Black Chalk Wine

When	Days	Hours
March–December	Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun	10:00–17:00

Friday Night Lates 5pm–9pm. Closed January and February.

Opening hours can change for private events - it's always worth checking the vineyard's website before you visit.

What's the vibe?

Black Chalk is a family-run estate in the Test Valley with a relaxed, confident character - the kind of place where knowledgeable staff talk candidly about what goes into the bottle rather than sticking to a script. Tours are led by members of the winemaking team and end with a proper sit-down tasting, making it as informative as it is enjoyable.

Booking: Tours and tastings must be pre-booked to ensure your spot. Walk-ins are welcome at the Tasting Room subject to table availability.

Tours: Guided tours run Friday to Sunday, with morning and afternoon slots available during summer. You'll walk the vineyard, visit the on-site winery, and finish with a tutored tasting of two wines - one sparkling, one still. The tour runs 1 to 1.5 hours depending on group size, or around 2 hours if you add lunch. Check the website for current pricing and availability.

Open Year-Round: Black Chalk runs tours throughout the year, with April to September generally considered the best time to visit the vines. Quieter months sometimes bring special offers - worth checking if you're flexible on dates.

Food & Drink: The Tasting Room has a small kitchen producing locally-sourced grazing platters - think cheeseboards, charcuterie and smoked trout - as well as homemade cakes, tea and coffee. On Friday evenings, Friday Night Lates opens for table bookings from 4pm to 8pm, with food served until 8:30pm, often featuring visiting street food vendors with open-fire cooking, wood-fired pizza or BBQ. Booking is recommended for Friday evenings; drop-ins are welcome at other times subject to availability.

Special Events: The vineyard launched self-guided wine walks at the end of 2024, allowing visitors to explore at their own pace using a map and QR codes linking to audio commentary from the winemaking team. Ticketed events run throughout the year, including winemaker masterclasses, festive tastings and collaborative food evenings.

Accommodation: Four luxury treehouses, managed by Wild Escapes, sit within the vineyard and each sleep two people. They are operated independently of Black Chalk, but treehouse guests can arrange private tours and tastings directly with the vineyard.

Parking: On-site parking is available in the Circle Vineyard car park. Visitors should enter the Tasting Room via the Courtyard.

Children and Dogs: Both are welcome on tours and in the Tasting Room. Children are not charged unless lunch is provided for them. The circular vine garden offers a good space for children and dogs to stretch out between tastings.

Black Chalk was founded in 2015 by Jacob Leadley and his family on the chalk soils of the Test Valley - the same underlying geology that defines the character of many of Hampshire's best sparkling wines. The estate's vines sit on the banks of the River Test, with the chalk giving the wines a distinctive mineral quality and precision that runs through the whole range.

The focus is on traditional-method sparkling wine made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, alongside still wines including a Pinot Noir Rosé and Chardonnay. Winemaking is led by Jacob Leadley and Zoë Driver, with all wines made using sustainable, minimal-intervention practices. Black Chalk holds certification from Sustainable Wines of Great Britain across both the vineyard and winery.

The on-site winery was completed in 2020, with the harvest that year being the first processed entirely on the estate. Recognition has come quickly: early releases earned Silver Medals at Tom Stevenson's Sparkling Wine World Championships 2019 and the International Wine Challenge 2018, and the Black Chalk Classic 2016 went on to win the People's Choice Drinks Award for best UK sparkling wine in 2021 and an IWSC 2020 Trophy. The estate has also taken Gold at the International Wine and Spirits Championship and was named Overall Trophy Winner and Newcomer of the Year at the Wine GB Awards.

By Car
Black Chalk Wine is located in the picturesque Test Valley, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes from central London via the M3 and A303.

By Public Transport
The nearest train station is Andover, about 5 miles from the vineyard. A taxi from Andover station takes approximately 10 minutes. Alternatively, Winchester station is about 10 miles away, with a taxi journey of around 20 minutes. Trains from London Waterloo to both Andover and Winchester take approximately 1 hour. Pre-booking your taxi is recommended.

Book train tickets in advance via Trainline.

• Notable Restaurants:
  • The Greyhound on the Test, Stockbridge
  • The Peat Spade Inn, Stockbridge
• Notable Hotels:
  • The Greyhound on the Test, Stockbridge
  • Wild Escapes Treehouses (on-site)
• Notable Attractions:
  • River Test (famous for fishing)
  • Winchester Cathedral, Winchester