The funky, modern branding of Wiston Estate Winery caught my eye long ago, and being a sucker for bubbles, I was destined to become a fan.
I don’t like any old bubbles, however (I dislike many big brand Champagnes and as for Prosecco, well I just don’t get the craze when Cava is so much better). I first experienced Wiston sparkling wine aboard a gourmet bus tour of the region over a year ago. It was a highlight. Since then, their wines have received numerous accolades and rave reviews from the likes of wine legend Jancis Robinson. And now me. I had a highly enjoyable afternoon with wonderful people.
I was greeted warmly by the charming Kirsty, a member of Goring family who have owned the entire Wiston Estate since 1743. And with her, the striking and vivacious Pip, the matriarch of the family and the visionary behind the success of the vineyard. It was Pip who finally persuaded her husband Harry to plant the vineyard back in 2006, having first conceived the idea some 40 years earlier - a result of feeling homesick for the rolling vineyards of her native South Africa.
