Welcome to
HIGHAM VINEYARD
SUFFOLK
ENGLAND
Nestled on the north side of the Stour Valley within an area of outstanding natural beauty, Higham Vineyard is a concealed treasure.
The journey began when we thought it would be an interesting idea to plant an acre or two of vines on the edge of some bare land we had just bought in the Stour Valley.
The bare land had laid fallow for as long as anyone could remember and it was therefore ideal for the low soil intervention viticulture we wanted. The collection of fields that made up the small holding were known locally as `Stoney Croft’ on account of the underlying soil being flint and stone based, so altogether it seemed like the perfect spot to get on and make our vision reality.
Painted by John Constable
The south facing slopes were quickly recognised as offering the ideal aspect for a little vineyard - you know the kind you always dream about with a nice view for miles across the valley - ironically John Constable must have had similar thoughts of the view back in 1804 when he decided to paint Higham village in the Stour Valley.
The choice of grape
The choice of grape variety was influenced by personal taste as much as by commercial considerations as a result of all the family enjoying red Burgundy or Provence rosé. The subsequent soil tests and advice indicated that the land was suitable for growing Pinot Noir, so we felt well placed to take up the challenge. The original idea of an acre or two quickly became history and before we knew it, we had planted eight acres of Pinot Noir, followed by over an acre of Chardonnay later on.
The first challenge
The first challenge was to grow decent quality grapes in sufficient commercial quantities to make several thousand bottles of sparkling rosé. The summer of 2021 was not blessed with an abundance of good weather for the first harvest but by the middle of October 2021, the sugar level in the grapes had come up enough to pick for the sparkling and then a couple of weeks later we picked again to try to get a ton of grapes for a trial barrel of still red.
