The Best UK Vineyards To Visit
Langham Wine Estate, Dorset
At the Langham Wine Estate, the team prides itself on crafting terroir-driven sparkling wines only using grapes grown on the Dorset vineyard. They take a low-intervention approach to both grape growing and wine production, producing honest wines that reflect the terroir. With a south-facing aspect, chalk soils and a unique microclimate, Crawthorne vineyard provides an ideal terroir for ripening the classic champagne varieties – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. Visitors to the estate can have picnics the lawns and afternoon teas in the 19th-century milking parlour. There’s also a variety of hands-on experiences available, from picking grapes to loading the grape press.
Crawthorne, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7NG
Visit LanghamWine.co.uk
Nyetimber Vineyard, West Sussex
Situated in West Sussex, Nyetimber uses only the finest estate-grown fruit to craft its award-winning wines. Created using the traditional method of sparkling wine production, Nyetimber’s vineyards share similar characteristics with the best sparkling wine vineyards in the world, such as greensand and chalk soils and a climate which allows for the slow ripening of its grapes. An exclusive tour of the Nyetimber Estate and vineyards provides guests with the opportunity to walk among some of the oldest vines in England and enjoy views across the rolling hills of the South Downs. A 15th-century barn provides the setting for a tasting of Nyetimber’s celebrated sparkling wines, including the gold-medal winning Classic Cuvee Multi-Vintage, Rosé Multi-Vintage and Cuvee Chérie Multi-Vintage. Guests can also book in for a four-course dinner, paired with three cuvees.
West Chiltington, West Sussex, RH20 2HH
Visit Nyetimber.com
Giffords Hall Vineyard, Suffolk
Giffords Hall is a family-run vineyard located in the village of Hartest. The vineyard produces a range of English wines including sparkling wines, award-winning rosé, aromatic bacchus and a pinot noir. Guided tours include access to the vineyard where you’ll learn about the history of English wine, the varieties and styles of grapes that Giffords grows, plus all about trellising, pruning, harvesting and husbanding processes. This is followed by a tour of the winery and a tasting of three wines and three liqueurs accompanied by canapés. Away from the vineyard, Hartest is one of Suffolk’s prettiest villages, with a hump-backed bridge, thatched and painted houses and a large green, as well as local pub The Crown and picturesque places of interest such as Long Melford, Lavenham and Bury St Edmunds.
Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk, IP29 4EX
Visit GiffordsHall.co.uk
Rodington Vineyard, Shropshire
Rodington Vineyard – the team behind Blue Tractor Wines – is a small family-run, award-winning vineyard located in central Shropshire. In 2009, the family bought the ten-acre plot at Rodington, near Telford. And after many years of planning, planting and nurturing the vines, their first harvest bore fruit in 2013 and the vineyard officially opened to the public in 2015. Rodington Vineyard offers a daily wine tasting experience which includes a tour of the vineyard before heading to the winery to sample a selection of wine accompanied by a lunch of cheese, meat, bread and nibbles.
Telford, Shropshire, TF6 6ND
Visit RodingtonVineyard.co.uk
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