A jewel in the heart of the Sussex countryside

Sussex Business Times’ review of Ridgeview’s Rows and Vine restaurant.

We had the privilege of being invited to The Rows and Vine Restaurant on the wonderful Ridgeview wine estate for a wining and dining experience.

The restaurant is extremely easily accessible from Burgess Hill station, and a five-minute taxi journey which means there is every excuse to leave the car at home and to indulge in the delicious wines Ridgeview has on offer.

On entering the vinery and walking through to the restaurant, you will experience the first, but certainly not the last, assault on your senses.  

The view is simply breathtaking, unrivalled in looking straight out into the National South Downs Park where you can see for miles. We were lucky enough to arrive on a gorgeously warm June day and the sun was shining. The restaurant itself offers al fresco dining and feels like a sexy Italian garden. We sat on the ground floor but could also see the upper roof terrace, presumably offering similar breathtaking views of the vines and surrounding hills. 

We arrived at lunchtime and were greeted by a wall of friendly and warm servers who settled us comfortably in our seats. We noticed as we dined that there were others in direct sunlight and the staff were easily able to adjust the tasteful shutters surrounding the tables to ensure everyone was comfortable.  

Our extremely attentive and friendly server, Radley, immediately introduced us to some delightful little nibbles and then served a ‘Wine Flight’ containing three full sample glasses of sparkling wine to start. We tried the Bloomsbury sparkling white, a signature wine of Ridgeview with citrus aromas, the  Fitzrovia Rosé, a gorgeously bubbly rosé, and we were also treated to the utterly delightful Blanc de Blancs, an exceptional sparkling white which has earned it’s label as ‘England’s Miracle Vintage’.

Moving onto the food, we were thoroughly spoiled from beginning to end.  We ate from the Summer Menu. Two of our party chose to enjoy some oysters to start, with a mix of shallot vinegar and lemon and tabasco.  They were ice cold and fresh, and mixed perfectly with the sparkling wines. We also had some other early dishes, choosing the fresh mixed bread basket and Sicilian olives.  

For mains, we had enough small plates to feed half a dozen but each of them were so moreish and tasty it was harder to choose what not to have. Our server, Radley, was ready and waiting to take our wine order, and we chose the Ridgeview Sparkling Red Reserve.This became a real talking point as half of us were sceptical as to whether a sparking red was ever a good idea, but it was not a hardship to give it a go. This is a limited release Ridgeview wine and, by the end of lunch, everyone was convinced it was a fantastic partner to our meal, and indeed we all purchased a bottle of this to take home.

For the meats, we chose the pork belly, Denver steak and lamb, each of which were cooked to perfection and served beautifully with just the right ratio of accompanying sauces.  

For vegetables, we chose the grilled peach and feta salad, padron peppers and crispy potatoes with tomato sauce and aioli.

For the fish, we indulged in the salmon and the king chilli prawns.

Without exception, each of us enjoyed each of the dishes. The particular favourites being the perfectly cooked steak and the fresh salad.

It would have been rude to leave without sampling the dessert menu, especially as Ridgeview have partnered with the ice cream specialists Boho Gelato to offer the tastiest ice cream in the county. One of our party chose the classic affogato to finish and enjoyed this equally as much.

We were lucky enough to witness a wedding party whilst we were there, and it was the most perfect setting for such an important occasion, the staff we observed were faultlessly on hand for any request. It genuinely felt like we could be in the middle of the rolling hills of Southern Italy with this setting and the delicious wine and food. 

We are very lucky in Sussex to have such a wonderful gem, and so accessible from Brighton.

We would heartily recommend this restaurant, indeed the entire winery for elegant, breathtaking views, food to die for and English sparkling wine which rivals the best in the world.  

The restaurant itself and the surrounding views are thoroughly impressive, whether it is for a special date, an important business meeting or indeed a celebration. Indeed, it is worth remembering that Ridgeview encourages their celebratory mindset to their own festival, Ridgefest, coming up this year on Saturday 26th August.  We will certainly be attending and would encourage our readers to do the same.

The food, wine and surroundings are exceptional.

The motto from Ridgeview is ‘Life is for Celebrating’ and they most certainly deliver that feeling to those who visit. We are proud to have them in Sussex.