Lyme Bay Winery

Founded more than 30 years ago in the sleepy green hills of East Devon, Lyme Bay Winery has quietly become one of England's most significant producers. Located just outside Axminster near the historic Shute estate, within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a stone's throw from the Jurassic Coast, this remarkable winery holds multiple distinctions: the UK's most awarded English still wine producer and the country's largest mead and fruit wine maker.

Visiting Lyme Bay Winery

Lyme Bay's English wine credentials are impressive. Their Martin's Lane Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have earned multiple trophies at the International Wine Challenge, including Best English White, Best English Red, Best English Pinot, and Best Still English Wine. These achievements, built on partnerships with growers across the south of England who supply the finest fruit from the best vineyards, have established Lyme Bay as the benchmark for English still wine.

But the winery's expertise extends far beyond grape wines. As the UK's largest producer of mead, often referred to as Honey Wine, Lyme Bay has championed this ancient drink, showcasing its outstanding versatility from sip-and-savour styles to unique cocktail ingredients. Their range encompasses traditional, fruit-flavoured, and floral meads.

The country fruit wine collection preserves England's long tradition of wines made from ingredients beyond grapes. Diverse fruit, botanical, and floral wines epitomise the countryside, ideal for trying new flavours or pairing with food. Complementing these are fruit liqueurs, gins, and rums that complete the portfolio.

The Cellar Door welcomes visitors to experience this remarkable range firsthand. Staff guide tastings through the various categories, from award-winning still wines to meads and country wines, offering an education in the breadth of English drink-making tradition.

Lyme Bay Winery demonstrates that England's wine heritage encompasses far more than sparkling wine alone, and that Devon has its own distinct contribution to make to the country's viticultural reputation.