THE STORY OF TANHURST
A BEAUTIFUL VINEYARD FOR VACATIONS AND VIEWS
Sarah and Colin Grimes are the owners of Tanhurst Estate located on the beautiful western slopes of Leith Hill, the highest point in southeast England. As well as producing outstanding wine, their vineyard offers tours, tastings and accommodation.
Before starting their vineyard venture, the family had already been running a successful holiday cottage business. The location is a desirable wildlife-friendly, rural retreat and an ideal base for exploring the magnificent scenery of the Surrey Hills.
GRAPE ESCAPES
Now with the addition of their own wine business on the estate, the idyllic self-catering cottages and converted barns are becoming a destination for wine lovers looking for a relaxing countryside break in the southern England. “Our overnight guests can enjoy easy access to the vineyard and winery, and they are spreading the word about the exceptional quality of our artisan wines, and English wines in general”, says Colin.
So why did they decide to establish a vineyard? “Well, we’ve been living here and managing Tanhurst Estate for the last 40 years,” says Colin. “However, Sarah’s family have in fact owned the estate for almost 200 years. Since 1826 no less. Birketts Farm is one of the farms on the estate, and it recently came back into our family’s possession after a long tenancy. After a great deal of consideration, we decided the farm was no longer viable as a traditional livestock farm, and we set about finding an alternative.
GETTING INTO VITICULUTRE
With the climate for English wine improving, the couple decided to explore the possibility of replanting the fields with vines and growing grapes to diversify the business.
“After some years of research, we decided that a vineyard was the way forward, which meant Birketts Farm could continue in its agricultural character but also give us the opportunity to create a more sustainable business for future generations of our family, and the surrounding area of Leith Hill, as a whole,” explains Colin.
“Once this idea had seeded itself, we researched the possibility of starting a vineyard and sourced advice from different consultants about the viability of creating a successful vineyard.”
AN IDEAL VINEYARD LOCATION
IN SURREY, ENGLAND
Tanhurst is a mixture of ancient woodlands and farmland on the South slopes of Leith Hill, which is situated between Dorking and Horsham, in the Surrey Hills.
“We were advised that the site was suitable for growing grapes because of the soil, the climate, aspect and the layout of our historic farm buildings. Our consultants also gave us an in-depth evaluation of the site to determine which varieties of grapes we should grow,” says Colin.
“After a season of watching our first grape vines take root, grow and thrive, we decided to really go for it. We hired a professional winemaker, built a winery and became real vintners!
“In 2019 we started the preparations for planting the first field of vines, which were Pinot Noir, in 2020. Since then, we have planted six hectares of different varieties vines and built our own winery.
“It has always been our intention to complete the whole process in house from growing the grapes to making and bottling our wine. This gives us the opportunity to supply our wine to the local community and surrounding businesses from our farm with our underlying commitment to staying local and sustainable for the future.
Viticulture is a huge topic, and we are continually learning and improving our practical skills to optimise our fruit and wine quality and crop yield. From learning how to achieve an ideal vine canopy, through different practices such as bud rubbing and shoot selection to being confident about making the right pruning decisions on a vine-by-vine basis. While the warming climate has created a favourable environment for cultivating grapes, we also face unpredictable and sometimes extreme weather conditions which can affect vine growth and grape ripening. This means carefully monitoring weather patterns and taking necessary measures to protect the crops from heavy rain or frost.
Cultivating our own vineyard and producing our high-quality local artisan wine is an exciting adventure which we are delighted to share with other English wine lovers.