Finest English winery stays within the UK
Balfour Vineyard, Kent
From £89 per night time, test availability at reserving.com
Recognized for its world-class glowing wines, Kent’s Balfour Vineyard is dwelling to lush English vineyards, acres of historical apple orchards and oak woodlands – good for nature and wine lovers alike. Positioned on the Hush Heath Property, take a self-guided stroll or e-book for a full property tour and tasting expertise from £45-£65, the place an knowledgeable will present you across the vineyards, studying in regards to the secrets and techniques and historical past of Balfour as you stroll. That is adopted by a tutored tasting of six crisp glowing and nonetheless Balfour wines. The vineyard’s modern constructing, The View, gives sweeping views throughout the Kentish countryside, good for unwinding with a glass post-tasting. After, go to the vineyard store the place you’ll discover loads of glowing and nonetheless wines, luxurious hampers and items.
Open all yr spherical, Balfour Vineyard hosts social occasions all year long, corresponding to its eating membership music periods, jazz evenings and yoga lessons adopted by meals and wine tasting.
What to eat: You could wish to add a sharing platter to your tour reserving to get pleasure from alongside the wines – suppose native Kentish charcuterie, seafood and cheese served with olives, quince jam, flatbread and crackers. In the event you’re visiting throughout the winter months, go for the nice and cozy winter platter of native cheeses, baked camembert, house-made chutney and heat bread. A brief drive away and also you’ll discover Balfour-owned The Tickled Trout, serving its signature fish dishes and hearty pub classics which mirror the most effective of Kentish produce.
What to drink: A go to to Balfour shouldn’t be full and not using a style of its flagship Balfour Brut Rosé 2018 – we’d additionally make a beeline for the Springfield Chardonnay 2018.
The place to remain: The Tickled Trout is a part of a group of Kentish pubs and inns promoting wines from Balfour and Jake’s Beers and Ciders. Boutique rooms are easy, cosy and welcoming, with uncovered beams, shabby stylish décor, fashionable toilet fittings and sink-into beds. Additionally they come kitted out with a big flat display screen TV, Dualit espresso pod machine and a number of tea from Joe’s Tea. From £89 for a double.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Nutbourne Vineyards, West Sussex
Go to Nutbourne Vineyards, keep at Cattlestone Farm, test availability right here.
Set within the West Sussex countryside, Nutbourne Vineyards has been within the Gladwin household since 1991. The household additionally owns a number of eating places in London the place you may discover wines from the winery. Sustainability is on the core of the operation, from following biodiverse practices within the winery (therefore wildflower meadows in amongst the vines) to efforts to scale back the carbon footprint in distribution and manufacturing.
The winery path is open all yr spherical. Choose up an illustrated map and go on a self-guided tour across the completely different fields to find the completely different grapes grown in every space and benefit from the views throughout the South Downs. The Cellar Door is open to choose up a bottle on the finish of your go to. Guided excursions and tastings are additionally obtainable.
What to eat: Nutbourne gives a spread of eating experiences on the winery all year long, from picnics in the summertime to burgers & bubbly evenings. For a flying go to, cheese and crackers can be found from April to November. Tour the winery, then graze on a particular cheeseboard (centred round a complete Baron Bigod brie) on the viewing platform whereas sipping a glass of wine. For a really memorable expertise, time your go to to coincide with the Nutbourne Winery supper golf equipment on Thursday and Saturday evenings all through summer season (from £95). Hosted by the Gladwin household, you’ll get pleasure from a glowing reception earlier than having fun with a 5 course meal out within the winery, with every course matched to a unique Nutbourne classic. Produce is domestically sourced, and dishes may embody South Coast sea bream served with Nutbourne tomatoes, and roasted Sussex beef from Gregory Gladwin. The menu adjustments every month to profit from seasonal produce.
What to drink: The ‘Nutty Blush’ rosé constructed from Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir is a light-weight pale pink hue, with floral notes and mild berry acidity – ideally suited for summer season sipping. Pink wine followers will benefit from the Pinot Noir, with a portion of the wine aged in French oak so as to add depth. Bottles are all illustrated with Bridget Gladwin’s work.
What to remain: Close by Cattlestone Farm has a spread of tenting and glamping lodging choices to select from. Pitch a tent within the open discipline or e-book a yurt and use the out of doors kitchen, full with a pizza oven. You may even get to identify the goats, named Gin and Tonic. In the event you can, e-book the newly renovated luxurious Dawn shepherd’s hut. It is impressively spacious and cosy inside, with a comfortable king-size mattress. Get up and open the double doorways on to your wrap-around deck, with an out of doors roll-top bathtub and chairs to benefit from the views over peaceable rolling fields. The complete-size en-suite bathe room and totally outfitted kitchen imply there’s every thing you want for a quiet, enjoyable break.
Tillingham, East Sussex
From £165 per night time together with breakfast, test availability right here.
A number of miles from the medieval port city of Rye in East Sussex, Tillingham is hidden away in 70 acres of hills, vineyards and woodlands, scattered with wandering pigs, cattle, sheep and chickens. It’s a serene, bucolic setting for the cutting-edge vineyard, lodge and eating vacation spot. A renovated Victorian farmstead and neighbouring hop barn include 11 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, tasting room and store, all replete with hip, upcycled furnishings and fittings and dreamy views of the encircling Sussex countryside.
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Tillingham gives each day excursions and wine tastings (by appointment solely), working to round 90 minutes, at £35pp. Begin within the tasting room and transfer by way of the remainder of the property, from the fashionable vineyard, to the traditional oast home internet hosting Tillingham’s assortment of qvevri (earthenware vessels buried within the floor and used to make orange wine) by way of to the idyllic rolling vineyards. Our tour information took a deep-dive into Tillingham’s biodynamic, low-intervention method to wine-making – wine nerds and aficionados will love the extent of element. You’re additionally given 4 beneficiant pours of various wines.
What to eat: Come for lunch, dinner or each. Set over two flooring stuffed with classic and revamped furnishings, uncovered beams, sheepskins and sprays of dried flowers and foliage, downstairs is an off-the-cuff wine bar with a small plates menu and a formidable wine and cocktail checklist (make a beeline for the silky fig leaf martini). Upstairs homes a extra formal restaurant, the place new head chef Brendan Eades (previously of Silo and the Conduit Membership) has created the four-course Backyard Menu that showcases Tillingham’s homegrown produce – suppose veg from its walled backyard, meat raised in its pastures and fish caught in close by Rye. Dishes are merely cooked and introduced, but pack within the flavour – the standard actually sings. Highlights on our go to included delicate Dungeness crab with nasturtium; tender, deeply flavoured Tillingham lamb; and a luscious, completely set egg tart. In the event you’re staying over, breakfast additionally takes place within the restaurant and contains a set menu of sourdough with whey butter and home made jam, granola and yogurt, native charcuterie and cheese.
What to drink: Pure wine followers will love what’s on supply right here. Strive the fragile Col 21 with its grassy, citrussy tones, or P21 – extremely gluggable, vibrant pink fizz with rhubarb and raspberry notes.
The place to remain: The property’s outdated hop barn has been transformed into 11 bedrooms, all outfitted with midcentury furnishings and earthy jewel colors, heavenly scented diffusers, fashionable artwork, Roberts Radios, Haeckels toiletries and welcome snacks of fudge and sherry in crystal glasses. We stayed within the expansive function double room, which comes with a freestanding tub and big window with sweeping views of the vines and countryside.
Examine availability right here
Bolney Wine Property, West Sussex
From £245 per night time, test availability at reserving.com.
Nestled in lushly inexperienced surrounds on the sting of the South Downs, the Bolney Property is a long-time fixture on the English wine scene – founders Janet and Rodney Pratt first purchased the land in 1972 for wine-making – raking in quite a few plaudits over the previous 5 a long time. It makes each nonetheless and glowing wines from 5 vineyards on the positioning, and there is additionally a glossy customer centre full with café and store, with plans afoot to broaden these amenities subsequent yr. Bolney gives a spread of winery excursions and tastings of various size. We tried the Sussex cheese and wine tasting, which included a tour of the vineyard and surrounding winery, and an accessible but in-depth guided tasting of Bolney wines paired with scrumptious Sussex-made cheeses and charcuterie, all of which you could find within the store (make a beeline for the very good Brighton Blue).
What to eat: The sunshine and spacious Eighteen Acre Café (if it’s sunny and heat, nab a desk on the big balcony for beautiful panoramic winery views) serves up beneficiant sharing plates that profit from Sussex produce, a lot of it made only a few miles away – suppose tender native braised pork stomach with Hispi cabbage and Bolney Lychgate pink wine jus, or umami wild mushroom ragu with cured egg yolk.
What to drink: We beloved the floral and stylish Bolney Bubbly in addition to the fervour fruit and elderflower-laced Lychgate Bacchus. English nonetheless pink wines are one thing of a rarity however Bolney’s silky pinot noir, with delicate cherry notes, is a superb instance and effectively price attempting. Don’t simply cease at wine, Bolney additionally makes its personal gin and rosso vermouth.
The place to remain: Close by within the picture-postcard village of Cuckfield, Ockenden Manor is a superbly preserved Elizabethan manor home with rooms starting from grand oak-panelled suites to spacious rooms with four-poster beds and roll-top baths. There’s additionally a luxurious fine-dining restaurant and an award-winning fashionable spa simply moments away from the principle constructing.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Kingscote, West Sussex
From £293 per night time, test availability at reserving.com
This is likely one of the finest wine tasting breaks within the UK. Not only a winery however a full-on countryside expertise based by the late Christen Monge, Kingscote guarantees strolling and fishing, in addition to winery excursions and tastings. Guide a winery tour with seasonal lunch for £30.
What to eat: There’s a tiny espresso store serving Kingscote’s personal espresso within the on-site wine and artisan meals retailer. For a full meal, go to close by Gravetye Manor the place a set three-course lunch is £65.
What to drink: The Silvan Bacchus 2019, a creamy, evenly oaked white.
The place to remain: Doubles at Gravetye Manor begin at £293.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Denbies, Surrey
From £150 per night time, test availability at reserving.com
Established in 1986, Denbies wine property in Surrey gives indoor and out of doors vineyard excursions. The previous explores the working vineyard together with a cellar tasting, whereas the latter takes you on a 50-minute toy practice tour of the winery, exhibiting off panoramic views of the North Downs.
What to eat: A gallery restaurant appears over the 265-acre winery. Order Sussex confit pork stomach with savoy cabbage, pan-fried halibut with roasted romanesco, or, on a Sunday, the Surrey Farm roast beef with rosemary-roasted potatoes.
What to drink: A glass of the award-winning Cubitt Blanc de Noirs 2014, full-bodied and replete with notes of baked pear and rose petal.
The place to remain: The on-site Denbies Winery Lodge has 17 en-suite rooms with views throughout the property and surrounding hills. Value begin from £150.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Rathfinny Property, East Sussex
From £100 per night time, test availability at reserving.com.
It might be younger, however Rathfinny Property within the South Downs remains to be one in every of Britain’s most lovely wineries. Vines are separated by rows of untamed flowers, there are glimpses of the Sussex heritage coast all through, and guests can keep in a single day in a stylishly transformed 1860s barn.
What to eat: Head chef Chris Bailey has curated lavish picnic hampers to get pleasure from in a quiet spot on the winery with a glass of Sussex glowing wine.
What to drink: Rathfinny’s vary of classic Sussex glowing wines features a Basic Cuvée 2018, Blanc de Noirs 2016, Blanc de Blancs 2017 and Rosé Brut 2018.
The place to remain: Rooms on the Flint Barns are easy however have costly toilet fixtures, high quality bedsteads and entry to an expensive communal lounge. From £100 for a double.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Sandridge Barton, the house of Sharpham Wine, Devon
From £950 for 3 nights, test availability at sykescottages.co.uk
Probably the greatest winery excursions within the UK, Sandridge Barton, the house of Sharpham Wine is a good expertise. Sharpham Wine has been established for greater than 40 years and is a severe producer of greater than a dozen wines. It opened a brand-new customer centre in summer season 2022 at its new dwelling, Sandridge Barton. Guests to the positioning can get pleasure from guided excursions in addition to self-guided tasting flights introduced in cute baskets.
What to eat: The group behind Exeter’s Circa runs the restaurant, utilizing foraged, property and winery produce in dishes corresponding to Sandridge Barton beef carpaccio with black garlic and fermented celeriac remoulade; and Brixham day boat fish with seaweed butter and foraged sea herbs.
What to drink: Sharpham Pinot Noir, full of wild strawberry, cherry and cranberry flavours.
The place to remain: The Boathouse is a tranquil vacation cottage throughout the Sandridge Barton property, sleeping as much as 4 folks. With views over the River Dart, it makes a soothing base to find native wildlife and is inside stumbling distance again from the winery.
Examine availability for cottages at sykescottages.co.uk
Jabajak, Whitland, Carmarthenshire
From £108 per night time together with breakfast, test availability at reserving.com
This family-run winery restaurant-with-rooms makes for an idyllic base to discover the coastal paths, mountains and seashores of Pembrokeshire Nationwide Park. Since their first harvest in 2014, Julian and Amanda Stuart-Robson have produced award-winning white wine and glowing rosé utilizing grapes grown on the south-facing slopes of this former droving farm.
What to eat: The homeowners develop a considerable quantity of seasonal produce on web site, together with fruits, herbs and shoots. The domestically impressed menu options rock salt-roasted Welsh lamb rump with port and cranberry jus, and native grilled smoked mackerel with marinated beetroot and apple salad.
What to drink: Strive the award-winning White Home white and glowing rosé.
The place to remain: From the straightforward doubles in The Annex to the extra secluded Grainstore and Backyard suites, the eight in a different way sized bedrooms cater for all.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Gusbourne, Kent
From £105 per night time, test availability at reserving.com
Simply over an hour’s drive from London, this Kent winery produces glowing wines. Select between three sorts of tour and discover the vineyards adopted by a tutored wine tasting, or uncover the best way to pair wine with meals.
What to eat: For those who wish to delve deeper into the world of wine, the property tour contains winery visits earlier than a three-course seasonal lunch with paired wines within the fashionable tasting room. Or go for a picnic of domestically sourced produce and a bottle of Brut Reserve whilst you take in the encircling views.
What to drink: Golden-hued 2017 Gusbourne Brut Reserve is contemporary and fruit pushed.
The place to remain: Head to the sleepy Kent village of East Brabourne – only a 30-minute drive away – and keep at The 5 Bells Inn (Learn our full overview right here)
Examine availability at reserving.com
Outdated Partitions Winery, Bishopsteignton, South Devon
From £192 per night time, test availability at reserving.com
Properly positioned for the various sights of the fantastic South Devon coast, Outdated Partitions Winery gives excursions, tastings and, when you time your go to for mid-autumn, there’s even an opportunity to choose the grapes for the following classic.
What to eat: Hearty dishes like Devon sausages and mash, and shepherd’s pie tartlet with butternut squash purée, come drizzled in jus constructed from the winery’s personal pink wine.
What to drink: The very best-selling wines are the Palace Pink or White Priory Dry, though the Bishop’s Blush rosé is the best way to go on a balmy summer season’s night.
The place to remain: Obtainable for brief stays or the entire week, there are six two-bedroom luxurious lodges overlooking the winery, every with a veranda and personal BBQ space.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Three Choirs, Gloucestershire
From £205 per night time, test availability right here
A beautiful wine tasting break within the UK. You’ll be able to style, trek, eat and sleep at Three Choirs close to Newent, one of many longest established English vineyards. Most guests e-book forward for a guided tour with tastings.
What to eat: Sit down amongst a number of native regulars to tuck into tapas-style dishes together with lamb meatballs in spicy tomato sauce, patatas bravas and griddled halloumi with toasted pistachios, honey and yuzu oil.
What to drink: Blanc de Noirs 2016, a wealthy English glowing wine.
The place to remain: Eight bedrooms in a red-brick block, from £205, have fairly views over the vines, however the nicest lodging is within the glass-walled, timber-framed lodges with verandas, from £235.
Examine availability right here
Llanerch Winery, Wales
From £90 per night time, test availability right here
A farmhouse lodge, restaurant, cookery college and winery in South Wales. Guided excursions and tastings present visitors how Llanerch’s Cariad wines are made, and the way the native terroir impacts the style of every classic.
What to eat: Celebrating seasonal produce grown, caught or reared within the area, strive dishes corresponding to curry spiced mushroom fricassee, roasted Welsh lamb cannon and rib, and pan-roasted stone bass with shellfish bisque within the fine-dining restaurant overlooking the vineyards.
What to drink: Strive the candy Cariad glowing brut.
The place to remain: Lodge rooms fluctuate in measurement, from superior doubles to suites. Commonplace double bedrooms begin from £90.
Examine availability right here
Lympstone Manor, Exmouth, East Devon
From £395 per night time, test availability at reserving.com
Overlooking the Exe Estuary, Lympstone Manor is a part of chef Michael Caines’s rising South West empire of eating places and inns. The winery, with its 17,500 vines, is open for guided excursions each Wednesday from Might to September. The tour features a tasting of English wines and a four-course lunch.
What to eat: With meat and recreation from native estates, and fish direct from Brixham, strive salted Newlyn cod with lemon purée and Lyme Bay crab, or Darts Farm Ruby Pink beef fillet with celeriac and smoked bone marrow.
What to drink: You may have to attend till at the least autumn 2023 for the discharge of the primary Lympstone Manor Cuvée. Within the meantime, discover the intensive 600-bin checklist which showcases many English wines.
The place to remain: Set in 28 acres of rolling countryside, the lodge boasts a spread of rooms and suites, many with estuary views.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Tinwood Property, West Sussex
From £225 per night time, test availability at reserving.com
Wish to do a wine tasting in Sussex? Again in 1985, Dutchman Tukker purchased 200 acres of land right here to develop iceburg lettuce. 10 years in the past, Tukker’s son, Artwork, took on the land for his personal undertaking – rising vines for English wines. Artwork and his spouse Jody have labored, manicured and nourished the land and now 100,000 champagne selection vines flourish of their 65 acres of chalky, flint-topped soil. Guide a winery tour with the non-obligatory extras of a cheese platter for 2 or a canapé choice.
What to eat: A basic afternoon tea with loads of Tinwood fizz – suppose contemporary baked scones, Cornish clotted cream, sarnies and candy treats.
What to drink: Tinwood’s appley, refreshing Blanc de Blancs.
The place to remain: Double lodges on the Tinwood Property begin from £225 per night time for a double room.
Examine availability at reserving.com
Learn our full overview of the Tinwood Property Lodges and wine tasting in Sussex right here
Chapel Down, Kent
From £50 per individual, test availability at Virgin Expertise Days
Probably the greatest-known English vineyards, Chapel Down not too long ago expanded its web site to an enormous 325 acres of prime Kentish wine nation. It’s open all yr to guests, and gives packages and reward experiences with tutored tastings. Alternatively, simply go and take a look and choose up a deal with from the terrific wine and high-quality meals store.
What to eat: Prawn tartare with chive crisp, then Romney Marsh lamb chop with confit potato, artichoke purée and lamb inventory jus.
What to drink: Chapel Down’s first-ever pinot noir rosé, stuffed with pink fruits.
The place to remain: Sissinghurst Farmhouse, dwelling to Chapel Down’s CEO, can also be an enthralling B&B with brass beds and rural views, from £160.
Examine availability at virginexperiencedays.co.uk
Oxney Natural, East Sussex
From £100 per night time, test availability at oxneyestate.com
An natural winery with vacation cottages in East Sussex. The property produces natural glowing and nonetheless wines utilizing pinot noir, pinot meunier and seyval blanc and chardonnay grape varieties. Vineyard and tasting excursions happen each Saturday 11am and 2pm. Wander by way of the vines, be taught in regards to the property’s method to winemaking and finish with a tasting.
What to eat: Tuck right into a post-tour picnic of native cheeses, charcuterie, bread and, in fact, wine.
What to drink: Strive the toasty 2018 Oxney Basic.
The place to remain: A farmhouse cottage sleeps 10, three barns sleep 14 between them, whereas cosy picket shepherd’s huts full with a double mattress and fire-pit begin from £100 per night time.
Examine availability at oxneyestate.com
Wyken Vineyards, Suffolk
Wyken has been established as a winery since 1988, and is energetically tended by Mississippi-born Woman Carlisle, who, as a woman, skilled at Chez Panisse and loves the ‘raciness of English wine’.
What to eat: The menu on the property’s Leaping Hare restaurant/café/store, housed in a 14th-century barn, may embody the likes of mussels in Wyken Good Canine Ale, or Suffolk venison fillet with roast quince.
What to drink: Wyken Moonshine, a glowing wine made with pinot noir and auxerrois grapes.
The place to remain: Camomile Cottage, an arty Suffolk longhouse the place you’ll breakfast within the backyard room on full English or eggs benedict with home-baked bread. Doubles from £89. camomilecottage.co.uk
Examine availability at wykenvineyards.co.uk
Ryedale Vineyards, North Yorkshire
There’s no customer centre, store or café at one in every of England’s most northerly industrial vineyards, quite a tiny vineyard set in a listed cowshed. Right here Stuart Smith conducts tastings, as soon as his spouse Elizabeth has guided visitors across the totally unmechanised web site. Excursions and tastings happen between April and October.
What to eat: Head to close by foodie hub Malton, dwelling to a well-known meals market, and eating places, cafes and pubs galore.
What to drink: Considered one of Ryedale’s award-winners, corresponding to a bottle of Yorkshire’s Lass, a fragile dry white.
The place to remain: In one in every of two cosily outfitted rooms in Ryedale’s farmhouse, from £130 an evening.
Examine availability at ryedalevineyards.co.uk
Try the most effective locations to eat in Ryedale whilst you’re there…
Phrases by Mark Taylor, Sophie Dening, Ellie Edwards and Alex Crossley
Photograph credit: Paul Winch-Furness, Ian Forsyth, Helen Dixon
First revealed August 2015, up to date Might 2019
