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Vineyard guide · Crawthorne
Langham Wine Estate is a 34-hectare chalk vineyard north-east of Dorchester, first planted in 2009, making low-intervention traditional method sparkling wine that has been named Supreme Champion at the WineGB Awards two years running. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, with tours, a tasting room and Smiths Kitchen for lunch.
| Founded | First planted 2009 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Low-intervention traditional method sparkling wine |
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier |
| Open | Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and until 9pm on Fridays. Closed Mondays |
| Booking | Book tours and café tables online; spaces are limited |
| Tours from | £15 |
| Food | Smiths Kitchen café, coffee and cake from 10am, lunch from 12pm |
| Dogs | Welcome, but it is a working vineyard with tractors about |
| Children | Welcome, and free on guided tours |
| By train | Dorchester, then a taxi |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in October 2026.
Justin Langham planted the first blocks of the vineyard at Crawthorne Farm in 2009, after touring the major wine regions and studying viticulture at Plumpton College. The idea came from his father John, who kept a hobby vineyard at the manor house in nearby Bingham’s Melcombe, and two of the newer vineyards, John’s and Betty’s, are named after Justin’s parents. Small additions followed in 2011 and 2018, 18 hectares went in during 2022 and the final 4 hectares in 2024, bringing the estate to 34 hectares.
The vines grow on the same porous, belemnite chalk as Champagne’s Côte des Blancs, and the estate takes its inspiration from grower Champagne. Wines are fermented with wild yeasts in tanks and old French oak barrels, the juice is deliberately allowed to oxidise for a nuttier, softer style, and the wines are made with little sulphur, no fining or filtration and a dosage below 6g/l. Tommy Grimshaw, who previously worked at Sharpham in Devon, joined in 2019 and became head winemaker the same year.
Langham won the Sparkling Wine Producer Trophy at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2020 and 2025, and The Real Review named it Winery of the Year GB in 2024. At the WineGB Awards 2025 its Perpetual MV was Supreme Champion, with the competition’s first ever score of 99 points, and in 2026 the Corallian Classic Cuvée NV took Supreme Champion again with 99 points, while Langham retained Best Producer.
Langham makes only traditional method sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grown on the estate, in an Extra Brut style with very low dosage. The core range is Culver Classic Cuvée NV, a Pinot Noir-led blend named after the chalk the vines grow in, Corallian Classic Cuvée NV, a Chardonnay-led wine named after the coral limestone below the vineyard, a Rosé NV and a Blanc de Blancs NV. The Perpetual, built from a reserve of many vintages, is the top wine. Corallian and Perpetual have each scored 99 points at the WineGB Awards, so both are worth seeking out. Where to buy them.
The estate opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, staying open until 9pm on Fridays, and is closed on Mondays. Visitors arrive at the Tasting Room and the Wine Barn, which has full-height windows over the vines. Smiths Kitchen, run by Mel Smith, serves coffee and cake from 10am and lunch from 12pm, with seasonal menus built on Dorset produce such as Rawston Farm meat and Davy’s Locker fish; there is no breakfast. Café tables and picnics are booked online, at least 24 hours ahead for picnics, and groups of eight or more should email the café. Guided tours run daily for up to 24 people and should be booked ahead, especially in summer. There are no steps on any part of the tour and the ground usually drains well, though the barn has woodchip underfoot. Camping and campervan parking are not allowed. The Wine Barn can also be hired for private events.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Guided Tasting and Vineyard Walk A flight of three wines from the Tasting Room bar, with a flyer for your notes, and a 20 to 30 minute walk around the vineyard with information signs. Spaces are limited each day, so booking ahead is recommended, and it may be limited or stopped during harvest. | From £15 per person | Allow 1 to 1.5 hours | Tuesday to Sunday during opening hours, arriving by 3.30pm |
| Guided Tour A tour of the vineyard and the winery with its barrel room, followed by a tutored tasting of three wines. Groups are limited to 24. A £25 lunch supplement adds a picnic in the vines from May to September, or lunch at Smiths Kitchen at other times; with the 2.30pm tour, lunch is at 1pm. | From £25 per person, children free | 2 hours | 10.30am or 2.30pm, booked online |
| Winemaker’s Tour A walk through the vineyard and winery with head winemaker Tommy Grimshaw, then a tasting of the full sparkling range, including rare and limited releases. The Dorset Experience upgrade adds a seafood feast of local produce with a glass of your favourite wine from the tasting. | From £37.50 per person, or £97.50 with The Dorset Experience | Not stated | Select dates only, 10.30am or 2.30pm |
| Christmas Feasts at Smiths Kitchen Roast meats with roast potatoes, leeks and seasonal vegetables, or a vegetarian Wellington, with a glass of Langham Blanc de Blancs and mince pies or local cheeses to finish. | £55 per person, £10 deposit | A sit-down Christmas lunch | 27 November, and 4, 5, 18 and 19 December 2026 |
| Christmas Fair A makers’ and producers’ fair in the Wine Barn with food, gifts and Langham’s wines, and seasonal lunch and drinks from Smiths Kitchen. | Free, no booking | Drop in | 12 December 2026 |
Book these on the Langham website.
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Christmas
Sharing boards of roast meats and vegetables with a glass of Langham Blanc de Blancs, then mince pies or local cheese. A vegetarian Wellington is available.
27 November; 4, 5, 18 and 19 December · £55 a head, £10 deposit · Book ahead
Christmas
Stalls from South West makers and food producers in the barn, with estate wines to taste or buy and seasonal lunch in Smiths Kitchen. Dogs welcome.
Saturday 12 December 2026 · Free entry · Drop in
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2 bottles in stock with our wine partners this week. Prices are for a single 75cl bottle.
Sparkling
A Dorset traditional method sparkling wine led by Chardonnay, with smaller amounts of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Sparkling
A Dorset traditional method sparkling wine led by Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, richer and more savoury in style.
Langham is on the A354 between Dorchester and Blandford Forum. Coming from the north on the A354 towards Dorchester, the estate is on the right after Milborne St Andrew; from the west, take the A35 towards Poole and then the A354 towards Blandford, and from the east, the M27, A31, A35 and A354. The estate does not give public transport details, but the nearest railway stations are in Dorchester, and its partners page lists local taxi firms including Dorchester Taxi; book a return taxi before you go.
Langham sits in rural Dorset between Dorchester and Blandford Forum. The estate lists nearby places to eat and stay, including The Fox Inn at Ansty, The Oak at Dewlish, the Brace of Pheasants at Plush and The King’s Arms in Dorchester. Milton Abbas, the thatched model village, is a short drive away, and Dorchester, Thomas Hardy’s Casterbridge, is the nearest town.
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Booking is strongly recommended. Guided tours are limited to 24 and must be booked online, the self-guided tasting has limited daily spaces, and café tables and picnics are booked online.
The self-guided tasting and vineyard walk is from £15, the two-hour guided tour with three wines is from £25, and the Winemaker’s Tour is from £37.50 on select dates.
Yes, dogs are welcome. It is a working vineyard with tractors moving around, so keep them close and pick up after them.
Yes. Children can join guided tours free of charge, and the self-guided walk may suit them better. The ground is fine for buggies in spring and summer.
Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, and until 9pm on Fridays. It is closed on Mondays.
No, and camping and campervans are not allowed. The estate’s partners page lists nearby inns, B&Bs and holiday lets, including The Fox Inn at Ansty and The Oak at Dewlish.
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