Wickham Vineyard has become the fifth vineyard in the WineShare family.
Wickham Vineyard lies a few miles inland behind Southampton, in beautiful Hampshire countryside. The vineyard was first established in 1984. Then just 6 acres, this has been increased to 18 acres of vines in a 40 acre estate. There is also a sister vineyard at Shotley in Suffolk, where the same grape varieties are grown for winemaking at Wickham.
William Maitland Biddulph is the winemaker having learnt his winemaking skills in New Zealand. Today he presides over a state of the art winery in a 200 year old Hampshire barn, whose old oak beams contrast with the stainless steel tanks and latest winemaking equipment.
The estate also includes the fanatastic restaurant Vatika owned by Michelin star chef Atul Kochhar which opened in August 2008. This fine dining establishment opens onto a terrace with sweeping views over the vines and is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday. There is also a combined tasting room and shop where you sample the award winning wines that are produced here and embark on a audio tour which takes you around the estate describing the history of English wine and the development of the vineyard. Guided tours are also available for groups. Please visit the website www.wickhamvineyard.com
