Our Story

Rowles Farm has never stood still. Since Norman arrived here in 1969, on the rolling hills above West Ilsley in Berkshire, it has been shaped by people who love the land. A family that understands that farming demands constant evolution and are never afraid to make bold decisions. The vineyard you see today is the latest chapter in that story—perhaps the most exciting one yet.

Black and white photo of a man wearing a patterned jacket and tie outdoors.

Where It All Started

The Beginning

Norman built Rowles from the ground up, farming the Berkshire Downs with the kind of quiet determination that defines this family. His son Peter studied Agriculture at Reading University before returning to work alongside him, eventually taking on the farm with his brother David and continuing to grow what Norman had started.

When Peter and Sandra bought Rowles as sitting tenants in 2015, after two generations of farming it, the farm had become something that was truly theirs — 600 hectares of arable land producing winter wheat, malting barley and oilseed rape, alongside a flock of 280 breeding ewes, 250 ewe lambs and 20 beef cattle. A proper mixed farm, rooted in tradition, run by a family who knew exactly what they were doing.

Peter and Sandra raised their three children — Will, Tom and Georgie — on the farm. Unlike many farming families, they never had to wonder whether the next generation would come back. They always knew they would.

The Honest Truth About Why

The vineyard idea was born from two things: opportunity and necessity. The climate across Britain has been warming steadily, and we were paying attention. The chalk-rich, well-draining soil on the Berkshire Downs has a remarkably similar structure to the Champagne region in France — something that hadn't gone unnoticed. Will puts it plainly: "The French climate is getting a lot warmer and where we currently are, soil wise, we're exactly the same soil type as the Champagne region."

But it wasn't just about the climate. It was also about the farm's future. The purchase of Rowles, combined with rising feed, fuel and fertiliser costs and tightening profit margins in arable farming, made diversification not just an exciting idea but a necessary one. As Georgie says: "We knew we had to diversify if the farm was going to feed us all." And with three siblings wanting to build their lives and families here, providing long-term prospects for everyone on the farm became the priority.

A tractor in a field with a mix of plowed and green areas.

Six Years in the Making

Planning Our Vineyard

The Carlisles don't do things by halves. Before a single vine went into the ground, we spent six years planning, researching, consulting experts and installing weather stations across the farm to find exactly the right location. Our patience paid off. We discovered that temperature alone can vary by nearly six degrees between the bottom and top of a single field — knowledge that now directly informs how we farm the vineyard. Seyval Blanc, the most frost-hardy of our three varieties, grows at the cooler lower end, while Pinot Noir and Bacchus thrive higher up. Every decision is deliberate. That's the Rowles way.

It helped, too, that the idea had been quietly brewing for years. Georgie had spent seven years working in luxury travel across London and Singapore, hopping between the great wine regions of Europe, and the seed had been planted long before she came home. When Covid brought her back to the farm in 2020, the time felt right.

Tractor plowing a field with a cloudy sky in the background

Putting Vines in the ground

The Vineyard Today

The vines went in the ground around 2021, and the vineyard now covers 6.5 hectares — the equivalent of 10 football pitches — planted with 30,000 vines across three varieties: Seyval Blanc, Pinot Noir and Bacchus. It hasn't all been straightforward. A drought in 2023, a relentlessly wet 2024 and the constant vigilance of spring frost — with fans running through the night to protect new shoots — have all tested our resolve. But in 2025 the vines produced 78 tonnes of grapes. When the vineyard reaches full maturity, the ambition is to produce 100 tonnes of grapes a year — around 100,000 bottles of wine.

Beyond wine, the vision for Rowles extends further. Just an hour from London and nestled near the Ridgeway National Trail, the farm is becoming a destination in its own right. Sandra manages eight cottages on the farm, and an old barn has been transformed into an event space — all part of a future that is as much about welcoming people in as it is about what grows in the fields.

Built to Last

What makes the Rowles story special isn't just the vineyard — it's the fact that three siblings chose to build something together, combining Tom's hands-on farming experience honed in New Zealand, Will's sharp agricultural instincts and Georgie's vision for what a modern farm business can be. "I think we all think we're good — a really good team," says Tom. "Everyone does a little bit of everything. That's our motto — and it works."

Peter, watching it all from the sidelines with well-earned pride, sums it up best: "Our daughter and the twins have great partners by their side. That's worth a lot. I hope they all enjoy their life on the farm. The most important thing is that everyone is enjoying themselves and having a good time. Norman planted trees on this hillside over fifty years ago. His grandchildren have planted vines. We can't wait to see what the generation after them plants next."