Priors Dean Vineyard
Set high in the lovely Hampshire countryside, with a superb view over three counties, this must be a strong contender for the most beautiful vineyard in England.
The site is about 1.5 acres in size, and is ideal for white wine production.
The steep south slope catches the sun, and the surrounding trees give shelter from north and east winds. However the vineyard is 500 feet high at the top, too high for optimum heat levels, so red wine grapes would have difficulty ripening.
The soil is light loam over chalk, not unlike that in Champagne, and therefore particularly suited to the production of fine white wines. It provides excellent drainage, and the vines can put their roots far down into the chalk so extracting the minerals which give the wine character and flavour.