How it all began
Our story begins in 2015, when Anthea Franklin remarked to neighbour and farmer Mark Thompson that she'd found in the title deeds that vines had been planted on Hawkers Hill Farm in the Roman times.
Both have a passion for wine and both saw an opportunity to work together with a different approach to farming the land. Training at Plumpton followed and preparations in the vineyard began.
Our home
We are a boutique vineyard of 4 acres of vines, lying just outside Burnham Market on the coast of North Norfolk.
The surrounding area is renowned for its combination of open countryside, rich history, and dramatic coastal landscape and is home to popular coastal spots, such as Overy Staithe, Holkham and Brancaster Beach.
First plantings
In 2016 we set about planting our vines and our first harvest took place in 2019 which was bottled (just 100 bottles) the following year.
Our main varietals are Precoce or Frühburgunder – an early ripening strain of Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Solaris. We also have small plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Nurtured by hand
Our micro-vineyard is such that we can tend to the vines by hand in partnership with nature, to produce a limited yield of exceptional quality, concentrated quality and rich colour.
Grapes are harvested by a merry crew of friends of Hawkers Hill. The result is a very small batch production of wines, made with minimal intervention, so that the quality of the fruit shines through.
Micro-climate
Our North Norfolk micro-climate, thanks to its proximity to the sea, keeps winters milder with fewer frosts than other areas. However, we're still susceptible to weather challenges! 2024 being a case in point!
Award winning winemaking
We’re lucky enough to have our friends Burn Valley winery just up the road from us, in North Creake. Our wines are made under the watchful eye of winemaker Mathew Abbey, who, after spending 10 years making wine in New Zealand, is more than familiar with cool climate winemaking.
In a short space of time, we’re proud to have scooped Decanter Silver in 2024 for our Solaris 2022 and Bronze for our Bacchus - testament to quality of our fruit.