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Vineyard guide · Mannings Heath
Visiting Leonardslee Family Vineyards
Leonardslee grows 38 acres of vines for sparkling wine on the Wealden soils outside Horsham, and its first releases, in 2024, collected strong scores straight away. The estate is split between the wine estate at Mannings Heath and Leonardslee Gardens across the road at Lower Beeding. Start with the vineyard tour at Mannings Heath, and save the gardens for another day.
Leonardslee Family Vineyards at a glance
| Founded | Vines planted 2017 to 2018, first harvest 2020 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Traditional method sparkling wine: Brut Reserve, Brut Rosé and Blanc de Blancs |
| Awards | WineGB Trophy for Best Sustainable Wines of GB Wine, and 96 points at the WineGB Awards 2025, for Brut Reserve 2021; Decanter 95 points for Brut Reserve 2021; World’s 50 Best Vineyards 2025 |
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, plus Pinotage |
| Open | Wine estate Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm, closed Monday and Tuesday. Walk-in tasting flights from 11am |
| Booking | Walk-in flights need no booking. Tours, tastings and dining are booked online |
| Tours from | £36.50 |
| Food | The Vineyard Kitchen at Mannings Heath for brunch, afternoon tea, dinner and Sunday roasts. Restaurant Interlude, with a Michelin star, in Leonardslee House |
| Stay | The Vineyard Hotel (9 rooms) at Mannings Heath and Leonardslee House (10 rooms) in the gardens |
| By train | Horsham, then a short taxi ride |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
About Leonardslee Family Vineyards
Penny Streeter and her family came to English wine from South Africa, where they bought the Benguela Cove estate at Walker Bay in 2013.
In 2016 they bought Mannings Heath, a golf club near Horsham, with the aim of building a South African-style wine destination in Sussex, and they took on the Leonardslee estate next door, whose Grade I listed gardens reopened in 2019 after a long restoration.
Vines went in across the two estates in 2017 and 2018, 38 acres of sparkling wine varieties on old Wealden soils. Leonardslee says it also made England’s first commercial planting of Pinotage. The wines are grown and made on the estate, under winemaker Johann Fourie and viticulturist Barry Anderson.
The first harvest, in 2020, was a textbook growing season, and the first three wines came out in 2024: Blanc de Blancs 2020, Brut Reserve 2021 and Brut Rosé 2021. The Brut Reserve has done most of the winning since, with a WineGB trophy and 96 points at the WineGB Awards in 2025.
The wines
There are only three wines, so the walk-in flight covers the lot. The Brut Reserve 2021 is the one to buy, a Chardonnay-led blend with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that has taken most of the awards.
The Brut Rosé 2021 is mostly Pinot Noir. The Blanc de Blancs 2020, all Chardonnay with longer on the lees, is the estate’s top cuvée and scored well with Decanter and James Suckling. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Leonardslee Family Vineyards
The first thing to sort out is which site you want, because there are two. The wine estate at Mannings Heath, on Hammerpond Road, has the vineyard, the Cellar Door, the Vineyard Kitchen and the Vineyard Hotel. Leonardslee Gardens, on the Brighton Road at Lower Beeding, has the lakes and gardens, Leonardslee House, Restaurant Interlude and the £65 wine tour.
For a first visit we would book the Vineyard Tour & Tasting at Mannings Heath, or the brunch version if you are coming in the morning.
If you only have half an hour, the walk-in flight of all three wines needs no booking. The wine estate is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in winter the vineyard tour drops to a single noon start.
Parking is free on site. From late November the gardens put on Leonardslee Lights, an evening light trail with timed entry, booked separately.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk-in tasting flight A non-tutored flight of the three cuvées. | £18 per person | – | Daily from 11am, at the wine estate or the gardens; no booking |
| Vineyard Tour & Tasting A walk through the vines at Mannings Heath, then a tasting at the Cellar Door. | £36.50 per person | – | Wednesday to Sunday at 12pm or 3pm; 12pm only in winter |
| Brunch, Vineyard Tour & Tasting A glass of Brut Rosé, brunch, the midday vineyard tour and a tutored tasting. | £49.50 per person | About 2 to 3 hours | Wednesday to Sunday |
| Tutored Wine Tasting A hosted tasting at the wine estate of the Leonardslee sparkling wines alongside Benguela Cove wines from South Africa. | See booking page | 45 minutes | See booking page |
| Tasting & Two-Course Dinner A tutored tasting followed by dinner in the Vineyard Kitchen. | £59 per person | About 3 hours | Wednesday to Saturday at 5pm |
| Leonardslee Wine Tour Held in the Drawing Room at Leonardslee House in the gardens at Lower Beeding, for 2 to 16 guests. | £65 per person | – | 3pm (the page gives both daily and Thursday to Sunday) |
| Sabrage Experience A sparkling wine masterclass paired with a tasting menu at Restaurant Interlude. | See booking page | – | Wednesday to Sunday |
Book these on the Leonardslee Family Vineyards website.
Buy Leonardslee Family Vineyards wines
None of our wine partners has these wines in stock this week. The vineyard sells them in its own shop, or see our pick of English wines to buy online.
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Getting there
Trains run direct to Horsham from London Bridge and London Victoria, and a short taxi ride finishes the trip. By car the estate is signposted from the A281 between Horsham and Cowfold, and is about an hour and a half from central London.
The wine estate is at Hammerpond Road, Mannings Heath, RH13 6PG. The gardens are at Brighton Road, Lower Beeding, RH13 6PP, with electric car charging.
Make a day of it
Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens is across the road from the Vineyard Hotel, and Mannings Heath Golf Club shares the estate. Horsham is the nearest town.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Sussex directory. Our other Sussex vineyard guides: Rathfinny, Court Garden, Bolney, Wiston, Nyetimber, Henners, Artelium, Ashling Park, Tinwood, Sedlescombe Organic, Roebuck, Ridgeview, Bluebell Vineyard, Breaky Bottom, Kingscote, Tillingham, Oxney Organic, Albourne, Wildwood, Birchden Vineyards.
Questions people ask
Do I need to book a tasting?
Not for the walk-in flight of three wines, which runs from 11am at either site. Tours, tutored tastings and dining all need booking.
Which site should I go to?
Mannings Heath for the vineyard tour, the Cellar Door and the Vineyard Kitchen. The gardens at Lower Beeding for the £65 wine tour at Leonardslee House and Restaurant Interlude. Check which one your booking is for.
Is it open every day?
No. The wine estate opens Wednesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.