Wine

Providing local knowledge and specialism to the viniculture and vinification sectors


The South of England produces many fine wines, thanks to the limestone soils and warm south facing slopes which provide the perfect growing conditions for grapes in this country. 

DMH Stallard has developed a specialist knowledge in the wine industry working with growers, wine makers, land developers and all points in the supply chain. We are ideally located in the premium wine-growing counties of Surrey and Sussex enabling us to offer localised knowledge and insight. Our aim is to fulfil a unique need for a successful combination of services that the wine industry demands. 

Our lawyers always adopt the “people first” approach and we pride ourselves on jargon-free, straight talking advice. With transparency comes peace of mind, so that you can focus your time and energy on your business.

What our lawyers do

Lawyers at DMH Stallard have worked with many household names in the English wine industry, including Ridgeview, which is regularly served at Buckingham Palace and is the official sparkling wine of No. 10 Downing Street.

We offer expertise across a number of sectors, which together make up the successful combination of services to the wine industry, so that we can always be the first port of call.

  • Our real estate team can act on the sale or purchase of land used for vineyards and wineries. They can advise agricultural businesses who choose to diversify or change land usage for the purposes of wine production. 
  • Our planning and environmental team, which uniquely comprises both planning lawyers and planning consultants, can assist with a wide range of issues from routine matters such as applications and appeals through to proposed developments within a national park. We can also advise on any climate change issues, as well as things like carbon reduction and alternative energy to make sure your business is running as efficiently as possible.
  • Our corporate lawyers can offer advice on any land or business merger, sales or acquisitions, as well as any investments and joint venture partnerships.
  • When it comes to the supply chain, our commercial team advise on all steps from harvest (growers’ agreements), grape supply through to production (production and bottling agreements) and on to final sale (supply agreements, regulations, distribution, agency, e-commerce and storage/cellar services). 
  • Our intellectual property lawyers advise on brand protection, and working with our regulatory lawyers, assist producers with issues around labelling, marketing, co-branding, licensing / royalties, advertising and consumer protection. 
  • People are at the heart of business.  Our employment lawyers are on hand to advise wine businesses on all aspects of employment and business immigration law, from contracts and annual leave requirements to seasonal hire and securing the skills and talent you may need from the international market.  Whatever the size of your business, we will work with you to optimise performance and resolve any issues.
  • No one wants to plan for a dispute but when this happens we are there to support you and your business.  We have a team of dispute resolution lawyers who have experience of nuisance and other environmental claims, construction disputes, securities and partnership disputes, employment issues, intellectual property conflicts, insurance coverage issues and, of course, the more “run of the mill” contract disputes, any of which may affect those in the wine industry.
  • Our private client lawyers act for wine business owners advising on family business succession, trusts, wills, tax and financial planning, and probate and estate administration. They often work in tandem with other professionals (such as accountants and financial advisers), who too have wine sector expertise, to provide a 360-degree solution.  

Ridgeview
The Bolney Estate

How our lawyers work

Our pragmatic, can-do attitude runs through everything we do. Many of our lawyers have worked with business owners and  managers for a number of years.  They can offer first-hand advice that is fine tuned to truly understand the issues businesses in this sector  face. Our years of experience affords us the ability to foresee and plan for bumps in the road as well as provide commercially astute solutions that best suit you and your business. We will always go above and beyond to provide bespoke services to clients; you can be assured that all your work will be Partner-led, giving you the expertise and service that you need.

We offer help at every turn, regardless of what stage your business is at.

  • Brighton - Jubilee St

    1 Jubilee Street

    Brighton

    East Sussex

    BN1 1GE

  • Brighton - Old Steine

    47 Old Steine

    Brighton

    East Sussex

    BN1 1NW

  • Gatwick

    Griffin House

    135 High Street

    Crawley

    West Sussex

    RH10 1DQ

  • Guildford

    Wonersh House

    The Guildway

    Old Portsmouth Road

    Guildford

    Surrey

    GU3 1LR

  • Hassocks

    32 Keymer Road

    Hassocks

    West Sussex

    BN6 8AL

  • Horsham

    3rd Floor

    Afon Building

    Worthing Road

    Horsham

    West Sussex

    RH12 1TL

  • London

    6 New Street Square

    New Fetter Lane

    London

    EC4A 3BF

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