There’s a hush to the Chiltern Hills that hides a secret. As Rob Rees wanders the chalk paths between Henley and Stonor, he discovers vineyards alive with promise — places where English wine has found its voice, clear, confident, and quietly thrilling…
Ask most people what the Chiltern Hills are known for and you’ll hear talk of red kites, cosy flint-covered pubs, and rolling chalklands and beech woods. Wine? Not so much. Which is why those in the know will feel a quiet thrill in discovering what’s happening on the chalk slopes above Henley and in the Stonor Valley: two vineyards making wines so precise, so elegant, they could turn even a Champagne devotee’s head.
English sparkling has been bubbling away for two decades but in the Chilterns it’s just hitting its stride. You will not find mass-market bottles. They’re crafted with intent, rooted in chalk soils identical to those of the glory days of 1970 Champagne, and produced in quantities so small you’ll rarely find them beyond the cellar door or the wine lists of Britain’s most prestigious restaurants. For those of you who enjoy being ahead of the curve, it’s a revelation.
JoJo’s Vineyard: The Insider’s Pick
High above Henley in Russell’s Water, JoJo’s Vineyard feels like a secret garden. Just two hectares, 9,000 vines, and an energetic couple balancing paying careers to chase a dream. Ex-farmer Ian and pharmacologist Tess Beecher-Jones are all-in. Their southwestern facing vineyard, named after their Australian sheepdog JoJo, is tended with community spirit: locals volunteer at the grape harvest, pruning and leaf-stripping throughout the year, while winemaking is deliberately low-intervention. There isn’t the faintest whiff of pretension here.
JoJos grape choice is as sharp as their wines. The Champagne holy trinity of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier form the backbone of fizz, while Bacchus and Seyval Blanc lend aromatic lift and structure. Early-ripening Pinot Noir Précoce ensures consistency, Pinot Blanc adds weight. It’s a pragmatic response to England’s damper, cooler climate, yet the results are anything but ordinary, with regenerative farming and sustainable practices to the forefront. Their winemaker is hugely respected Tommy Grimshaw, all bottled by experienced Langham’s of Dorchester, Dorset.
Ian hosted us over the most relaxed lunch of charcuterie and burgers from the nearby village butcher, whilst we sampled his finest drinks. JoJo’s Premier Cuvée 2021 sparkler was orchard-fruited, chalky and refined. The sparkling rosé 2021 was bright and fruit-forward. His still whites – especially the stellar Bacchus-Seyval Blanc 2022 blend – offered complex citrus, quince and peach flavours with a long finish, crafted with techniques like foot-pressing for delicacy and to avoid bitterness from the seeds. They are wines for the open minded and curious – pure, textural, precise.
Pre-bookable visits are unhurried personal affairs. Ian is the perfect host and the vineyard experience will only get better once Ian has built new tasting rooms and a south facing terrace for 2026.
JoJo’s is also a founding stop on the popular Chilterns Walking & Vineyards Tour, a day-long ramble linking four vineyards with tastings and lunch. Contact Ian well ahead to book a JoJo visit – he’s a busy guy, especially now it’s prime harvest time. JoJo’s really feels like the beginning of something special so go now.
Hundred Hills: Champagne had better watch out
Where JoJo’s charms with intimacy, Hundred Hills dazzles with ambition. Stephen and Fiona Duckett searched more than 300 sites before choosing the Stonor Valley’s steep, sunny chalk slopes. The Ducketts were advised closely by famed French wine consultant Dr Miguel Salgues. Vines and exact grape varieties were chosen from the golden era of Champagne, seen as the 1960s and 70s, and matched to the slopes and soil type.
In Stonor they have built a cutting-edge winery in a converted barn, complete with wine library, precision-controlled cellars and even satellite monitoring of vine health, a first in England. This scientific rigour has paid off. Parcels of vineyard are matched to grape and microclimate, each bunch picked at optimum ripeness, with harvest starting in September and running to late October. With such a hot, dry summer, 2025 is expected to be a very high quality crop – it is subtle taste and complexity that’s sought, not quantity.
The result is a tight but stellar range of sparkling wines, all made in the traditional Champagne method. Rupert Crick, an expert sommelier who learnt his trade at nearby Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, walked us through the impressive vineyard that’s spread across two valley sides. Rupert shared the most elegant of wines, all beautifully presented in the glass fronted, oak-beamed tasting room overlooking the sun-dappled vines. The boldness of the architectural design pays homage to Sonoma Valley, where the Ducketts enjoyed such striking venues as members of exclusive wine clubs, whilst working in tech in noughties California.
The Blanc de Blancs 2019, pure Chardonnay, sings with lemon, green apple and chalky creamy notes. The Blanc de Noirs 2018, all Pinot Noir, offers a richer, berry-led expression in a top class sparkling rosé. Preamble No.2 2021, a generous blend, has pear, pastry and a long, elegant finish.
Prices run £40–£60, and the wines are now poured at The Fat Duck, The Ritz and The Dorchester. Join up to the “Friends of Hundred Hills” wine club to get the inside track on limited releases and bespoke events. These are serious distinctive bottles, showing why Champagne houses are eyeing English chalk as global warming creeps north. You cannot fail to be impressed by Hundred Hills global ambition.
The Cognoscenti’s Chilterns
Together, JoJo’s and Hundred Hills illustrate two contrasting faces of the Chilterns’ wine story: boutique experimentation and high-tech precision based on detailed understanding of Champagne’s historic winning viticulture. Both approaches rooted in chalk, both leaning into England’s cool-climate strengths, both producing wines that are layered and quietly thrilling.
To sip a JoJo’s Bacchus on a sunny hillside with Ian, or raise a glass of Hundred Hills Blanc de Blancs in a smart tasting room with Rupert, is to join a small but growing circle of connoisseurs who know that some of the most exciting wines in Europe are being made not in Champagne, but are waiting to discovered just 40 miles to the west of London. Raise a glass to the Chiltern Hills. The secret won’t stay hidden for long.
JoJo’s Vineyard, Russells Water, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire. RG9 6EU. For more information, please visit www.jojosvineyard.co.uk.
Hundred Hills Winery, The Old Road, The Stonor Valley, Oxfordshire. RG9 6HS. For more information, please visit www.hundredhills.wine.
