The White family took over the Denbies Estate, originally a pig and cattle farm, in 1984.

When they found the hilly landscape not really suitable for the cattle and pigs a family friend, Richard Selley- Professor of Geology and a Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London suggested a radical change.

In Richard's opinion, Denbies Estate was perfect for planting a vineyard. The family liked the idea and set to work. By 1986 the vineyard was planted.

Adrian and Gillian White have five children, Christopher, the oldest son is now in charge of Denbies and its wine. Denbies has been a major part of his life since the early age.

Chris grew up on the estate and spent his teenage years surrounded by the vineyard. After spending time away at school, university and running his first business, he returned to Denbies and has managed the estate since 2002.

Denbies has received multiple international awards for its wines, both sparkling and still, since production commenced. Of particular note, in May 2011, International Wine Competition (IWC) awarded Denbies Chalk Ridge Rosé a gold medal.

This happened to coincide with a visit from HRH Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. There was a lot to talk about!

The exhilaration of receiving awards for the wines brings all the team together.

Denbies wine now competes on an international level, including multiple gold awards for sparkling wine production, the first ever gold for an English rosé wine and most recently an international gold for Denbies Noble Harvest Dessert wine.