North Street, Hailsham, BN27

Off The Line is an established vineyard and winery that extends to just over 33 acres in total, situated on the lower slopes of the Weald just outside Hellingly in East Sussex. It's known for its high quality award winning rosé wines, still and sparkling.

The sale of Off The Line presents an exciting opportunity to acquire an already established medium sized boutique vineyard and winery with the potential to develop it further.

LOCATION
Off The Line is situated in an accessible location between the towns of Hailsham and Horam on the outskirts of Hellingly. Access is currently via a shared access track from the A267 and supports the current operations on site. Following the recent acquisitions of additional land and planning permission that was granted in 2023, an incoming purchaser has the opportunity of constructing a new private access with large bell mouth directly off the A267. The new access would open the site up for an increased visitor offering and general expansion.

The site also benefits from direct access to the Cuckoo Trail which is a popular route for walkers and cyclists. The Cuckoo Trail follows the route of an old railway line that used to be called the 'Cuckoo Line' as Cuckoo's nest in the local area and can be heard calling in the spring. This is where the name Off The Line derives from.

The Wealden area is a popular destination for tourists given its proximity to the coast, the South Downs and the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a growing destination for wine tourism with a number of other vineyards and wineries in the area. Please see the Location Plan below for the exact location of the property in relation to the surrounding towns and villages.

THE VINEYARD
The freehold property totals just over 33 acres sitting at sits at an altitude of 35m to 45m above sea level. There are three fields planted with approximately 15 acres of vines. 7.5 acres is planted with Pinot Noir, Regent, Rondo and Dornfelder which have been in production since 2016, with a further 7.5 acres planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier in May 2023.

Both the field planted in 2014 and the larger field planted in 2023 face south east with the field planted with Chardonnay facing largely to the south west. The soil is a Weald clay over a Tunbridge Wells sandstone with drainage assisted by a series of ditches running across what is already a free draining site. The land is rich in bio-diversity with ponds and natural woodlands and open views to the South Downs and the surrounding countryside.

THE WINERY
There is a modern purpose-built cedar clad winery constructed in 2017 with office, staff facilities and tasting room. All wastewater and domestic effluent is processed by a state-of-the-art Bio Bubble system. The winery is supplied by single phase and three phase electricity and there is good internet connection. The winery floor is polished concrete and slopes to drainage gullies manufactured by SK specifically for wineries. There is a separate laboratory room inside the winery and a mezzanine area.

The winery has capacity to produce around 20,000 bottles of wine per annum and there is space to store wine and packaging. There is space to add additional tanks and increase winery capacity to process fruit from the 2023 plantings expected to be in production in 2025.

The winery has bonded warehouse status with an intruder and fire alarm installed as part of the construction process. Insulation of the winery is of a high specification, so temperature stays reasonably cool throughout the summer. Please see the floor plans opposite for a detailed layout of the winery itself.

For further information please download the brochure or contact the agent.