The Goring family have overseen the Wiston Estate in the South Downs since the 18th century. Tori Eeles, a part of the modern day team, on how it has evolved to now offer everything the Sussex community could wish for
Can you give us a potted history of the Wiston Estate?
Wiston Estate is situated in the South Downs in West Sussex and has been under the stewardship of the Goring family since 1743. The Sussex landmark Chanctonbury Ring – a popular viewpoint for bikers and walkers on the South Downs Way – was planted by Charles Goring in 1760. The estate has always focussed on land management and farming as its main priorities, but when Harry Goring brought his South African wife Pip to the estate in 1972, she was certain the area and climate would be perfect for growing grapes for wine production.
What were Pip Goring’s ambitions when she arrived in 1972?
When Pip arrived she was very homesick for South Africa and felt that planting a vineyard would remind her of home. She also wanted to recreate the welcoming world of South Africa’s ‘padstals’ where produce from the farms were sold directly to local people.
How were those dreams realised?
It took a while! But in 2006 Harry and Pip finally planted a vineyard on a chalky south facing slope they had selected on the estate. Within a few years the wines from the original vineyard were receiving international plaudits. The creation of Chalk Restaurant and Tasting Room is an extension of Pip’s dream – a place where we can welcome people to enjoy the wonderful produce of this land.
When Richard and Kirsty returned to the Estate, how did they pick up the baton?
Richard took on the property and farming side of the estate, while Kirsty focussed on promoting and selling the wine, and more recently on the development of Chalk. Both saw how the vineyards and wine generated a real interest in the land and its produce in a way that other arable crops had not. For the Gorings this connection back to the land is absolutely central to what they are trying to do at Wiston Estate.
How has the Estate evolved in the 15 years since?
Fifteen years ago the Gorings may not have believed that Wiston would quickly become one of the UK’s most highly respected wine producers. A huge amount has evolved, but the Estate’s core purpose remains unchanged; to foster a place where people, nature and enterprise can all co-exist and flourish.
What do the vineyards offer?
Our ‘Wiston Tour and Tasting’ runs twice daily and this is a great introduction to what we do here at the Estate’s winery. Guests are taken through the vine life cycle, see the winery and its unique presses and enjoy a tutored tasting of a selection of our award-winning wines. For those who would like to get out into the vineyards we have the ‘Vineyard Safari Tour’, which takes place on Fridays throughout the summer. This takes guests out over the hills to taste the wines in our secluded original vineyard. At harvest time we run volunteer picking days for those who really want to get involved in the winemaking process.
What types of wines do you have on sale right now, and can you offer some tasting notes for them?
Our main production is traditional method sparkling wines – the same method and grapes as Champagne. We make three ‘non-vintage’ wines and a selection of vintages from good quality years. We also make a couple of still wines and a gin in small quantities, which we serve here at the restaurant. Our benchmark wine is our Brut Non-Vintage. It combines mouth-watering green apple and ripe lemons with traces of honey and brioche, orchard fruit and a touch of toast. It makes a wonderful aperitif or a match for fish and chips (ideally enjoyed on the beach!). Our flagship wine is our Estate Cuvée, currently the 2017 vintage – all the grapes come from the original vineyard planted in 2006. It shows notes of nectarines, toasted hazelnuts, ripe red apples and buttered sourdough, while maintaining elegant citrus notes and a creamy finish. This will age beautifully, but is drinking well now – something for a special occasion or to serve with cheeses.
How long has Chalk Restaurant been open for?
We opened for breakfasts and lunches in December 2021 and for dinners (Fridays and Saturdays) from May 2022.
What’s offered on the menus?
The focus of the food offering is sourcing locally, seasonally and supporting regenerative farming. We source as much as we can directly from the estate and its farms and fields and from other local producers such as Calcot Farm and Springs Smokery for smoked salmon. The dishes are a mix of small plates – things like Thyme Roasted Leeks with Smoked Tunworth Cheese, Gin Cured Trout (cured with our own gin), Beef Carpaccio (from cattle grazed on the estate) with Capers and Relish, and main courses such as Day Boat Fish, Jersey Royals, Sea Herbs and Roe, or Roast Celeriac Steak with Cavolo Nero and Cured Egg Yolk. The line up changes regularly to accommodate the seasons.
We also have an Airstream Café open Fridays and weekends that offers a more casual fare of pastries, toasted sandwiches and soft drinks.
Is sourcing local ingredients important to you?
It’s integral to how we build the menu. We also use as much material from the estate as possible – barrels from the winery which are no longer useful for winemaking are used to smoke ingredients, hay from the farms is used to bake carrots to give added sweetness and our chef Bradley Adams is a keen forager and often uses foraged ingredients in his dishes.
What are the stand out dishes right now?
A venison tartare with wild garlic capers and elderflower pickle and for dessert, macerated strawberries with strawberry consommé and a lovage parfait. Both of these dishes use local ingredients, which we are lucky to have access to here in West Sussex.
What kind of experience do you want to offer diners?
We want to be a welcoming and relaxing space in which people can discover the amazing produce of Sussex – whether that is world class sparkling wine, delicious locally grown fruit and vegetables or estate reared beef. Chalk’s Courtyard really comes into its own when the sun shines – it’s a real sun trap and a great place to while away the afternoon with a chilled bottle of sparkling rose and some nibbles from the restaurant.
What else is on offer at the Estate?
As well as our wine tours, we like to share the wider estate with visitors. We run Landscape and Nature Tours, which take place throughout the summer. These take on varying themes – woodland management, farming, resident flora and fauna – and educate guests about how we manage the estate which comprises of beautiful natural spaces with essential enterprises. For the energetic type, we also partner with Marmalade MBT to offer guided mountain bike tours around the South Downs.
How do you see the future of the Estate panning out?
Our aim is to make Wiston a hub for people – both locals and visitors, a safe place for nature and somewhere enterprises like our farms, forestry, winery and Chalk can exist and contribute to building a sustainable rural economy. We are also planning guest accommodation so that people can have a fuller experience of life on the estate.
