Wine in an unexpected place
U.K. vineyards may surprise you for their quality, charm
If you thought a wine-tasting holiday would take you to the Loire Valley in France, Rioja in Spain or Napa Valley in California, then think again. England might sound like an unlikely spot for a vineyards tour, but there are plenty of wineries producing excellent vino across the country. Stop, sniff, sip and judge for yourself.
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Chapel Down Winery |
If you can’t make it out of town, check out the events and sample English wines at London’s wine museum, Vinopolis (www.vinopolis.co.uk).
Sandhurst Vineyards
Tucked down a leafy country lane with a genteel B&B based in the family house next to the vineyard is Sandhurst. It grows Bacchus, Reichensteiner and Schonberger grapes for white wine production and Rondo and Dornfelder for red wine, most of which it sells to wine producers including nearby Chapel Down. Stock up on its delicious prize-winning Sandhurst Pinot Noir in its rustic barn.
Hoads Farm, Sandhurst, Cranbrook, Kent TN18 5PA
tel 01580-850296
vineyards.com
Chapel Down Winery
Just outside the pretty Kentish town of Tenterden, Chapel Down is the home of one of the biggest commercial wine producers in the U.K., producing more than 500,000 bottles a year. The winery sources grapes from vineyards all over the southeast of England and transforms it into excellent white, red, rose and sparkling wines.
Take a tour round the 25-acre vineyard, and see how the wine is produced, snack in the bistro, and pick up a few bottles from its shop — a top choice is its English Rose rose, a summery wine with hints of strawberries, violets and roses.
Small Hythe, Tenterden, Kent TN30 7NG
Three Choirs Vineyard Estate and Hotel
On the edge of the Forest of Dean, Three Choirs Vineyard is an innovative vineyard. Visit the winery, walk through the 75 acres of vines (follow its Vineyard Nature Trail), adopt a vine, or taste its wines. Fully absorb the idyllic surroundings by having dinner in the restaurant or staying over, either in the eight-bedroom hotel or in one of the brand new lodges, tucked between the vines and overlooking the ponds in the valley below the restaurant.
Newent, Gloucestershire GL18 1LS, tel 01531-890223 www.three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk
Denbies Vineyard
Denbies is a complete vineyard theme park. Not only can you visit the vineyard and see how the wine is produced, but there’s a panoramic cinema showing movies about the vineyard calendar, an indoor fun-fair style ride through the production process and an outdoor train tour of the vineyard in the summer. Denbies is a truly dynamic vineyard, with plenty of events year round. There are two restaurants, and you can stay on site in its guesthouse. Be sure to try out its award-winning Greenfields sparkling wine.
London Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6AA
tel 01306-876616, www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk