Summer Opening times April to August Saturdays & Sundays 11am - 5pm
Set in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside, the first vines were planted on the 23 acre estate in 2009 by Tim Chafor, on terroir that once formed part of the ancient Royal hunting forest of Bernwood.
With a world-class winemaking team to back his ambition, Tim is successfully growing (to the highest quality standard Protected Designation of Origin) the classic Champagne varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, alongside more delicate and aromatic varieties such as Madeleine Angevine and Bacchus – which is widely becoming recognised as England’s signature grape.
Located between the Bicester designer shopping village and Silverstone’s prestigious Grand Prix F1 circuit, this boutique English vineyard is ideally placed as a visitor attraction for guided tours by the wine grower and French-style wine tastings from the cellar door.
“Appointments are not always necessary” says Tim “as I’m out in all weathers and leave my mobile number on a slate by the gate, so visitors are always welcome.”
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Tim has a heartfelt passion for his work.
As a keen gastronome, one-time movie star and a self-confessed ‘mad inventor’, Tim has certainly devised some weird and wonderful contraptions around the estate – from a hand-built frost buster alarm system, which rings his mobile once the air temperature reaches -0.5°C, to an authentic wood-fired pizza oven and giant paella stove (where the flavours are subtly enhanced by vine clippings direct from the vineyard).
“We’re so lucky with the wide-ranging soil types around the wine estate” recounts Tim “… as they vary from chalk to flinty clay. We have all the famous terroirs in one place, so the possibilities for future wines are immense”.
Tim has even been known to fly back part way through family holidays to tend to his precious vines!