About

It was Nicky’s idea - and it seemed to come from nowhere.

One evening, halfway through a rather good bottle of her favourite burgundy, she said:

“I’ve got it. Let’s start a vineyard.”

That impromptu thought turned out to be a very good one. We were both winding down our careers as pharmaceutical lawyers and, with neither of us being the ride-off-into-the-sunset type, we already knew that a quiet retirement wasn’t for us.

After months of research, hours of driving and more than a few raised eyebrows (not all of them our own!), we found ourselves in the West Sussex countryside at a beautiful 19-acre site in the Arun Valley - only an hour, but a world away, from our life in London.

It was perfect.

A SIGN FROM ABOVE

Soon after buying the vineyard, we began noticing a pair of kites circling overhead, seemingly as curious about us as we were about them.

Nesting in the native oaks beside the vines, they would swoop low over the rows - to our constant delight. Their freedom and unpredictability felt like the perfect symbol for this unexpected new chapter.

Wild Kite was born.

FROM PHARMA TO FARMERS

Leaving our careers in pharma law behind, we threw ourselves headfirst into vineyard life. It was non-stop, hands-on and entirely outside our comfort zone - and we loved it. What we lacked in experience, we made up for in enthusiasm, curiosity and determination: asking questions, making mistakes and immersing ourselves in the muddy, meticulous, occasionally overwhelming world of winemaking.

OUR VISION

Our vision has always been simple: to craft a small collection of distinctive, characterful wines, made in limited quantities to a high quality at our own winery from grapes grown in the unique terroir of the Arun Valley. Rooted firmly in place, we combine traditional winemaking with a thoughtful, sustainable approach, nurturing biodiversity and working in harmony with the land so each wine reflects exactly where it comes from. Our first release, a still, soft pink Rosé (a blend of Pinot Noir, Precoce and Pinot Meunier), arrives in June, with a still Pinot Blanc following soon after.

Friends joked that we we’d gone from pharma to farmers, but we have truly discovered that second chapters can be the most rewarding - and that life, like wine, truly does improve with age.

Our first harvest came in October 2025. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay, grown in our vineyard are produced under the expert guidance of winemaker James Snowden, formerly of Balfour Winery, who works closely with us at every stage.

Each step has brought learning, patience, the occasional curse at the weather and, above all, pride in the wines we’re creating.

HOW OUR ADVENTURE STARTED

ABOUT WILD KITE