FAQs
Q. Do you offer events such as vineyard tours and tastings?
Not just yet. But there are lots of exciting plans in place and we will reveal all soon. Sign up to our Newsletter to keep up to date with the latest news and events.
Q. Where are you located?
Our Twyford vineyard is located 150m up a single track lane. Please drive carefully and slowly as the lane is also used by pedestrians and horse riders. For full location details please see our Contact Us page.
Q. Do you produce still wine?
We don’t have any still wine available to purchase just yet. At Longdown, we want to produce the best English wines possible. The climate and quality of harvest is a key component in producing single year still wines, so it can be unpredictable. However, the rapidly maturing Chardonnay vines in Bishops Waltham and the baby vines planted at Twyford in 2026 will allow us to extend the scope of our still product range. Sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date and join the journey as we learn and grow.
Q. Are your wines organic?
We know this is important to lots of you wine drinkers, and we are certainly aiming to move in that direction. We are committed to be as sustainable as we can be – see our Sustainability page for more information.
Q. Are your wines vegan?
Whilst our wines are not certified as vegan, we can say that they do not contain any animal or dairy products and have not been produced in an environment that process or hold any of these products.
Q. Can I volunteer at the vineyard?
Yes, you can. There will be volunteer opportunities for all suitable activities in the vineyard. The first one this year will be the harvest at Bishops Waltham. Sign up to the newsletter and follow our socials and you will be the first to hear about them.
Q. Why are bottles labelled in French?
The UK adopted the French terms for defining English Sparkling and Still wine because they considered they were widely known and understood. Personally, we think this is a disservice to the English Wine Industry and Longdown will be adopting clarity using English whenever allowed!
Q. What is the difference between vintage and non-vintage?
The word vintage refers to a single year of harvest. So, a Vintage wine is one made from the grapes of the harvest of THAT year ONLY. A Non-Vintage (NV) wine means that it is wine made from a mixture of grapes harvested at different times. There is a tolerance allowing up to 15% of another year(s) wine to be added whilst still being allowed to call your wine a vintage wine.
Q. What does Brut mean?
Brut is a French word meaning ‘Dry’. It can be confusing because, confusingly, the use of the word ‘dry’ means different things for still and sparkling wine – it does not refer to the same level of sweetness. Best to consider them separately, in their own category context. For sparkling wine:
Brut Nature: the driest sparkling wine category.
Brut: the second driest sparkling wine category, but still has a sweetness.
Sec: sweeter than Brut and means medium-sweet or off-dry.
Demi-Sec: even sweeter but still considered half-dry.