Ark WinesSwedish Roots, English Soil
From Sweden to Suffolk—father-daughter team Hans and Amanda Engstrom founded Mount Farm Vineyard in 2018, crafting sustainable, experimental English wines with solar power and boundless curiosity.
From Sweden to the Stour Valley—how a family seeking a forever home discovered their calling in English wine.
Over 25 years ago, the Engstrom family uprooted themselves from Sweden and made the United Kingdom their home. It was 2018 when Hans and Kristin Engstrom, forever looking for their next adventure, discovered Mount Farm while searching for a barn to develop into their forever home. The property happened to include potential for a vineyard—and Hans, together with his daughter Amanda, took the plunge into English wine [^5^].
With no farming or viticulture backgrounds, Amanda enrolled at Plumpton College, studying Wine Production and gaining invaluable skills to complement the ambitious project of starting a vineyard from scratch. Since planting the first vines in 2019, the family has expanded to 6 hectares with over 20,000 vines in the ground [^5^][^27^].
The Engstroms represent a new wave of English wine producers—international in origin, hyper-local in practice, and sustainably-minded by philosophy. Their Swedish heritage manifests not in the wine style, but in their respect for nature, innovation, and community—values that have defined their approach at Mount Farm Vineyard [^5^].
Solar-powered sustainability meets experimental innovation—unfiltered, unfined, and unafraid to try something new.
Ark Wines operates on a foundation of deep sustainability and low-impact farming. The winery runs entirely on solar power—58 panels on the winery roof supply 20 kWh daily to power the building, machinery, two car charging stations, and even neighboring residential buildings. Their commitment extends to water management: a dedicated borehole supplies water, with all wastewater treated and returned to a man-made reservoir that has become a thriving habitat for wild geese and local wildlife [^5^].
In the vineyard, they employ Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles, applying treatments only where and when necessary with minimal inputs. The focus remains on the long-term health of the soil, vines, and surrounding environment [^5^].
Their winemaking philosophy centers on experimentation and authentic expression. All wines are unfiltered and unfined, racked as finely as possible to leave beneficial sediment that enhances aging and flavor development. They ferment in stainless steel, then transfer to barrels for aging—tasting regularly to determine the perfect moment for bottling. This hands-on, sensory approach defines their craft [^5^].
Zero Waste
The Stour Valley—East Anglia's hidden wine country, where clay-loam soils and Atlantic breezes create powerful, voluptuous wines.
Mount Farm
First planted in 2019 on a former chicken farm in the heart of the East Anglian Stour Valley. The vineyard sits at 60-80 metre altitude on a flat to gentle north-south facing slope, benefiting from dry, sunny summers and gentle south-westerly Atlantic breezes [^5^].
Loam Soils
The soil mix of clay and loam creates powerful, voluptuous wines with thick, round, generous textures. Deep clay subsoil retains precipitation and minerals, proving crucial in dry times. Similar soil profiles are found in Napa, Barossa, and Pomerol [^5^].
Varieties
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate, but the Engstroms experiment with Pinot Gris, Riesling, Bacchus, Acolon, Pinot Meunier, and Gamay—all dedicated to producing a range of distinctive still wines [^5^].
Small-batch English wines from Bacchus to appassimento—experimental in spirit, traditional in terroir.
Bacchus
Ark's signature white—100% Bacchus aged in oak barrels for 12 months. Shows strong forward notes of mango, gooseberry, apple and nettles on the palate, with elderflower, basil, and lemon on the nose. The oak imparts subtle vanilla richness, creating a complex, food-friendly English white that challenges the region's reputation for simple quaffers [^8^][^38^].
Riesling Pet Nat
A lively Suffolk Riesling pét-nat that captures the experimental spirit of Ark Wines. Naturally sparkling, unfiltered, and vegan, this limited release offers crisp, refreshing character with sherbet, grapefruit, and cloudy apple notes. A distinctive slatey minerality reflects the Stour Valley terroir. The bottle showcases Ark's playful side while maintaining serious winemaking standards [^1^][^11^].
AKA (Acolon/ Pinot Noir)
Ark's most innovative wine—a blend of Acolon and Pinot Noir using the Italian appassimento method. Acolon grapes are air-dried on straw for 90 days to concentrate sugars and body, then blended with lighter Pinot Noir. The result is a distinctively warming, intensely fruity red with depth and complexity rare in English reds. Perfect with game, pasta with ragu, or aged cheese by the fire [^6^][^22^].
Pinot Noir
The flagship red and one of Ark's most popular wines. This 100% Pinot Noir represents the potential of English red wine when handled with care and precision. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in barrels until the moment is right, this elegant, lighter-bodied red expresses the cool climate character of Suffolk with bright red fruit and earthy undertones [^41^].
Chardonnay
From Ark's largest plantings, the Chardonnay represents the backbone of Mount Farm's white wine program. Fermented in stainless steel then transferred to barrels for aging, this wine receives the same hands-on attention as their experimental cuvées. Regular tasting determines the perfect bottling moment, ensuring a wine that balances freshness with complexity [^21^].
Pinot Gris Rosé
A delicate pink wine made from Pinot Gris grapes grown on the estate. Part of Ark's commitment to exploring the full potential of their diverse vineyard plantings. This rosé offers a fresh, aromatic expression of the variety, with the same unfiltered, natural approach that defines their entire range. A perfect summer wine that showcases the versatility of English Pinot Gris [^24^].
Future Releases
Ark Wines constantly experiments with unusual methods and blends. With Gamay, Pinot Meunier, and additional plantings maturing in the vineyard, future releases promise to push the boundaries of English wine further. The Engstroms' philosophy of "never being shy of trying new things" ensures that each vintage brings new discoveries from the Stour Valley [^5^].
On-Site Production
Every Ark wine is grown, pressed, fermented, aged, bottled, and packaged on-site at Mount Farm. This estate-only approach maintains complete quality control while significantly reducing transport impact. From grape to glass, the journey is measured in meters, not miles—a true expression of place and provenance [^5^].
The Swedish-English Bridge
Ark Wines represents a new generation of English wine—international in perspective, local in practice, and uncompromising in sustainability. The Engstrom family's Swedish heritage brings a Nordic respect for nature and innovation to the traditional world of English viticulture. By combining Amanda's formal training at Plumpton College with Hans' entrepreneurial spirit, they bridge old-world wisdom and new-world experimentation [^5^].
Their appassimento-inspired red demonstrates that English wine can look beyond Champagne-method sparklers and simple whites. Their solar-powered facility shows that sustainability can be more than marketing—it can be the foundation of operations. And their father-daughter partnership proves that family wineries remain the heart of wine culture, whether in Burgundy or Suffolk [^5^][^10^].
- Swedish family, English vineyard (2018)
- First vintage: 2019
- Father-daughter team (Hans & Amanda)
- Plumpton College trained winemaker
- Solar powered (58 panels, 20kWh/day)
- Borehole water & reservoir ecosystem
- Appassimento method in England (Acolon)
- Unfiltered & unfined all wines
- Stour Valley terroir specialist
- 8 varieties, 20,000 vines
- On-site production (estate only)
- IPM sustainable viticulture
- Clay-loam soils (Napa/Pomerol style)