Smock Alley

When	Days	Hours
Cellar Door shop	Sat	10:00–14:00

Site: 'Our Cellar Door shop at our vineyard in West Chiltington is open every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM... just drop by for a chat with Sarah and the team.' Separately, 'Vineyard tours and tasting events are available by appointment between April and October' (Book a Tour) - those are booked, but the cellar door itself is walk-in.

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

What's the vibe?

Smock Alley is a cooperative venture with 62 members - airline pilots, musicians, horticulturists and IT specialists among them - who each hold a row of vines on a south-facing, lower Greensand slope in West Chiltington. The vineyard was established in 2000 and expanded significantly after Sarah Lavery, a former civil engineer, took it on with her family in 2014 and planted a further 3,000 vines to double the site. The grapes - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier - go to Wiston Estate for winemaking, where they are bottle-fermented and aged for a minimum of three years in the traditional method. The result is a tight range of sparkling wines that earned a Silver Medal at the 2026 London International Wine Competition for their 2022 Rosé.

The cellar door is open every Saturday from 10am to 2pm, which makes Smock Alley one of the more accessible community vineyards in West Sussex for a spontaneous visit. Between April and October, the wine flight experience pairs three 70ml glasses of their sparkling range with a cheese and charcuterie sharing board. On fine days in that window, a guided tour of the vineyard is included, weather permitting.

For groups, vineyard tours can be arranged by contacting the team directly through the vineyard's website. Additional guests beyond a gift voucher allocation are charged at £25 per person. All wines are vegan and vegetarian friendly, made with minimal pesticides and low added sulphites.

The range sits at three bottles: the Brut NV, a non-vintage blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; the 2019 Vintage English Classic Cuvée, which had longer to develop its character through three-plus years of ageing on lees; and the 2022 Vintage English Sparkling Rosé, the Silver Medal winner from the 2026 London International Wine Competition. All are made at Wiston Estate in the South Downs, which handles the winemaking for a number of smaller Sussex vineyards. Bottles are available from the cellar door on Saturdays or through their online shop.

Smock Alley is on Southlands Lane in West Chiltington, about five miles north of Storrington and a similar distance from Pulborough. Pulborough is the nearest railway station, on the Arun Valley line from Horsham and Bognor Regis, though the vineyard is not walkable from there - a taxi or car is needed for the last stretch. If you are combining it with a day in the South Downs, Amberley is a short drive and offers walks along the Arun valley.

Book train tickets in advance via Trainline.