Everflyht

The English wine world is a fast moving one, with new vineyards offering exciting wines, emerging up and down the country all the time. One of the most recent to be established in East Sussex is Everflyht, a small family-run wine estate set at the foot of Ditchling Beacon. The single vineyard estate was established by owners Sam and Ben Ellis, who bought it in 2015, inspired by family travels, as well as their fervent passion for sparkling wines. Led by vineyard manager Luke Spalding (formerly of Ridgeview), the Ellis family began planting 6.8 hectares of vines in 2016, including the traditional English sparkling wine varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. They also set aside 3.5 hectares of land for biodiversity - planting over 400 trees, 800m of hedgerow and integrating wild flower meadows. Everflyht is supported by the expertise of the team at Hambledon in making their wines.

Sam and Ben explain the inspiration behind the name ‘Everflyht’ as being based on the six Martlets of the Sussex crest, symbolising knowledge, adventure, and learning - much like their journey into English Sparkling Wine. Said to never land, these birds are ‘ever in flight’. These six Martlets make up the Everflyht feather on their labels, a symbol of Everflyht’s adventures and innovation in wine and ‘to never settle’.