Huxbear Vineyard, Sustainable Viticulture in Devon

With the recent proliferation of vineyards and wineries in the UK it has become rather difficult for me to fit them all in. But I will go the extra mile to taste quality wines and to guide you to the best the UK has to offer. Huxbear Vineyard in the Teign Valley near Chudleigh, South Devon, is one such vineyard and winery.

You can explore our full range of Devon wine, including bottles from Huxbear Vineyard, in our dedicated Devon collection.

I recently hosted a unique South Devon wine tasting in which the standout wine was their Classic Sparkling Cuvée. Eager to learn more, I went off in search of this elusive Devon winery. Just off the A38, Huxbear Vineyard is tucked into a winding valley around five miles from Newton Abbot.

Set in lush, gently sloping hills, I noted that the undulating ground allows the valley wind to blow directly through the vines, helping to keep them healthy. Ben and Lucy Hulland, who own and run the business, describe themselves as makers of boutique English wine, which neatly sums up their approach to winemaking.

They do not aspire to producing large volumes. The 16,500 vine vineyard currently produces around 15,000 bottles per year. As Lucy explained, it is all about producing unique wines that they can be proud of.

Being an English winemaker has many advantages if you choose to work with nature rather than against it. Most of the world’s wine is produced in different conditions to those we enjoy here, which means we can create something truly unique and distinctive.

Our growing conditions are closer to Champagne and the Loire than the more arid conditions that produce robust big reds, for example. The climate and soil here bring out the delicacy and subtlety that a lot of discerning wine buyers are looking for.

Distinctively Devon Wine

Their 16,500 vines, planted in 2007, are maturing nicely. The wines have a sense of place, something distinctly Devonian, which you can taste. Establishing a distinctive place of its own in the world is something that English wine is starting to achieve, and producers like Lucy and Ben are helping that along without fuss.

If you take our signature Classic Sparkling as an example, we use the Champagne method because it creates reliable and great tasting wines, but we are not trying to create an English version of Champagne.

We control the blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier very carefully and leave it to age on the lees for no more than 24 months. We also avoid oak ageing to keep the wine fresh and distinctively Devonian.

Regionality is something that Lucy identifies as potentially one of the next big steps in English wine production.

Many of our vines are now over ten years old. This maturity, along with the changing climate, has altered the characteristics of our wines significantly, producing more prominent and rounded fruit notes.

It is entirely logical that wines produced here will be increasingly different from those produced in the chalky soils and drier climate of the South East. There is every reason to think that wines from South West England will continue to develop their own identity.

Following a Dream

It is great to hear English wine producers talking with such passion and self confidence, particularly in the case of Lucy and Ben, who started Huxbear Vineyard from scratch following an idea inspired by a possibly over enthusiastic wine tasting session.

They sold up everything and moved to Brighton so that Ben could study winemaking at Plumpton College. After qualifying, the search was on for a suitable site for a vineyard.

The vines at Huxbear Vineyard, south Devon

This became available in 2007 at Huxbear Farm near Chudleigh in Devon. The gently sloping site was mostly south east facing, which offers ideal protection from late frosts. They also have some south west facing slopes that are reserved mainly for German grape varieties such as Schonberger and Siegerrebe.

When they started to plant vines, Ben and Lucy were keen to retain the name of the farm. Looking up at the night sky they noticed that the Great Bear constellation was directly over the vineyard. This ties neatly with the name Huxbear. They like to think of their precious vines being under the watchful protection of the Great Bear.

Bears are a common theme in their naming, labelling and marketing. That is all part of fashioning something distinctively Devon.

Sustainable English Wine

Creating a vineyard from scratch is a Herculean effort, particularly when the first 22 months are spent living in a touring caravan. Even today, the vineyard is entirely off grid, with rain water harvesting, compost toilets and power produced primarily from renewable sources.

That passion, dedication and single mindedness comes through in every bottle that leaves Huxbear Vineyard and every sip of the wine.

The Wines

Huxbear Classic Sparkling, Devon

£26.50

As a sparkling wine producing nation, we are bringing our "A" game right now, often beating Champagne in competition and blind tastings. In places, the...… read more

Huxbear Orange Bear 2021, Devon

£20.25

Orange wine has become more familiar over the last few years, but it’s still a small field in England. Lucy and Ben Holland were drawn...… read more

Huxbear "The Dancing Bear" Chardonnay 2020, Devon

£19.50

There’s been plenty of talk about warming climates and what that might mean for English wine. In South Devon, Chardonnay is now ripening reliably, and...… read more

Devon Sparkling Wine

The biggest production is the Huxbear Classic Sparkling. This wine intrigued me as its elegant mature style soared to great heights as a distinctive wine of quality. Worth a look if you want a Devon grown fizz with character and presence.

Made exclusively with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the depth of flavour this wine offers creates a serious sipper with a richly textured fizz, and at a sensible price.

Devon Still Wine

Huxbear Vineyard still wines offer the wine hunter something a little left field. Their flagship white, Dancing Bear Chardonnay, is enhanced with a three month internment in American oak, adding a layer of complexity to a thoroughly modern fruit driven Devon wine. Perhaps try it with a spicy risotto.

Their unfiltered orange wine, Orange Bear, is made by allowing the must or juice to contact the grape skins. This has created a white wine with defined orange hues sporting an oxidised style with a whiff of fino sherry and tasty tannins with a slightly sour note to the palate. It would be a great match with washed rind or mature English cheeses.

Huxbear Vineyard is on a mission to produce quality. Minimal intervention is practised here, with a nod to nature offering twenty first century wines suitable for vegan imbibers.