talented sommelier teams searching the length and breadth of the UK to seek out the very best offerings from Kent to Cornwall, Essex to Wales.
Our first ever homegrown wines
We couldn’t be more excited to share three brand-new wines with you! Grown from our very own vineyards, it’s a bit of a dream come true moment for us…
Alpaca Block Field Blend Rosé
The Alpaca Block Field Blend Rosé shows pretty pale pink colour. You’ll be met with wild strawberry, redcurrant, and grapefruit, backed by a subtle hint of almond. The palate is vibrant and crunchy, with a delightful fruit core. Truly delicious and refreshing.
Alpaca Block Chardonnay
The Alpaca Block Chardonnay captivates with its nose of lemon curd, honey, walnut, and freshly squeezed lime. On the palate, it is lively and fresh, supported by a serious backbone coming from the oak. This wine combines richness with a refreshing vibrancy.
Where Eagles Fly
Where Eagles Fly offers a unique and intriguing nose of orange peels, gun flint, and greengage. On the palate, it shows a fun pithiness, making it a great pairing with Kitchen Garden Produce.
In 2019, we planted carefully chosen clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and a few rows of Gamay in our small, sheltered chalk site at THE PIG-in the South Downs, to produce our two Alpaca Block wines. The field was previously home to a herd of grazing alpacas, which is how our Rosé and Chardonnay affectionally got their names.
Our very special Seyval Blanc “Where Eagles Fly”, honours the beautiful birds of prey housed in the Owl & Raptor Centre on site at THE PIG-at Groombridge. We’ve been hard at work renovating the south-facing vineyard here, originally planted in the 1980s, and nurturing it back to life with the help of Dermot and Ana Sugrue.
Meet some of our friends and best in the business...
Sugrue South Downs
Ana and Dermot Sugrue produce some of the best English Sparkling out there, at Sugrue South Downs winery – the same place where our PIG wine is made and a stone's throw from THE PIG-in the South Downs. Ask for a glass of our house fizz during your next PIG visit and you’ll get a delicious taste of Sugrue South Downs The Trouble With Dreams.
Castlewood Vineyard
Nestled on the edge of the Axe Valley in East Devon, and 12 miles from THE PIG-at Combe, you’ll find Castlewood Vineyard - a boutique vineyard specialising in sparkling and still wines made by minimal interventional methods. The experts at Castlewood Vineyard are behind the creation of Devon Minnow, a special project between our founder Robin Hutson and his mates HIX and Corbett.
Simpsons Wine Estate
Situated just outside Canterbury, and only 3.4 miles from THE PIG-at Bridge Place, you’ll find Simpsons Wine Estate – 30 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines. Established in 2014 by Charles and Ruth Simpson, Simpsons have cemented themselves as one of the finest English producers out there.
Hambledon Vineyard
Nestled in the Hampshire countryside, just 37.7 miles from THE PIG in the New Forest, you'll find Hambledon Vineyard - one of the oldest commercial English vineyards that was founded back in 1952! With its south-facing slopes and chalk-rich terroir, Hambledon produce award-winning English sparkling wine that is enjoyed across THE PIGs.
Digby Fine English
Digby Fine English is a modern blending house based in Arundel, West Sussex (only 4 miles from THE PIG-in the South Downs!). Founded by Head Blender Trevor Clough and Jason Humphries, Digby received international acclaim for its bright and characterful style since releasing its first wines in 2013.
Roebuck Estates
Located in the heart of the South Downs National Park, near to the picturesque market town of Petworth, and just 11.7 miles away from THE PIG-in the South Downs, you’ll find Roebuck Estates home vineyard. Founded by two friends who share a passion for great wine back in 2013, Roebuck produce some of the most delicious award-winning English sparkling wine.
Langham Wine Estate
Langham Wine Estate specialise in making traditional method sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes grown on their 30 hectare vineyard on Crawthorne Farm, north-east of Dorchester in rural Dorset - just 25.2 miles from THE PIG-on the beach!
Domaine Hugo
Domaine Hugo is a biodynamic winery located in Downton, Wiltshire, 28.3 miles from THE PIG in the New Forest. Led by founder Hugo Stewart, Domaine Hugo is at the forefront of sustainable winemaking, showcasing the possibilities of biodynamics in the English wine industry.
Rathfinny Wine Estate
Rathfinny is a family-run, grower-producer with B Corp status dedicated to crafting some of the world’s finest English Sparkling Wines from a single-site Sussex Vineyard - 42 miles from THE PIG-in the South Downs. Rathfinny produce low-intervention, traditional method, vintage sparkling wines that are a true expression of their terroir. The Sussex Wine Estate is also open all year round to visitors wishing to stay, dine, tour and taste.
Danbury Ridge
Danbury Ridge is made up of three vineyards: Octagon Block, Sleipnir Block, and Polo Field, covering a total of 29 acres over in Essex - 76 miles from THE PIG-at Bridge Place, Kent. Their commitment to quality and their deep understanding of the land and its potential have laid a strong foundation for their success. Danbury Ridge wines showcase extraordinary quality and craftsmanship and are evidence that English wines deserve a spot on the global wine stage.
Gusbourne Wine
Based near the pretty Kentish village of Appledore, amidst oast houses and apple orchards, and only 27 miles from THE PIG-at Bridge Place, you’ll find Gusbourne's winery, tasting rooms, and vineyards. They produce some of the best award-winning, vintage wines from their estate which dates back to 1410.
Our PIG wine journey so far...
We have such a big passion for wine, it was inevitable we would venture into creating our own. After planting 4,000 vines of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and a few rows of Gamay at our West Sussex PIG in 2019, our first wine harvest took place in October 2023, marking a huge milestone for us in our winemaking journey. Our first grapes were handed to Dermot and Ana Sugrue to weave their magic on the inaugural vintage of Alpaca Block wines.
But that’s not all – alongside harvesting our own vineyard grapes, in 2023 we finally popped the cork on our first bottles of PIG English Fizz! Full of the heart and soul of East Sussex, our two, brand-new sparkling wines are made with local grapes from Bee Tree Vineyard, owned by our friends Dermot and Ana Sugrue of Sugrue South Downs.
… if that’s not enough excitement, we’ve also been hard at work renovating the small but perfectly formed south-facing vineyard at THE PIG-at Groombridge, originally planted over 40 years ago with the then more fashionable Germanic grape varieties. Sadly the vineyard was neglected in recent years but with care and attention, the original Seyval Blanc vines were nurtured back to life and form the backbone for “Where Eagles Fly”. The name honours the beautiful birds of prey of the UK Owl & Raptor centre, that fly daily over the vines.
We couldn’t be prouder to be on this exciting journey of PIG wine, and truly living our homegrown ethos of leaving the land in a better place than when we found it.
On the grapevine...
We love a good knees up!
Throughout the year you'll see us gathering everyone together and celebrating the best bottles we can get our hands on, usually over a big PIG feast! Head over to our events page to see what may be on, or sign up to be the first to hear about our events!
