Good things grow here
Photo by unsplash.com/@boudewijnboer
English wine has had a quiet revolution.
Much of it has happened in the fields around us.
It wasn’t so long ago that “English wine” was a punchline. That changed when producers from this corner of the South East started winning international awards – and beating French Champagne houses in blind tastings.
The chalk and greensand soils stretching across Surrey and Sussex, it turns out, aren’t so different from the slopes of Champagne and Burgundy. Nyetimber, based in West Chiltington, helped put the region on the map globally.
But there are dozens of producers within easy reach, and visiting them has become one of the better local days out – whether that’s a casual glass on a sunny afternoon, a guided tour, lunch at a vineyard restaurant, or even a night away somewhere you wouldn’t expect to find on your doorstep.
We’re fortunate to have an abundance of vineyards across the area, and what follows is just a handful of those worth exploring this spring.
Highweald Wine Estate
Deak’s Lane, Cuckfield, RH17 5JB
Set across 63 acres of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Cuckfield, Highweald only planted its first vines in 2016 – yet won the English Sparkling Trophy at the 2022 International Wine Challenge in its debut year of release. There are two ways to visit with a tour: the Tour & Tasting covers the vineyard and winery over 90 minutes, finishing with four wines at the Garden Bar overlooking the vines; the Meet the Maker is a two-hour winemaker-led experience for those who want to understand the craft in more depth. Both run in all weathers. For a more relaxed visit, the Garden Bar and cellar door shop are open independently for those who’d rather just drop in and try the wines without booking a tour.
Open Fri – Sun, 11am – 5pm. Tours: adults only.
Kinsbrook Vineyard
West Chiltington Road, Thakeham, RH20 2LU
Kinsbrook is run by Joe Beckett and Rebecca Dancer, two of the youngest vineyard owners in the country, and the estate has a noticeably relaxed, unpretentious feel. Monday to Wednesday it operates as a walk-in café and deli, serving wine, coffee and light bites. From Thursday to Sunday, it becomes a full restaurant with a regularly changing menu of modern plates built around local produce, for which booking is recommended. Tours are kept deliberately small and personal: a 90-minute walk through the vines and a tasting of three wines, with the option to stay for lunch. Private tours can be arranged any day. The Summer Festival returns on 27th and 28th June – a two-day family event with live music, food stalls and wine tastings. Dogs and children welcome.
Café: Mon – Wed, walk-ins. Restaurant: Thu – Sun, booking recommended. Public tours: Thu – Sun. Private tours: any day.
Leonardslee Wine Estate
Hammerpond Road, Mannings Heath, RH13 6PG
Leonardslee Wine Estate only released its first bottles in 2024 – yet was named No. 56 in the World’s Best Vineyards that same year. It’s also home to the only commercial Pinotage vineyard in the UK, Pinotage being a South African grape variety rarely grown outside its home country. Wine flights are available daily from 11am with no booking needed, and guided vineyard tours – by golf buggy rather than on foot – run Wednesday to Sunday for those who want a proper introduction. The Vineyard Kitchen is open for food throughout the week. For a special occasion, Michelin-starred Restaurant Interlude at the neighbouring Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens is among the best vineyard restaurants in the country.
Wine flights: daily from 11am, no booking. Vineyard tours and tastings: Wed – Sun.
Kingscote Estate & Vineyard
Vowels Lane, RH19 4LG
Kingscote has an interesting backstory for anyone who enjoys a bit of local history – the farm was once owned by William Robinson, widely credited as the father of the English country garden, and the visitor centre is housed in an original 15th-century Tithe Barn. Over 70 acres are now under vine, farmed organically since 2019. Open to visitors seven days a week from 10am – 5pm, with walk-in tastings, a café bar and wine shop, and dogs welcome in the gardens and on the woodland walks. Guided tours run Friday to Sunday – a relaxed 90 minutes strolling the vines with a glass in hand, tasting five wines along the route, with the option to add lunch or a cream tea afterwards. The two-bedroom Coach House on the estate is available to book for those who’d like to stay over.
Open daily, 10am – 5pm. Tours: Fri – Sun, booking required.
Denbies Wine Estate
London Road, Dorking, RH5 6AA
England’s largest single estate vineyard – 265 acres of Surrey Hills vines – Denbies is a day out on a different scale to most, and one that works as well for a family afternoon as it does for a serious wine enthusiast. Tours run year-round, from indoor tastings to the covered vineyard train, which takes visitors at a leisurely pace to the estate’s highest viewpoints over the North Downs. From April, the Secret Vineyard Trail opens at weekends – a two-hour guided walk through parts of the estate not normally accessible, with wines tasted at stops along the route. Whether it’s a coffee and a wander or a long lunch in the Gallery Restaurant, with its sweeping views across the Surrey Hills, the estate has dining to suit most occasions. A packed events calendar adds something new each month for all ages.
Tours: daily, 11am – 4pm indoors; outdoor train year-round. Booking recommended.
Bolney Wine Estate
Foxhole Lane, Bolney, RH17 5NB
Bolney has been growing vines since 1972 – one of the first commercial vineyards in England, and still one of the most visited. Producing still and sparkling wines across five vineyard sites on the edge of the South Downs, it has also branched out into spirits for those who want something beyond wine: their own gin, vermouth and a ready-mixed Negroni. The walk-in Café & Wine Bar is open daily with a dog-friendly terrace, and the Eighteen Acre Restaurant overlooks the vines from a first-floor balcony – open Wednesday to Sunday for breakfast and lunch, with dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, booking recommended. Guided tours for adults range from a straightforward tasting to a full vineyard walk and winery visit with food pairings. Opera in the Vines is among the events highlights this year.
Open daily, 10am – 5pm. Tours: Fri – Sun, booking required.
Artelium Wine Estate
Streat Lane, Hassocks, BN6 8SA
Artelium weaves together wine and contemporary art in a way that makes it genuinely different. Set across 65 acres near Plumpton on the South Downs, the estate works with Sussex-based and national artists to present a growing sculpture garden, changing exhibitions and cultural events alongside its award-winning still and sparkling wines. Worth seeking out is the Artefact range – small-batch, limited-release wines with original artwork commissioned for each label, a good find for wine enthusiasts or an unusual gift. Tours take in the estate and finish with a tasting of three wines. The restaurant is open Friday to Sunday for seasonal plates and Sunday lunch. Through the summer, Fire & Wine evenings bring a feasting BBQ on selected Fridays – with once-a-month sessions ending with an evening walk through the vines led by the founders.
Tours: Sat – Sun, booking required. Restaurant: Fri – Sun.
Bluebell Vineyard Estates
Sliders Lane, Uckfield, TN22 3RU
Bluebell Vineyard sits on the edge of Ashdown Forest near the Bluebell Railway and Sheffield Park Garden, producing award-winning still and sparkling wines under the Hindleap label – sparkling wines here are aged for up to five years before release. The tasting room is open Thursday to Sunday, and guided tours covering the vineyard and winery are available to book, including a wine and cheese version that pairs the visit with local Sussex produce. Three self-guided trails take in the vines, woodland and ponds, which range from 15 minutes to an hour, with no booking needed – and there’s still time to catch the bluebells. The terraced seating area looks out over the vineyard and ponds, a good spot to settle with a glass after a walk. Dogs on leads and children are welcome on the trails; tours are for adults only.
Tasting room: Thu – Fri 11am – 4pm, Sat – Sun 11am – 5pm. Tours: Thu – Sun, adults only, booking required.
Albury Vineyard
Shere Road, Albury, GU5 9BW
One of the only vineyards in the country to farm biodynamically, Albury sits on the North Downs just off the A25 between Guildford and Dorking – award-winning sparkling wines and still rosé grown without herbicides or pesticides on chalk and greensand soils. May is a particularly good month to visit. On 4th May, the annual Silent Pool Rosé Release Day celebrates the launch of Albury’s flagship wine – originally served on the Royal Barge for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – with a pop-up wine bar and guided rosé tastings. On 25th May, Walkies & Wine brings a dog-friendly open day with a vineyard walk, cheese and charcuterie, and even a dedicated dog menu. Looking further ahead, the Albury Wine Festival on 7th June – live music, food and wines from across the Surrey Hills – sounds like one for the calendar.
Open Sat – Sun & bank holidays, Apr – Sep, 11am – 5pm.
Tanhurst Estate Vineyard
Tanhurst Lane, Leith Hill, RH5 6LZ
The only vineyard and winery on Leith Hill, on a family farm in the same hands since 1826 – Tanhurst is one to watch. First vines planted in 2020 on southwest-facing slopes in the Surrey Hills National Landscape, grown on regenerative principles. The café in the Hither Barn opens every Saturday and Sunday from 10am – a casual spot to drop in for a glass and a bite to eat, with the option of a self-guided vineyard walk to follow. From May, you can enjoy guided evening tours through the vines on Fridays and Sundays, finishing with a tasting of all five wines and pairing bites, £25pp, booking required. On 9th May, Surrey Day brings free family sessions digging for worms in the vineyard. As part of English Wine Week, the Festival of Wine brings live jazz, wood-fired pizza and vineyard tours on 21st June.
Café: Sat – Sun, 10am – 4pm. Tours: Fri & Sun 4pm, May – Oct, booking required.
Albourne Estate
Shaves Wood Lane, Albourne, BN6 9DX
A family-owned estate with views across the South Downs, producing small quantities of still and sparkling wine from its own vines – sustainability is woven into how it operates, from renewable energy and winter sheep grazing to 3,500 native trees planted in 2025. The Tasting Room opens for the summer season on 1st May, and the approach is deliberately relaxed: drop in to taste the wines at your own pace, take a stroll along the vineyard trail, or even a game of pétanque. If you fancy a bite to eat, cheese and charcuterie boards, meze platters and snacks are available throughout. Guided tours run Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 2pm – a 90-minute walk through vineyard and winery finishing with four wines paired with local Sussex cheese, kept to 22 guests maximum. On Friday evenings through summer, local chefs and street food vendors take over for the Friday Night Supper Club.
Tasting Room: Sat – Sun 11am – 5pm, 1 May – 20 Sep, walk-in. Tours: booking required.
Ridgeview Wine Estate
Fragbarrow Lane, Ditchling Common, BN6 8TP
Five minutes from Burgess Hill station, Ridgeview has been producing sparkling wine on the South Downs chalk since 1995. The Roberts family helped put English fizz on the global map – making history in 2018 as the first English producer to be named International Winemaker of the Year by the IWSC – also claiming to be the only English sparkling wine poured at the Royal Opera House. For a casual visit, the Wine Bar & Shop is open Thursday to Monday, a relaxed spot to settle in with a glass and locally sourced food. For something more structured, the Classic Tour & Tasting – 90 minutes through winery and vineyard finishing with four wines – or the shorter standalone tasting, 30 minutes in the tasting room overlooking the Chardonnay vines, working through six wines with a Ridgeview expert; walk-ins welcome, booking recommended. The al fresco Rows & Vine restaurant is now open for the season, Thursday to Monday.
Wine Bar & Shop: Thu – Mon, 10.30am – 4pm, walk-in. Tours & tastings: booking recommended.
Wiston Estate
North Farm, Washington, RH20 4BB
The Goring family has farmed this land since 1743, but it was Pip Goring’s conviction that the South Downs chalk could grow world-class wine that started the vineyard in 2006. She was right – Wiston’s sparkling wines have since been named among Forbes’ World’s 50 Best Wineries. The year-round Winery Tour and Tasting moves indoors when the weather calls for it, covering the winery, the traditional Champagne press and a tutored tasting of four wines. For serious enthusiasts, the Vintage Tour focuses on older releases. The Sundowner Safari, from May, combines a tractor ride across the Downs with a wine tasting and dinner at Chalk. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday to Sunday with no tour required.
Winery Tour & Tasting: year-round, Wed – Sun.
Nutbourne Vineyards
Gay Street, Pulborough, RH20 2HH
‘Nutbourne has been in the Gladwin family since 1980, meaning it’s hard not to notice the friendly atmosphere present throughout the estate. Set around a historic windmill with wildflower meadows, a lake and a resident herd of alpacas, it’s one of the more characterful vineyards in West Sussex. The farm shop and tasting space is open Monday to Saturday from 10am – drop in, try the wines by the glass and pick up a bottle to take home. A free self-guided trail runs around the vines. Guided tours with tutored tastings run every Saturday through to the end of September. The summer calendar brings Burgers & Bubbly evenings – wood-fired Sussex beef and sparkling wine on selected Fridays and bank holidays – and al fresco pop-up farm feasts between the vine rows on selected dates, the next around the Solstice in June.
Farm shop and tasting: Mon – Sat, 10am – 5pm. Guided tours: Saturdays, now until September.
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