“Precision, Passion, Craft and Sustainability” is the apt motto of Simon Woodhead’s, Stopham Estate. Having begun his career as an engineer, designing parts for Formula One racing cars, Simon discovered a passion for wine while living in Spain and in 2005 he enrolled at Plumpton College to study winemaking. In 2007 Simon planted six hectares of vines, predominantly Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, at Stopham Estate, near Pulborough West Sussex. The estate is known locally for its ancient buildings that were recorded in the Domesday Book, as well as the swans that swim the River Arun, the banks of which form the lower boundary to the vineyards. Their small winery is in a converted barn on the estate that Simon leases from the owners, the Barttelot family.
