Courtesy of hotter summers and British wines scooping international awards typically won by the big French houses, the UK’s vineyard scene is blossoming.
From the impeccably groomed, often investor-backed chalky East of England wine estates to the gloriously home-spun enterprises carpeting the undulating West Country, these vineyards offer the perfect excuse to get outside, learn the key rudiments of the wine-making process and sample its delicious fruits.
It usually follows that oenophiles double up as epicureans – as several of these vineyards would attest, with their own cafés and restaurants now demonstrating the pairing prowess of their vintages. This formula is a little stumped at home time – who’s over the limit? Or, more importantly, who isn’t? Having a cottage or farmhouse room to lay well-lubricated heads is the final piece in the British wine safari puzzle, nevermind the thrill of waking up to Champagne-style views and, perhaps, even an English sparkling wine breakfast.
Here are the best UK vineyard stays for 2023.
Tillingham, East Sussex
Like so many British vineyards, it all begins with a farm, where rural rhythms and arable wisdom passed through generations hold sway – and are easily transferred to wine making. Tillingham’s farm has its roots in Medieval England, where 70 acres of rolling pastures are still dotted with grazing cattle and flanked by ancient woodland. They’re also now braided by a series of perfectly-pruned vines, best explored on a booked wine tour, then rounded off with an expert-led session in the wine tasting room. Eleven deliciously designed rooms occupy a former hop barn, with thick, woven fabrics and Roberts Radios replacing televisions (the latter unnecessary with the estate’s glorious vineyard views and treacle-like sunsets). These are open for stays from Wednesday to Sunday, except during the summer months when they remain available throughout the week. Ex-Silo and The Conduit Club Brendan Eades’ arrival at the restaurant has ushered in an era of radical seasonality, with the newly-launched Garden Menu a finessed feast of walled garden’s treasures, fish reeled in from Rye Harbour and meat reared on the farm. A five mile country romp (bring your wellies) winds up in the cobbled lanes of Rye, with its half-timbered houses, Norman church and London’s creative deserters.
Rooms from £170; tillingham.com
Denbies Wine Estate, Surrey
This well-oiled Surrey affair on the chalky soils (stretching from the cliffs of Dover) remains proudly family-run, with riveting tours through the vineyards and of the winery itself, as well as a hotel, three restaurants and a farm shop. Wine-enthusiasts are in their element during pre-lunch and dinner tasting sessions at Gallery, whose glass windows peel back soft, pretty views of the surrounding vines and wooded countryside. Vineyard Restaurants and Wine Library lounge is a more casual affair, with interiors echoing the various shades and components of wine making, and with events such as ‘brunch and bubbles’ luring in a convivial mix of locals and viticultural pilgrims. The Denbies Vineyard hotel occupies the characterful 19th century bones of a farmhouse, with seven cosily-dressed rooms offering sweeping vistas of the vines at the foot of the Surrey Hills. Adjacent to the Farmhouse is the Brokes, whose dog-friendly ground floor rooms open onto a landscaped sun-trap patio.
Doubles from £153; denbies.co.uk
Three Choirs Vineyard, Gloucestershire
One of England’s oldest vineyards, Three Choirs in Gloucechester’s vines were planted in 1973 and now span a whopping 75-acres of soft, green countryside on the edge of the Vale of Evesham and just south of the Malvern Hills. The vineyard’s Wine Maker, Martin Fowke, is renowned in the industry for his unrivalled knowledge (which can be tapped into on the guided tours and tastings). Self-guided tours leave visitors to soak in the setting at their own pace, before winding up at the brasserie where a menu has been carefully crafted to let the wines’ distinct characteristics sing. Guests can snooze amid the vines in high-spec lodges, reminiscent of those scattering South Africa’s Franschhoek, with their verandas and windows pulling in decidedly un-British vineyard views. Or, they can cosy up in Deluxe Vineyard View rooms next to the brasserie, with their sun-doused patios in plum position for sampling Three Choirs’ various vintages.
Deluxe Vineyard View from £185, lodges from £205; three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk
Sharpham Wine Estate, Devon
Devon’s vineyards are famously pretty – combing steep-but-smooth hills that glow an ethereal pixie green in the sunshine, and typically softer and less manicured than the East of England’s commercial enterprises. Sharpham Wine Estate near Totnes rolls endlessly through the vibrant green slopes, brushing the river Dart’s edge. Self-guided tours under your own steam (with tasting flights presented in baskets) and superlative guided tours at this 40-year old vineyard are best rounded off with a trip to the café, where their own artisan cheeses bring out the best in the wine, and where estate produce as well as foraged treasures are whipped into delicious vegetarian and vegan plates, such as beetroot salads and pasta pomodoro. Oenophiles wishing to stay on site can book Sharpham’s novel-worthy Georgian Bathing House, overlooking the River Dart. It’s a minimum of seven nights, but with a sunny wine estate to explore, including a pool, and vintages to sample spanning 40-years, it’s surely Devon’s answer to Provence.
From £555 for 7 nights; sharphamtrust.org
Old Walls Vineyard, South Devon
With Teignmouth beach a mere three-miles away, the vines lining Old Walls inhale a warm salty breeze, peering out to sea from their lush, hilly perch. In-depth tours and tastings at Devon’s most historic vineyard typically wind up at the bistro, where hearty pub-style classics of beer battered cod and Devon sausages and mash drizzled in Palace Red gravy (from Old Walls’ best-selling red) line the menu. Six plush lodges line up along the edge of the vines, with two bedrooms, a surprisingly spacious living and dining area, and a kitchen for those low-key evenings. Negative thoughts are absorbed as efficiently by the vines as the minerals from the soil, particularly when parked on the veranda with a cool glass of white, and languid summer evenings roll on in a private barbecue area. A four-night stay-and-pick experience during harvest season includes a slew of goodies, such as a wine tour and tasting, daily breakfast at the Bistro and a lunch buffet provided for allocated grape picking afternoons.
Lodges from £300 (minimum of two nights); oldwallsvineyard.co.uk
Llanerch Vineyard, Wales
A winery-with-rooms trailblazer, Llanerch Vineyard’s bucolic setting amid woodland and pruned vines belies its nifty 20-minute drive from Cardiff city centre. A mix of group or private tours (running year-round) offer a whistle-stop-tour of Llanerch’s role in the production of Cariad wine, as well as environmental influences. Palates are finely tuned with an expert guiding punters through the notes and characteristics of three Cariad wines. The seasonally-led restaurant lures in the gourmands with locally-sourced plates such as pan seared pigeon with pickled blackberries and parsnip, and slow roasted pork belly with celeriac pear puree – all cleverly paired with wine from Llanerch’s impressive cellar (including, of course, their own Cariads). Contemporary-but-cosy styled rooms range from spacious Countryside Superiors (with pastoral views of the sheep-strewn fields) to the snug Standard Doubles – and with dog-friendly rooms, as well as wheel-chair accessible ground floor rooms. Don’t miss the Llanerch’s afternoon tea: a feast of fluffy sandwiches and just-baked scones with unrestrained lashings of clotted cream and jam.
Doubles from £90; llanerch.co.uk
Lympstone Manor, East Devon
With its sun-drenched parkland overlooking the Exe estuary, Lympstone Manor caught eminent chef Michael Caine’s eye as a prime spot for wine-growing. 17,500 vines were planted in 2018 and a hotel and restaurant carved into the original creamy Georgian country pile, all taking their cue from the vines and the surrounding watercolour countryside. Foodies are drawn here for Michael Caine’s exquisite, boundary-pushing menus, which show off local produce with the alchemic oomph of a star-swiping chef – opt for the tasting menu for exciting plates such as Lyme Bay crab agnolotti with kombu vinegar and lemongrass, and Brixham mackerel with Thai purée and braised fennel. Unsurprisingly, the wine list is superb, with mature vintages from Europe’s great wine regions as well as the New World, and the estate’s own. When not sampling up to 24 different glasses in the Wine Room or wallowing in the hotel’s outdoor heated pool (now with a spanking new Pool House restaurant), guests can hunker down in rooms dressed in fresh notions of classicism, or cosy up in the hotel’s luxxy shepherd’s huts, some with their own outdoor hot tubs to stew in.
Rooms starting from £348 and Shepherd’s huts starting from £378; lympstonemanor.co.uk
Ryedale Vineyards, North Yorkshire
As one of the most northerly vineyards in the UK, family run Rydale combs the south facing slopes at the foot of the biscuit-tin-pretty Yorkshire Wolds, not far from York and Castle Howard. Their award-winning wines can be laid at the door of artisanal wine-making tradition – with every aspect of wine production, from pruning to fermenting, performed by hand in their converted cow byre. Informal vineyard tours embody that unpretentious Yorkshire spirit, with a vine-to-wine format, ending up in the tasting stables where local cheeses are paired with samples of Ryedale’s wine and cider (these run from Easter to late October). Those wishing to stretch their stay in this poetic corner of North Yorkshire can stow away in one of the 500-year old beamed farmhouse’s two rooms. The Fox and Pheasant are both dressed in linen bedding and warming shades and textures reflecting the surrounding country views and the building’s own vintage. Wake up to a no-nonsense breakfast bap in bed, or a full Yorkshire in the farmhouse dining room – easily walked off along the vineyards or on a breathy traipse through the moors.
The Pheasant room from £130 per night and The Fox room from £180 per night; ryedalevineyards.co.uk
Rathfinny Wine Estate, East Sussex
This 600-acre behemoth on the South Downs is the epitome of East Sussex’s chalky sparkling wine muscle and a truly glorious spot to drop weekend bags in, with year-round appeal. While considerably younger than the region’s stalwarts, Rathfinny is wildly beautiful, with row-upon-row of vines tracing a sun-drenched bowl and then stopping abruptly at old barns and surging wooded hills, with thrilling cobalt blue flashes of the English Channel in the distance. Year-round tours and tastings offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the art of growing and wine making, with the ‘winter portfolio tastings’ cutting the vineyard part altogether and heading straight to Rathfinny’s renowned sparkling wine. Just outside the Cellar Door, takeaway bar The Hut offers pre-tour coffees and light bites or a noted favourite from the tasting section, post tour. Days here can easily drift into late evenings, and wine-infused stupors into one of the sumptuous beds in Rathfinny’s beautifully converted Flint Barn, with its 10 country-chic rooms and cosy communal sitting room warmed by a log burner.
Rooms from £100 per night; rathfinnyestate.com
Chapel Down, Kent
It’s an English wine that many Londoners will be familiar with (as England’s leading wine producer), and one they’ll be pleased to learn is plucked, squished and fermented in the Garden of England, not far from the market town of Tenterden (or, thank goodness, the M25). The vineyard’s award-winning raft of sparkling and stills are enough to lure budding oenophiles out of the city, though the vine-combed fields and soft, oak tree-peppered countryside (that fuelled Churchill’s bursts of lyricism) also play their part. Those wishing to take their interest one step further can even lease a section of the Bacchus vines, with regular health updates and visits throughout the year, including autumn harvest and their own custom-labelled white wines. Various packages are on offer for tours, though the standard guided tours and tastings here are fantastic, with the intricate process of traditional method sparkling wine decoded and laid bare for the enthusiastic layman. Knowledge acquired from Chapel Down’s stills and sparkling wine tastings can be put into practice at the Swan Restaurant, where guests can do the wine maths on ravishing plates of venison loin with poached pear and lemon sole with crispy bone and fennel (the chef’s table is a highlight). While not necessarily on site, nearby Sissinghurst Farmhouse (home to Chapel Down’s CEO, is within stumbling distance, with its refined country house rooms a charming spot for a weekend bolt to the vines.
