In 2008, two old friends – Nicholas Coates and Christian Seely – embarked on a quest. They had between them successful careers in finance and winemaking, an unshakeable belief, and a burning desire to make, one day, a sparkling wine to rival the best in the world. Their adventure drew them to the ancient chalk downlands of Hampshire, in Southern England, to a secluded valley nestling quietly in the hills, where the chalk soils and south-facing slopes presented the perfect terroir. They planted vines and began their craft. They would call their sparkling wine ‘Coates & Seely’.

A decade later, their sparkling wines are listed in royal palaces, Michelin-starred restaurants and iconic houses around the world and have won Gold Medals and Trophies in all of the leading national and international wine competitions. In 2017 their wines were voted Best Overall Wine, Best Sparkling Wine, Best Blanc de Blancs and Best Sparkling Rosé in the UK Wine Awards. In 2019 their 2009 Blanc de Blancs ‘La Perfide’ won the International IWSC Trophy for Best Bottle Fermented Sparkling Wine. They are still the only English wine to be listed at the George V in Paris.

A mile to the south of the Hampshire vineyards, the clear chalk stream of the River Test flows along the valley floor, passing through the villages of Overton and Whitchurch. Three miles to the North lies the high chalk ridge of Watership Down, one of the highest points in Hampshire, that iron-age man first used as a vantage point. Further down from the ridge, the land falls away in rolling downland and is dissected by dry valleys and winterbournes. Old, flint-faced farmsteads dot the landscape, and winding, single-track lanes and hedges subdue and enclose the land. It is in these quiet, wooded hills, at an altitude of 50-100 metres, that our vineyards lie, on either side of a secluded V-shaped valley, in perfect tranquility.

This is a winemaker’s dream, where chalk soils and clay caps disgorge rugged flints that help retain the heat of the sun, warming the top-soils, whilst in the late summer and early autumn the enclosed valley helps trap the last of the season’s heat to ripen the grapes. The fruit that then emerges contains the perfect balance of crisp acidity and sweet fruit, as well as the saline minerality, that lie at the heart of all great sparkling wine.

Next stop, Sparkling wine in the English countryside! Coates & Seely is located in Hampshire, Southwest of London. Produced using traditional methods and the classic varieties, they playfully refer to their production as “Methode Britannique”. Their Brut Reserve was recently awarded an impressive 97 Point, Best in Show selection by Decanter Magazine. This family owned estate is complete with a 70 year old vintage coach bus named Albion. Coates & Seely seamlessly combine the beauty and traditions of England with the craftsmanship and latest technologies available to produce their world-class sparkling wines.

A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with reserves from previous years, and lees-aged for 2 ½ to 3 years to give depth and complexity. The Brut Reserve NV won the Best in Show Trophy in 2022’s Decanter World Wine Awards with a Platinum medal and a score of 97 points.

We are, first and foremost, artisans, or craftsmen, working in a family environment. Not for us the anonymity and uniformity of scale, or of modern corporate culture. We are seeking, above all else, to produce wines that are not only of the highest quality, but that are authentic, are ours – that reflect our land, our values and our families – and that could not be made by any other.

They are unique to us. They are our secret. For this reason, we restrict our productive capacity and focus instead on perfecting our craft in an unending pursuit of excellence, guided only by quality. To help us, we use not only traditional wine-making craftsmanship, but the latest technology, too – perhaps most notably evidenced by our concrete fermentation eggs, the only ones in England.

We also use French craftsmen who, combined with our English terroir, make wines of distinction, that are properly and fully aged – both on lees and on cork – using rigorous fruit selection, exacting discipline and an unending attention to detail.