Two minutes with the team at Wiston and Chalk
If you had to pick your favourite Wsiton vintage of all time, which would it be and why?
Pip Goring: Definitely the 2011 Rose vintage. We had a very wet summer. The flowering was bad and the bunches of grapes were all Hen and chicken (condition when grapes are widely varying in size).
In mid-September the sun appeared. It grew warmer and hotter until by the time we were ready to harvest our grapes the bunches were completely ripe and the size of table grapes! As our old Coquard press was squeezing the four tons of grapes, the juice was pink and perfect and delicious. Not something that happens often with an English-grown Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. I then entered it into Drinks Business' International Rosé competition. It came 2nd out of 220 entrants, missing first position by only 2 points. It continued to win competitions whenever we entered it. I call it God’s Elixir Vitae! His drink of life!
Chalk sources much of its produce from the Wiston Estate and surrounding area. What is it about the terroir in West Sussex that makes the produce so special?
The soil in Sussex is especially good for growing the grapes we have here at Wiston - Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The land is rich in biodiversity and so much can be foraged here. The land is also excellent for grazing, meaning we have access to happy, healthy local livestock.