Penn Croft UK's first certified Regen Vineyard

Penn Croft Vineyards in Hampshire has become the first English vineyard to earn the Certified Regenerative by A Greener World (AGW) accreditation. The certification verifies genuine environmental and social benefits, offering consumers reassurance amid increasing—but often unverified—regenerative claims.

Part of Penn Croft Farms, the estate has applied regenerative principles for more than 25 years. In 2018, farmer Simon Porter and filmmaker Malcolm Walker established Itasca Wines with the goal of creating a vineyard rooted in soil health and biodiversity. Working with French agronomist Frédéric Thomas, they designed a system that includes wide vine spacing for cover crops, hand planting to protect long-undisturbed soils, and Scott Henry trellising to optimise yields naturally.

The vineyard also uses diverse annual cover crops, rotational sheep grazing and wildflower habitats to support soil life and wildlife. Regular soil and leaf testing help reduce synthetic inputs, while biodiversity corridors reinforce the estate’s “work with nature” approach.

Sustainability carries through to the winery, powered by solar energy and featuring the UK’s first winery-scale wetland system for wastewater treatment.

Porter says the certification proves their long-term commitment to regenerative agriculture. Penn Croft’s Certified Regenerative wines are available online and through select independent retailers, restaurants and hotels, with weekly vineyard and winery tours offered at penncroftvineyards.com.