Seven Sisters, Rathfinny and a local brewery
Rathfinny Wine Estate, historic villages and the Seven Sisters cliffs by minibus, with a stop at a local brewery.
Starts Hotel pickup in Brighton
Home / Vineyards / Sussex / Rathfinny
Vineyard guide · Alfriston
Visiting Rathfinny Wine Estate
Rathfinny is a single-estate winery on a south-facing chalk slope just south of Alfriston, making vintage Sussex Sparkling wine three miles from the sea. Drop in for a free tasting and the vineyard trail, or book a winery tour.
Rathfinny at a glance
| Founded | Estate founded 2010, first vines planted 2012 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Vintage traditional method Sussex Sparkling wine, led by the Blanc de Noirs |
| Grapes | Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, plus some Pinot Gris |
| Open | Cellar Door daily, 10am to 5pm (4pm on Sundays) |
| Booking | Book tours and the Sunday tasting ahead, drop-in tastings and the trail are free |
| Tours from | £24 |
| Food | Flint Barns Dining Room, plus The Hut, a seasonal outdoor wine bar |
| Dogs | On a lead in the shop, on the trail, at The Hut and Flint Barns, not on tours |
| Children | Welcome in the shop and restaurant, tours and tastings not suitable |
| Stay | Flint Barns bed and breakfast (10 rooms), plus a self-catering cottage and lodge |
| By train | Berwick or Seaford (10 minutes by car), Polegate (15) or Lewes (20) |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in October 2026.
About Rathfinny
Mark and Sarah Driver founded Rathfinny in 2010 on a working arable farm in the South Downs, with the aim of making English sparkling wine to rival Champagne. The first 50 acres of vines went in during April 2012, the first harvest followed in 2014 and the first Sussex Sparkling wine was released in 2018. The full vintage range followed in 2020.
The estate covers 600 acres in the Cradle Valley, with about 93 hectares (230 acres) now under vine. The slope faces south, sits on the same band of chalk as the Paris Basin and is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerlies by a ridge on its southern edge. Being within three miles of the sea brings a maritime climate and a low risk of frost. All the fruit is picked by hand over three to four weeks in October.
Rathfinny became a certified B Corp in 2023 and describes itself as the first grower-producer of sparkling wine in the world to do so. Its winery has won a Sussex Heritage award, and the wines are made to the Sussex PDO standards, with a minimum of 36 months on the lees. The estate also sponsored the Rathfinny Research Winery at Plumpton College.
The wines
Rathfinny makes four vintage traditional method Sussex Sparkling wines from its own grapes: the Classic Cuvée (its house style, from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay), a Pinot Noir-led Rosé Brut, a Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs and the Blanc de Noirs, which it calls its most prestigious wine. The grapes are whole-bunch pressed and the wines are aged on the lees for at least 36 months and finished with a low dosage. There are also smaller Mini bottles, magnums, Cradle Valley still wines (including Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Rosé) and Seven Sisters spirits. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Rathfinny
The Cellar Door shop is inside the winery, about a mile up the estate track from the entrance on the Alfriston to Seaford road. It opens daily from 10am to 5pm (4pm on Sundays) for wine shopping and free short tastings, and tours start there. Next door, The Hut is a seasonal outdoor wine bar, with no indoor seating and no cash. The Flint Barns Dining Room, half a mile further on, serves dinner Wednesday to Saturday, a £35 set lunch on Fridays and Saturdays from 2 October 2026, and Sunday lunch from September to May. The vineyard trail closes during the October harvest, and tours move indoors over the winter. Harvest tours, running until 25 October 2026, are worth booking ahead.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest Tour, Tasting and Dosage Trial Starts in the vineyard during harvest, then you run your own dosage trial, adding different levels of sugar to a base wine. Ends with a guided tasting of three Rathfinny sparkling wines. | £40 per person | 1 hour 45 minutes | 25 September to 25 October 2026, Fridays and Saturdays 11.30am, Sundays 11.30am and 2.30pm |
| Winter Tour and Tasting An indoor tour of the winery and the bottling building, ending with a tasting of Sussex Sparkling wines. A 10% service charge for the guides is included in the price. | £34 per person | 1 hour 45 minutes | 30 October 2026 to 24 April 2027, Saturdays 10.30am, 1pm and 3pm, Fridays 12pm |
| Sussex Wine Tasting Experience No tour, just an extended tasting of six wines from the Sussex Sparkling and Cradle Valley still ranges. | £24 per person | 1 hour | 1 November 2026 to 25 April 2027, Sundays at 11am, 1pm and 3pm |
| Drop-in wine tasting A short introductory tasting at the Cellar Door bar, subject to availability and limited to groups of six. | Free | Up to 10 minutes | Daily during Cellar Door opening hours |
| Self-guided vineyard trail Pick up a map at the Cellar Door and follow the permissive path around the estate, with audio posts along the way. Dogs on leads and children are welcome. | Free | 5km (3.1 mile) route, which can be shortened | All year, 10am to 5pm, closed for the October harvest |
Book these on the Rathfinny website.
Tours that include Rathfinny
If you would rather not drive, these tours take you there, with tastings included.
Charleston and Rathfinny guided walk
A guided countryside walk between Charleston, the Bloomsbury group’s farmhouse, and Rathfinny Wine Estate, with no car needed.
Starts Charleston, near Lewes, East Sussex
Give a visit as a present
A Rathfinny estate voucher
An open voucher that covers a tour and tasting, a meal, a night in the Flint Barns or wine from the cellar door, so they choose how to spend it. Tours take about an hour and three quarters with a tutored tasting.
Where to stay
The Star
Built in 1345 as a hostel for monks and pilgrims, The Star has a 15th-century frontage on Alfriston High Street and a restaurant opening onto a central courtyard.
Horsted Place
A Victorian Gothic country house hotel just minutes from Lewes and Uckfield, with its own restaurant and terrace.
The White Horse Inn
A historic village pub on West Street in the heart of Ditchling, beneath the South Downs, offering rooms as well as food.
Prices are often the same either way, so compare the booking site with booking direct.
Buy Rathfinny wines
2 bottles in stock with our wine partners this week. Prices are for a single 75cl bottle.
Sparkling
Rathfinny Blanc de Noirs Brut 2019
Pinot Noir with some Meunier and three years on lees, with a rose-gold tint and russet apple.
£41.99at WinebuyersBuySparkling
Rathfinny Blanc de Blancs Brut 2017
All Chardonnay from near the Sussex coast, three years on lees, with white peach and lemon.
£42.95at WinebuyersBuy
Enjoying this guide?
The best of English wine, once a month
What is on at the vineyards, new tours worth booking and the bottles we are drinking. One short email a month, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
Getting there
Berwick, Lewes and Polegate are on the direct line from London Victoria, and Victoria to Berwick takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. From Berwick or Seaford it is about 10 minutes by car, from Polegate about 15 and from Lewes about 20. There is no shuttle, so book a taxi in advance, as local taxis get busy. By car, leave the A27 for Alfriston, drive through the village, and the entrance is a large drive on the right about 50 metres past Riverdale House. Large vehicles must come from the Seaford side, as Alfriston High Street is too narrow. Parking is free, with an electric car charger. Allow about two hours from London.
Make a day of it
Alfriston, one of the oldest villages in Sussex with its 14th century inns and the National Trust’s Clergy House, is a half-hour walk away on a footpath from the estate. The South Downs Way passes close by, and the Cuckmere Valley, Cuckmere Haven, Seaford beach and the Seven Sisters cliffs at Birling Gap are all within a few miles. Lewes and Eastbourne are the nearest towns for a longer day. For another vineyard on the same day, Court Garden near Ditchling is about 40 minutes by car.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Sussex directory. Our other Sussex vineyard guides: Court Garden, Bolney, Wiston, Nyetimber.
Questions people ask
Do you need to book at Rathfinny?
Only for guided tours and the Sunday tasting experience. The Cellar Door, its free drop-in tastings, The Hut and the vineyard trail need no booking.
How much is a Rathfinny tour?
The Winter Tour and Tasting is £34 per person, the autumn Harvest Tour with a dosage trial is £40, and the Sunday wine tasting without a tour is £24.
Can you bring dogs to Rathfinny?
Dogs are not allowed on tours, but they are welcome on a lead in the Cellar Door shop, on the vineyard trail, at The Hut and in the Flint Barns Dining Room.
Can children go on a Rathfinny tour?
Tours and tastings are not suitable for children. Children are welcome in the shop, the restaurant and the accommodation with an adult.
Can you walk around Rathfinny vineyard for free?
Yes. Collect a free map from the Cellar Door and follow the 5km Rathfinny Trail, open 10am to 5pm all year except during harvest in October.
What is the nearest station to Rathfinny?
Berwick and Seaford are about 10 minutes away by car and Polegate about 15. Book a taxi ahead, as there is no shuttle.