Autumn. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – and wine harvests. France, Italy and Spain may still be the stars of the old world, but in Britain warmer climes are ushering in a new wine culture, from Kent, Sussex and Hampshire to Essex, Wales and Scotland. According to the latest survey conducted by WineGB, there are now 943 vineyards across 3,928 hectares in Great Britain – an increase of 74% on five years ago. The number of bottles in production is also up – by 130% to 12.2 million in 2022. In ten years these figures are projected to have risen to 7,600 hectares and 25-29 million bottles. Wine tourism is growing too, with more than 80 per cent of British producers offering tours, tastings and cellar door sales. Some have wine bars, restaurants and accommodation and more are in the planning. So if you’re looking for a local, seasonal treat – with sublime views – head to a British vineyard. Here are four of the loveliest.
In June this year Gusbourne’s Blanc de Blancs 2018 – an appley, citrussy sparkling wine with a “buttered toast and tarte tatin richness” that is apparently the perfect accompaniment to freshly shucked oysters – won a best in show medal at the Decanter World Wine awards. Made from 100 per cent chardonnay, it comes from a low-intervention winery founded in 2004 by a South African, Andrew Weeber, that now has 60 hectares under vine in the village of Appledore, Kent, and another 30 hectares next to the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex. Its sparkling and still wines are made from Burgundian clones of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier and have won the estate an array of awards, not least IWSC English Wine Producer of the Year – three times. Current tours and tastings include a harvest estate tour, with the opportunity to try grapes from the vine or juice from the press followed by a tutored tasting and three-course lunch with paired wines at the Nest, Gusbourne’s tasting room overlooking the vines and Romney Marshes (£100). Book at the George (room-only doubles from £95; thegeorgeinrye.com) or the Gallivant (B&B doubles from £215; thegallivant.co.uk). On selected dates in September and October, the latter is offering a VIP wine experience in partnership with Gusbourne and Moke International, including transfers to and from Gusbourne by electric Moke and a private vineyard tour and tasting, followed by a three-course dinner with paired English wines and a B&B stay at the Gallivant, from £445 for two. gusbourne.com
Ridgeview’s sparkling wines were a favourite of the late Queen: the Fitzrovia Rose was served to President Obama at Buckingham Palace in 2011. The wine estate dates from 1995, when Mike and Chris Roberts planted their first vines in Ditchling, beneath the ridge of the South Downs; it’s now run by their daughter Tamara and son Simon (the head winemaker), using grapes from Ridgeview’s own 6.5 hectares and other vineyards in southern England: (“Diversifying our grape sources is key to the quality of wine we produce,” Simon says). As well as quality – reflected in 2023 in WineGB’s Pioneer’s Trophy for the Sparkling Red Reserve and a Platinum medal for the Rose de Noirs at the Decanter World Wine awards – Ridgeview also has a strong commitment to sustainability: it’s a newly certified B Corporation and encourages visitors to travel by train (to Burgess Hill), ebike, even on foot. Book a classic tour and tasting overlooking the South Downs (£27.50), or a self-guided tasting flight followed by lunch at the outdoor but heated Rows & Vine restaurant; menus range from charcuterie and cheese boards (£25) to Sunday roasts (£55 for two with wine). ridgeview.co.uk
The Master of Wine Peter Richards has described the pure and vibrant wines produced by this relative newcomer as “superstars in the making”. Five miles from Andover train station, the winery, tasting room and courtyard sit beside a unique circle of vines in Hampshire’s beautiful Test Valley. In all, three vineyards grow 34 clone and rootstock combinations of chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier, pinot precoce and pinot gris on 12 hectares of shallow soils over solid chalk. From these vines the co-founder and winemaker Jacob Leadley and the assistant winemaker Zoë Driver produce two sparkling wines (one white, one pink) and two still (including the new Rumour Has It 2022, made from chardonnay from Kent). Guests can book a vineyard tour and tasting (£22), drop in for a tasting flight (from £11) or buy a bottle and a picnic of local cheeses, charcuterie and River Test smoked trout. Then squirrel it away to the Perigord, one of Wild Escapes’ four superior treehouses overlooking the vines on the neighbouring Fullerton Farm, and drink it in your outdoor zinc bathtub, listening to the birds (from £245 per night for two; wildescapes.com). blackchalkwine.co.uk
This historic estate outside Stoke Gabriel on the River Dart was the birthplace of the Elizabethan navigator and explorer John Davis, who led voyages to discover the elusive Northwest Passage. Originally planted in 2008, the 32-acre vineyard grows a number of grape varieties – including madeleine angevine, pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris, bacchus pinot blanc and sauvignon blanc – to produce wines such as the award-winning Pinot Noir 2020. After a self-guided tasting (£12), or a tour of the vineyard and winery and tasting of four wines with Sharpham cheeses (from £45), visitors can lunch (or dine on Fridays) in the restaurant run by Circa: the fish comes from Brixham day boats, the meat from the estate’s South Devon cows. Sandridge Barton is a 15-minute taxi ride from Totnes train station which is itself a 2hrs 40 minute train journey from London Paddington. If you’re loathe to leave, the estate now has three self-catering properties – including Davis’s house – sleeping four, eight and twelve: the 18th-century boathouse has its feet in the river (four nights from £950 for four). sandridgebarton.com