Photo by unsplash.com/@boudewijnboer

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.