Bride Valley Vineyard

Bride Valley Vineyard represents the culmination of a remarkable life in wine. Founded by Steven Spurrier – the legendary wine merchant and critic who organised the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting that revolutionised the wine world – this Dorset estate produces sparkling wines of exceptional elegance and precision.

Steven's passion for wine was ignited at just 13 years old when his grandfather introduced him to Cockburn's 1908 Port. After a celebrated career that included founding France's first private wine school and reshaping global perceptions of wine quality, Steven turned his attention to the chalk slopes of his wife Bella's 200-acre sheep farm in Litton Cheney.

The south-facing Dorset slopes share the same geological basin as Champagne, with chalk soils that provide ideal conditions for growing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Forty-four thousand vines were planted across 25 prime acres, and the results have earned widespread acclaim. As Jancis Robinson wrote, 'Bride Valley is now firmly established as a superior English sparkling wine.'

Steven's approach was characteristically unstuffy – welcoming visitors to the cellar door, sharing tales from the vineyard and winery, and letting the wines speak for themselves. This philosophy continues today under Bella and the team, who maintain the estate's reputation for wines of precision, intensity and sophistication.

Hugh Johnson captured Steven's achievement perfectly: 'Steven's bubbly started to become a picture of his palate: precise, intense, sophisticated, acute. What could be more satisfying in a critic's life than to write the masterpiece he has been pursuing for so long?' Steven passed away in 2021, but his legacy lives on in every bottle of Bride Valley.