Walgate Wines is the personal project of winemaker Ben Walgate, based in Rye, East Sussex, England. After working at Gusbourne and co‑founding Tillingham, he launched Walgate to focus on terroir-driven, low-intervention English wines.

East Sussex is emerging as one of England's most exciting wine-producing regions. Its temperate maritime climate, with relatively mild winters and warm summers, provides ideal conditions for cool-climate grape varieties, particularly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Bacchus. The region benefits from long daylight hours during the growing season, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and develop complex aromatic profiles while retaining vibrant acidity.

The soils in East Sussex are diverse, ranging from chalky and clay-limestone to sandy loam, which mirrors the terroir of France’s Champagne region in some areas. This variation enables winemakers to produce wines with balance, minerality, and finesse. The region has seen a surge in quality sparkling wine production, leveraging traditional methods with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to craft elegant, nuanced bottles that rival more established regions.

Pinot Noir is one of the world’s most celebrated and challenging grape varieties, renowned for producing elegant, complex wines. Believed to have originated in Burgundy, France, over 1,000 years ago, it thrives in cooler climates where its thin skin and early ripening nature are best suited. Viticulturally, Pinot Noir is notoriously difficult to grow: it is susceptible to rot, mildew, and pests, and requires precise canopy management to balance ripening with acidity retention.

Pinot Noir is planted across the globe, with notable expressions found in Burgundy, Champagne, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, California’s Sonoma Coast, New Zealand’s Central Otago, and Germany’s Baden and Pfalz regions. In Champagne, it is a key component of sparkling wines, typically blended with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. The wine's diverse geographical range means that you might also find it labelled as Red Burgundy, Pinot Nero, Blauburgunder, or Spätburgunder.

The grape produces wines of delicate colour but remarkable aromatic depth. Typical flavour profiles include red fruits such as cherry, raspberry, and strawberry, often layered with floral notes, earthy undertones, and hints of spice or forest floor as the wines mature. Styles range from light and silky to more structured and age-worthy, depending on climate and winemaking choices. Pinot Noir’s ability to express terroir with precision makes it a favourite among wine lovers, despite — or perhaps because of — its demanding nature in the vineyard.