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Vineyard guide · Streat, near Hassocks
Artelium is a young wine estate below the South Downs at Streat, near Ditchling, that brings wine and contemporary art together, with sculpture among the vines and artist-designed labels. It opens Friday to Sunday for tours, tastings and food from the Artelium Kitchen.
| Founded | First vines planted November 2017, first wines released in late 2020 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Sparkling wine, art in the vineyard, and experimental Artefact and Mosaic still wines |
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris, with small plots of PIWI varieties such as Cabaret Noir and Divico |
| Open | Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10pm, Sunday 12pm to 6pm, Monday to Thursday by appointment |
| Booking | Book tours ahead, walk-in tastings are usually fine for groups of four or fewer |
| Tours from | £60 for two (gift voucher price) |
| Food | Artelium Kitchen, Friday to Sunday, with seasonal sharing plates |
| Dogs | Welcome across the estate and on tours, on a lead |
| Children | Welcome, including on tours, but they cannot join the tastings and there is no children’s menu |
| By train | Plumpton, under 30 minutes’ walk across the fields, or Burgess Hill, under 10 minutes by taxi |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in October 2026.
Artelium was started by Julie Bretland and Mark Collins, a husband-and-wife team who were both entrepreneurs before turning to wine. They found Malthouse Farm, a former dairy farm and equestrian centre at Streat near Ditchling, in 2017, and planted the first vines that November on gently sloping, south-facing former pasture. The name joins ’art’ with the ending ’-ium’, as in planetarium, a place for study.
There are about 40,000 vines on 45 acres at Streat, known as Artelium East, mostly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier and Pinot Gris, with small parcels of disease-resistant PIWI varieties. A second vineyard, Artelium West, was planted at Madehurst in West Sussex in 2020 and 2021. The first wines, a Curators Cuvée 2014 and a Makers Rosé 2015, were released in late 2020 and made by Dermot Sugrue, with Owen Elias later working on the still wines. A winery at Streat followed from 2022, and the estate’s winemaker is now Solly Monyamane.
Art runs through the estate. Sculptures by Will Nash, Walter Bailey and Rosie Mortimer stand along the path to the vines, the tasting room shows a rotating selection from the permanent collection, and artists design the labels, with Judith Alder as artist in residence. At the WineGB Awards 2022, Artelium’s Blanc de Blancs 2015 won four trophies, including Supreme Champion and Best Newcomer, and the estate took the Best South East regional trophy.
The vintage sparkling range includes Curators Cuvée, Blanc de Noirs and Makers Rosé, and the core still wines are a Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and a Meunier-led rosé. The Artefact series is a run of small-batch, experimental wines, each with an artist-designed label, and the Mosaic range, launched in October 2026, blends classic varieties with the PIWI grapes Divico and Cabaret Noir into a white, a rosé and a red. If you have tried plenty of English sparkling wine, the Artefact and Mosaic wines are the ones to ask about. The estate also sells a vermouth and a gin. Where to buy them.
Tours, tastings and the Artelium Kitchen run from Friday to Sunday: 12pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday and 12pm to 6pm on Sunday, with Monday to Thursday by appointment. Food is served from 12pm to 3.30pm and 6pm to 7.30pm on Friday and Saturday, and 12pm to 3.30pm on Sunday. The kitchen serves seasonal small and large plates for sharing; booking is recommended, though walk-ins are seated where possible, and in winter the restaurant moves into the tasting room. Over Christmas the estate opens 12pm to 5pm from 21 to 24 December and 27 to 31 December, closes on 25 and 26 December, and is closed from 1 to 15 January. The tours cross uneven ground and are generally not suitable for wheelchairs or mobility aids, but tastings on the gravelled terrace or in the tasting room, and the toilets, are wheelchair accessible.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Tour and Tasting About 40 minutes walking among the vines, learning about English viticulture and the growing year, with a stop at an art installation, then around an hour in the tasting room with three still and sparkling wines. The walk can be very muddy, so wear suitable shoes. | £60 for two (gift voucher price), food not included | 1.5 to 2 hours | Public tours every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, other dates on request |
| Tasting in the bar and restaurant A tasting without the vineyard walk, taken in the bar and restaurant area. Walk-ins are usually accepted, but groups of more than four should book a drinks table. | Not stated | Not stated | During opening hours, Friday to Sunday |
| Tasting Menu Weekends A six-course menu of seasonal Sussex produce from the Artelium Kitchen, with each course paired with an estate wine. | Not stated | Lunch or dinner sittings | 13 and 14 November 2026, and 11 and 12 December 2026 |
| Christmas Makers Market Crafts and local produce from Sussex makers, including ceramics, textiles, jewellery and homeware, with food and drink all day and wine tastings in the tasting room. The ticket price can go towards a wine purchase of £25 or more on the day. | £5 per ticket, under-18s free | 10am to 4pm | Sunday 29 November 2026 |
Book these on the Artelium website.
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Food and wine
A six-course seasonal menu of Sussex produce from the Artelium Kitchen, at lunch or dinner. An optional wine flight with a glass of sparkling on arrival matches the courses.
Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November 2026, lunch or dinner · £70 a head; wine flight £40 extra · Book ahead
Christmas
A market of Sussex makers selling ceramics, textiles, jewellery and homeware, with food and drink all day and wine tastings in the tasting room.
Sunday 29 November 2026 · 10am to 4pm · £5 ticket, redeemable against a wine purchase of £25 or more; under-18s free · Book ahead
Food and wine
A six-course seasonal menu of Sussex produce from the Artelium Kitchen, at lunch or dinner, with an optional matched wine flight.
Friday 11 and Saturday 12 December 2026, lunch or dinner · £70 a head; wine flight £40 extra · Book ahead
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3 bottles in stock with our wine partners this week. Prices are for a single 75cl bottle.
Sparkling
All Chardonnay, gently pressed and given long ageing on the lees before release.
Sparkling rosé
A sparkling rosé from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with a little red wine blended in for colour and red fruit.
Plumpton station is under 30 minutes’ walk across the fields, and Burgess Hill, which has more frequent trains, is under 10 minutes away by taxi. Direct trains run from London Victoria and Brighton to Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath, both with taxi ranks. Pre-book a taxi, as the estate is rural and Uber drivers will not pick up from it. By car, leave the A23 at Hickstead, and because the lanes are narrow, approach Streat Lane via St Helena Lane from the north. Satnav apps may show the site as Malthouse Farm.
Artelium is walkable from Ditchling, and the South Downs rise just to the south, with Ditchling Beacon close by. Lewes is a short drive east. For a second vineyard, Ridgeview near Ditchling is nearby, and Henners at Herstmonceux and Rathfinny at Alfriston are further east in East Sussex.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Sussex directory. Our other Sussex vineyard guides: Rathfinny, Court Garden, Bolney, Wiston, Nyetimber, Henners, Ashling Park, Tinwood, Sedlescombe Organic, Roebuck.
Book vineyard tours in advance. Walk-in tastings in the bar and restaurant area are usually fine, but groups of more than four should book a drinks table, and booking is recommended for the Artelium Kitchen.
An hour and a half to two hours, depending on group size: about 40 minutes in the vineyard and up to an hour in the tasting room with three wines. Food is not included. A tour and tasting for two is sold as a £60 gift voucher.
Yes. Well-behaved dogs are welcome across the estate and on vineyard tours, kept on a lead at all times.
Yes. Children can join vineyard tours but cannot take part in the tastings, and the kitchen has no children’s menu.
Plumpton station is under 30 minutes’ walk across the fields. Burgess Hill has more trains and is under 10 minutes by taxi. Book the taxi in advance, as Uber drivers will not collect from the estate.
No. The estate closes from 1 to 15 January, and on 25 and 26 December. Between Christmas and New Year it opens 12pm to 5pm.
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