DAVENPORT - East Sussex


 Davenport have 2 vineyards,totalling 19 acres at Horsmonden in Kent and at at Limney Farm near CROWBOROUGH in Sussex. Both vineyards are planted on clay/sand mixture with more sand at Rotherfield. The winery and sales office are at the Limney Farm site. The vineyards are registered with the soil association as organic. No chemical pesticides are used and all wine is produced to organic standards
Full details of the programme of soil control can be found on the vineyard web-site.
---------------- Will Davenport, the wine maker was trained at Roseworthy Agricultural college and has wine making experience in California, Australia and the Alsace. He also has many years experience in making English wines and, apart from making his own wines, provides a contract service for vineyards as far apart as Hampshire and East Anglia.

Davenport sell mainly white and sparkling wines. However, they also produce a small amount of Pinot Noir each year labelled as Limney Diamond Fields - this wine normally sells out before bottling.Wines are sold all over the country- including the prestigeous Lewis and Cooper in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

School/College Visits


Limney Farm is open to student visits under the DEFRA Countryside Stewardship Scheme. If you are interested in taking a party, contact Will Davenport.

An eco-friendly environment

Limney is not registered as an organic farm but classes itself as eco-friendly, sufficient to attract kestrels and grass snakes. Only organically approved fungicides are used and insecticides are avoided completely. Chemical fertilisers and weedkillers are also banned from use, as we prefer to use compost and green manures for soil fertility.

The farm also has a plan for improving the ecology by encouraging wild flowers, coppicing woodland, fencing and by the construction of a shallow 'scrape' pond.

Photo, and background on this page produced by Davenport Vineyards

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