Rondo and Regent

The Champagne Three are not the only vines at Tickerage

Anthony knew from the start his chosen path would be sparkling wine from Sussex.

However, in keeping with his ‘doing things differently’ ethos he was keen to try his hand at a little bit of red wine production.

Enter Rondo and Regent. Maybe not vines you’ve heard of, but they are disease resistant and early ripening varieties suited to the short growing season that the UK offers up. We planted just 100 vines of each.

The Rondo are always the first grapes to ripen, followed shortly after by the Regent, offering bountiful amounts of grapes for the wasps to feast on before the main vineyard is ready. Making a light and fruity red wine with great depth of colour yet lighter in alcohol than more commonly encountered red wines, we also use a small amount in our sparkling rosé to add colour that is lost in the disgorging process.

Disease resistant - these varieties do not suffer from the mildews that are always a threat to the main vineyard

Early ripening - perfect for the late season wasps who love the sugar content and feast heartily in September and October

Fantastic deep red colour - perfect to add a little pink to our sparkling rosé