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Vineyard guide · Fullerton, near Andover
Black Chalk is a winemaker-led sparkling wine producer in the Test Valley, with its own winery and around 30 acres of vines on a working farm near Andover. The Tasting Room in the Old Dairy opens every day from March to December, with walk-in tastings, lunch platters and tours from Friday to Sunday.
| Founded | Started 2015, first wines 2018, own vineyards and winery from 2020 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Vintage traditional method sparkling wine, especially Classic and Wild Rose |
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Précoce and Pinot Gris |
| Open | Tasting Room daily, 10am to 5pm, March to December, with Friday Night Lates |
| Booking | Book tours ahead; tasting flights and wine by the glass need no booking |
| Tours from | £25 |
| Food | Local sharing platters and specials daily from 12pm to 4.30pm, street food on Friday evenings |
| Dogs | Welcome on tours and in the Tasting Room |
| Children | Welcome on tours and in the Tasting Room, free unless food is provided |
| Stay | Four treehouses in one of the vineyards, run separately |
| By train | Andover, about 10 minutes by taxi |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in October 2026.
Black Chalk was set up in 2015 by winemaker Jacob Leadley, with family backing, starting out by buying grapes from Hampshire growers. Jacob had left a London job to retrain at Plumpton College in 2009, then worked in English wine, Champagne and New Zealand, and was a winemaker at Hattingley Valley until 2018. The first Black Chalk wines were released in 2018, and in 2020 the business won Newcomer of the Year at the WineGB Awards. In the same year its Classic Brut 2016 won the Sparkling Wine Trophy at the International Wine and Spirits Competition.
In 2020 Black Chalk moved to a group of farm buildings with 12 hectares of established vineyards at Cottonworth, on a working 1,000-acre farm in the Test Valley. A winery was built there that year, finished about 48 hours before the first harvest came in. The estate now has about 30 acres of vines, some 45,000 plants with 34 combinations of clone and rootstock, on shallow soils over solid chalk, across four sites: Rivers, between the River Test and the River Anton; Levels, the largest; Hide, in a sun-trap valley; and The Circle, the smallest, behind the Tasting Room courtyard.
Jacob now makes the wine with Zoë Driver, who started as the UK’s first winemaking apprentice at Hattingley Valley, and assistant winemaker Andy Wiles. Black Chalk makes only vintage wines, with minimal intervention, and is certified in both vineyard and winery by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain. At the IWSC 2026, Eighty Nine Point Six 2020 won Gold with 95 points, and Paragon 2022 and Inversion both won Silver.
Black Chalk makes vintage wines only, mostly traditional method sparkling. The two core sparkling wines are Classic (£40 for the 2022) and Wild Rose, the pink sparkling (£45 for the 2022). Above them sit Inversion and Paragon (both £65 for the 2022), from the Levels vineyard, the top cuvée HiDE 2021 (£80) and Eighty Nine Point Six 2020, sold in magnum. Still wines include Dancer in Pink rosé (£25) and Rumour Has It Chardonnay (£33). There is no red. Where to buy them.
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Everything is at the Old Dairy, a group of farm buildings at Cottonworth in the Test Valley, with the winery, shop and Tasting Room together and free parking on site. The Tasting Room opens every day from 10am to 5pm between March and December. Tasting flights, wine by the glass or bottle, coffee and soft drinks need no booking, and tables can be booked. Food is served daily from 12pm to 4.30pm, with a seasonal specials board and sharing platters of cheese, charcuterie and River Test smoked trout, using produce from within about 40 miles where possible. Every Friday the Tasting Room stays open into the evening for Friday Night Lates, with a different street food trader each week; booking is advised, walk-ins are taken if there is room and you may share a table. Children and dogs are welcome in the Tasting Room and on tours.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour + Tasting A walk in the vineyard and a look at how the wine is made in the winery, then a tutored tasting of two wines, one sparkling and one still. Up to 10 people can book online. Children and dogs are welcome. | £25 per person | 1 to 1.5 hours | Friday to Sunday at 11am, plus 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays from April to September |
| Tour + Tasting with lunch The same tour, then a relaxed tasting of the Classic sparkling and Dancer in Pink still rosé in the Tasting Room or courtyard with a grazing board of local cheese, charcuterie and River Test smoked trout. Private tours with optional lunch can also be arranged, from £40 per person. | £40 per person | About 2 hours | Friday to Sunday at 11am, plus 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays from April to September |
| Christmas at Black Chalk: Festive Wine Tasting A welcome glass of Black Chalk sparkling wine with festive canapés, then a tutored tasting of six wines, including premium and pre-release vintages, with the chance to buy for Christmas. | £25 per person, refunded if you spend £100 or more on wine | 6pm to 8pm, with the bar open until 9pm | Selected dates in December 2026 |
| Sparkling Afternoon Tea Handmade cakes and sandwiches served with Black Chalk sparkling wine in the Tasting Room. | Not listed | Not stated | First Sunday of every month, booked at least 48 hours ahead |
Book these on the Black Chalk website.
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Food and wine
Friday evenings in the tasting room with a different street food trader each week, from paella to wood-fired pizza and fried chicken, alongside Black Chalk wines.
Fridays 6, 13, 20 and 27 November · 5pm to 9pm · Book ahead
1 bottle in stock with our wine partners this week. Prices are for a single 75cl bottle.
Andover is the nearest station, about an hour from London Waterloo and about 10 minutes from the winery by taxi. Winchester, also about an hour from Waterloo, is about 20 minutes away by taxi. Book taxis in advance. By car, Black Chalk is about an hour and a half from central London via the M3 and A303, and the A34 passes close by for drivers coming from the Midlands and the north. Parking is free.
Stockbridge, about 10 minutes away, is a small town on the River Test with places to eat and stay, and Andover is the same distance. Winchester, with its cathedral, is about 20 minutes by car. Black Chalk is a member of Vineyards of Hampshire, whose Festive Fizz on 5 December 2026 at Winchester Guildhall is a chance to taste wines from several Hampshire producers in one place.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Hampshire directory. Our other Hampshire vineyard guides: Hambledon, Hattingley Valley, The Grange.
Not for a tasting flight or a glass of wine in the Tasting Room, which takes walk-ins. Tours should be booked ahead, and booking is advised for Friday Night Lates and needed at least 48 hours ahead for afternoon tea.
The Tour + Tasting is £25 per person for 1 to 1.5 hours, with a tasting of two wines. With a grazing board lunch it is £40 and takes about two hours.
Yes. Children are welcome on tours and in the Tasting Room, and are not charged unless food is provided.
Yes. Dogs are welcome on tours and in the Tasting Room.
The Tasting Room opens daily from March to December, and there are festive tastings on selected December evenings. Opening in January and February is not stated, so check before you travel.
Take a train from London Waterloo to Andover, about an hour, then a taxi of about 10 minutes. Book the taxi in advance.
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