There's something rather magical about autumn in Sussex. The mornings turn crisp, the hedgerows fill with blackberries, and just a few miles outside Chichester, the vineyards come alive with the busiest and most exciting time of the winemaking year: harvest. 🍇
This year, our very own Bany, with Zak and Albert, swapped the shop floor at Cavavin for a pair of secateurs and a picking bucket, and headed up the road to Tinwood Estate to join in the Tinwood Harvest Experience. Bany's verdict? "To be able to experience the journey from grape to glass is brilliant!"
We couldn't agree more, so we wanted to share a little more about the day, the vineyard, and why we're such big fans of the wonderful wines being made right on our doorstep.
A vineyard on our doorstep
Tinwood Estate sits in Halnaker, just outside Chichester, at the foot of the South Downs. It's a family-run estate with a brilliant story. Back in the 1980s, the land was a farm growing iceberg lettuces (yes, really!). Then, in 2007, Art Tukker, whose father started the farm, took a leap of faith and planted the first vines. Fast forward to today and Tinwood has become one of the best-loved names in English sparkling wine.
The secret is in the ground beneath your feet. Tinwood's vines grow on chalky soils, very similar to those found in Champagne, and the estate is only a few miles from the coast, so the grapes enjoy plenty of Sussex sunshine and cooling sea breezes. It's the perfect recipe for fresh, elegant sparkling wine.
Tinwood grows the three classic Champagne grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Each one brings something different to the glass. Chardonnay gives freshness and finesse, Pinot Noir adds body and red-fruit richness, and Pinot Meunier brings a lovely fruity softness. Blended together, they make the kind of fizz that's perfect for a celebration, or simply for making a Tuesday feel like a Friday. 🥂
So, what is the Tinwood Harvest Experience?
The Harvest Experience is a chance to roll up your sleeves and become part of the winemaking story. It's a hands-on day in the vineyard, with expert guidance, delicious seasonal food and, of course, a glass or two of Tinwood's finest along the way.
The day starts with a warm welcome, plenty of tea, coffee and pastries, and a harvesting tutorial from Art himself. You learn what to look for in a perfect bunch, how to snip it from the vine, and why timing is everything. Then it's out into the rows to get picking!
At Tinwood, every single grape is picked by hand. It's slower than using a machine, but it means each bunch is treated with care, and only the best fruit makes its way to the press. Once picked, the grapes are pressed within just a few hours to keep everything as fresh as possible.
After a morning in the vines, everyone gathers for a seasonal lunch in the Tasting Room, followed by a guided tasting of the estate's wines. There's something very special about sipping a glass of sparkling wine when you've just spent the morning picking the very grapes that will one day become the next vintage.
From grape to glass
For Bany, the highlight was seeing the whole picture come together. In the shop, we see the finished bottle: beautifully labelled, perfectly chilled and ready to pop. What we don't always see is everything that happens before it reaches our shelves.
Making traditional method sparkling wine takes time and patience. After harvest, the grapes are pressed and fermented into a still base wine. The wine is then bottled with a little yeast and sugar, which kicks off a second fermentation inside the bottle. That's where the bubbles come from! The wine then rests on its lees (the spent yeast) for a couple of years or more, which gives it those lovely toasty, brioche-like notes. Finally, the yeast is removed, the bottle is topped up, corked and labelled, and it's ready for your glass.
So when you open a bottle of Tinwood, you're tasting years of hard work, from the moment the vines first bud in spring, through a long summer of care, to a busy autumn harvest and the patient wait in the cellar. As Bany put it, being able to experience the journey from grape to glass is brilliant, and it gives you a whole new appreciation for every bottle.
Why Cavavin is proud to support Tinwood
At Cavavin, we're passionate about great wine from all over the world, but we have a real soft spot for the wines being made right here in Sussex. English sparkling wine has come a long way in recent years, and our corner of the South Downs is right at the heart of it.
We're proud to fully support Tinwood, and there are so many reasons to love drinking local:
You're supporting a local, family-run business and the people who work so hard in the vineyard all year round.
Fewer wine miles. Your bottle has travelled a few miles down the road, not halfway across the world.
It tastes of home. The chalk, the sea breezes and the Sussex sunshine all find their way into the glass.
It's simply delicious. Tinwood's wines can hold their own against sparkling wines from anywhere.
Having one of our team out there in the vineyard makes it even more personal. When you pop in and pick up a bottle of Tinwood from our shelves, you can ask Bany all about it. We promise you'll hear plenty of stories!
Visit Tinwood for yourself
If Bany's adventure has given you the vineyard bug, Tinwood is well worth a visit. As well as harvest days, the estate offers vineyard tours and tastings, and you can even stay over in one of their luxury lodges overlooking the vines. It's the perfect day out (or weekend away) for wine lovers, and it's just a short drive from Chichester.
Come and taste Tinwood at Cavavin
Can't wait until your next vineyard visit? You don't have to! We stock a selection of Tinwood wines in the shop, ready for celebrations, gifts or simply treating yourself. It's the perfect way to raise a glass to all the hard work that goes into every bottle.
Pop in to Cavavin and say hello, ask the team for their favourites, and discover the journey from grape to glass for yourself. Cheers to Tinwood, cheers to harvest, and cheers to drinking local!
