About Us

The wines of Blackdown Ridge Estate are the result of the vision of owner, Professor Martin Cook, who has lived on the estate for 20 years. A passionate wine-lover, Martin was inspired to create his vineyard when an Italian family friend and winemaker, Antonio, suggested that the beautiful south-facing slopes of Blackdown would be perfect for growing vines.

Winery

Blackdown Ridge Estate's purpose-built winery, with the capability to produce up to 14,000 bottles, an exciting new addition completed over the summer of 2014, is ready for the harvest and production of our still and sparkling wines. As harvest approaches, regular sampling and observation ensures that when the grapes are plump, ripe and full of delicious varietal flavours, our expert winemaker can choose the perfect moment to begin the harvest.

Wines

Our white and rose varieties are then carefully pressed in our pneumatic press, thereby breaking the skins and releasing the grape juice, known as the ‘must'. The fresh must is moved to our stainless steel tanks for fermentation, transforming the natural sugars of the grape into alcohol. They will remain in the tanks until they are filtered, blended and bottled several months later.