Sugrue South Downs dreams on

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 16 March, 2026

Twenty years after winemaker Dermot Sugrue planted his first Storrington Priory vines for what was to become Sugrue South Downs, this Sussex-rooted producer continues to forge ahead with much in the pipeline for 2026.

A limited-edition magnum of The Trouble With Dreams 2020 – the flagship fizz of Sugrue’s artisanal scale portfolio – is to be released towards the end of the year, underscoring several developments at the winery. And a new Never Mind the Gamay still red blend of Gamay and Meunier will also be ready this summer, made in part with fruit from their vineyard at The Pig hotel in the South Downs.

A bigger possible development, though, is earmarked for the winery itself, with owners Dermot and Ana Sugrue hoping to build on their roster of events with more dedicated space for tastings and events in the future.

Read more: Oxford Wine Company splits operations

Sugrue South Downs has already established a reputation for hosting celebrity chef pop up lunches, with a residency by Mark Hix being the most recent in a line of similarly high-profile names to grace the winery. This potential new space will allow for greater capacity and flexibility.

“Our pop up lunches are sold out for the year, but we still close for three months of the year to focus on winemaking,” marketing director Callum Edge told team Harpers on a recent visit to the estate. “Hospitality is central for us, but viticulture and winemaking will always come first at Sugrue South Downs.”

Edge also revealed that the winery is planning to spotlight the growing excellence of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the Crouch Valley in Essex, where the Sugrues are also making wines, with a Judgement of Paris-style tasting.

“We are trying to be really geeky about everything and appeal to real wine lovers,” said Edge, talking of the Sugrue South Downs ethos.

“The worst thing about the wine industry at quite a fractious time is to be too serious, so we want to keep a sense of fun in what we do, even though we are on the geekier end of wine’s appeal.”

With the winery looking to turn to an allocation model for certain wines, and news that Cuvée Dr Brendan O'Regan 2018 is being poured on BA first class over the next three years and being released to its mailing list on St Patrick’s Day (Dermot Sugrue is Irish by birth), the approach certainly appears to be working, with Sugrue South Downs having gained something of a cult following for its invariably excellent sparkling and still wines.

Moreover, this is one of few English wineries of note that has actually turned a profit, which is news in itself as the domestic industry continues to find its path forward.

Pictured: Team Harpers tasting with Callum Edge in the cellar

Printer friendly version