It is the ultimate dream for “green shifters” – those workers who yearn to quit the City for a new life cultivating the land.

The sale at auction of Britain’s oldest active vineyard, in the Isle of Wight, where grapes were first grown by the Romans, offers an opportunity for a budding entrepreneur to cash in on the boom in English wine.

Adgestone Vineyard, in Brading, which goes up for sale this month, has a guide price of £800,000. The ten-acre property, in an area of outstanding natural beauty with sea views, includes an underground cellar and winery, a shop and café, and a modern split-level house with four ensuite bedrooms.

The winery produces two types of red wine, two white, a rosé and a sparkling wine under the Adgestone label and attracts about 30,000 visitors a year. Profit for the business, which includes a B&B, was £49,301 in 2005-06. The owners, Alan and Gill Stockman, now wish to retire.

Experts believe that the site, which is licensed for on and off sales of wine and beer, is an ideal venue for wedding receptions and the shop could be expanded to sell a range of local foods and gifts.The winemaker and vineyard manager is James Bowerman, 32, who trained at a number of English vineyards and in Napa Valley, California. He said: “This really is a great business and we sell everything we produce. I am happy to teach anyone and work with them to show how it works.”

Julia Trustram Eve, of English Wine Producers, said that she was certain the vineyard would attract enormous interest, but pointed out that winemaking was not just about enjoying produce and involved a lot of hard work – it was not suitable for anyone wanting an easy life.

The Colliers auction takes place on February 18 at the Radisson SAS Portman Square Hotel in London.

UK wine

£16m annual value of wine trade
2.1m bottles
70% of which are white wines
2,280 acres under cultivation

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