Valley Vineyards

The first vines were planted at Valley Vineyards in 1979 at Stanlake Manor, Twyford, the family home of the Valley Vineyards ImageLeighton family. This occurred after Jon Leighton returned from Australia and realised the great potential for wine grape cultivation and wine making in the Thames Valley. The seventies had seen a large increase in new acreage planted in England, but without an increase in the quality of the wines. Jon Leighton set out to prove that English wines of consistently world-class quality could be produced and enjoyed.

Stanlake Manor itself dates back to the late 15th century and was once a part of the Windsor Great Estate. History has it that King Charles II stayed in the manor to rendezvous with Nell Gwynne at the local Dog and Badger.

Stanlake Manor has been the Leighton family home since 1952 and boasts a Reformation era barn surmounted by a clock tower. The tower is the centrepiece of a collection of old buildings now converted to a modern, well-equipped winery.

Valley Vineyards, based in Twyford, Berkshire, is one of England's leading producers of quality wines and has an excellent reputation for wine making earned over the last twenty years.