Organic Pioneer

Sedlescombe Vineyard grew out of one man's dream of self-sufficiency.

In 1974, Roy Cook was presented with a dramatic opportunity to drop out of the rat-race when he inherited ten acres of land near Sedlescombe, East Sussex. He began his new existence in modest style in a simple caravan, and set out to grow sufficient organic food to provide a basic diet - and a surplus that could be turned into cash to meet his other needs.

As with many dreams of this kind, this lifestyle proved very hard...

Necessity, being as always the mother of invention, Roy set out to utilise his land in other ways.

I thought about planting tomatoes, but then I discovered I had all the right conditions for growing vines. I was in the South East where the revival in English wines was beginning, and the land I owned was on a south-facing slope, exposed to the sun. I wasn't at the bottom of a valley where you get frost and wasn't at the top where you get high winds. It was ideal.

 So began Britain's first organic vineyard.

Roy started with 2,000 plants on one and a half acres in 1979. Today the vineyard has expanded to 23 acres, which includes the vineyard at Bodiam Castle converted to organics in 1994 and the vineyard at Spilstead converted in 2006.  Further plantings of two acres of black grape vines of the variety 'REGENT' were carried out in spring 2000, with additional acreage planted between 2001 and 2003. The fantastic summer of 2003 saw a bumper harvest of top quality black grapes. After pulp fermentation and maturation in barrique oak, this outstanding full-bodied English Red was released in July, 2004 and gained "highly commended" in the English Wine of the Year competition.

In 1987, with the help of Constructive Individuals Ltd London and the ad: "Learn to build a house in three weeks in an organic vineyard in Sussex," Irma and Roy Cook built the low-energy wood-frame house that is now the centre of the vineyard.
Roy Cook and son Alexander
picking black grapes...

Now the Cooks produce approximately 15,000 bottles of organic English wine a year. Although there are a total of around 400 vineyards in Britain, Sedlescombe is one of only four which have adopted organic methods.