Ridgeview Tasting Room, Ditchling Common, East Sussex
Client: Ridgeview Wine Estate
Status: Completed
Founded in 1994 Ridgeview Wine Estate are arguably the pioneers in the production of English Sparkling Wine. As interest has grown, so has English Wine tourism with many vineyards now having Tasting Rooms or Cellar Doors.
Ridgeview decided in 2013 that their current ‘tasting room’ was not in line with their brand and employed us to redesign their customer areas.
The production technology and procedures at the winery are absolutely cutting edge and it was obvious that the room needed to be modern in style and feel. Equally with the stunning classic view down over the vineyard with its neat rows and a slight slope the room needed to act as a backdrop.
Throughout the year the vines grow, the leaves and grapes develop and they turn and twist giving a multitude of shades of green (the leaves) and red (the grapes). It was this sense of ever changing light and colour that gave us the concept for the room and its walls to have a variety of facets each reflecting light and colour in a different way to give a rich background to the drinking experience.
The room is also very flexible as a sliding wall acts to divide the room into two so a conference room can function at the same time as maintaining the traditional cellar door.
Images by Julia Claxton and Jim Stephenson
