Think of touring vineyards and most people will conjure up visions of globally known signature destinations such as the Silverado Trail in California's Napa Valley; sipping Chianti or Montepulciano on a sunny terrace in Tuscany; the medieval villages of the Alsace Wine Trail; or any number of exotic wine producing regions around the world whose vineyards offer insight about, and tastings of, the wines they lovingly produce.
Ashford in Kent, East Grinstead, Dorking, even the Cotswolds, would not be the first locations to feature in the musings of many wine buffs as potential stop-offs on a wine tour.
Yet the countryside around each of these places contains vineyards providing evidence in bottle form of the massive growth in production of English wines – and with the drop in the pound's value after the Brexit vote may well prove to be a staycation worth considering.
Wine production in the UK can be traced back to Roman times – they are after all known to have enjoyed a goblet or two – when apparently the UK climate was warmer than it is now (I wonder what caused their global warming?). The French know a bit about winemaking as well, and the height of British viniculture until its relatively recent revival was post the Norman invasion. Forty two English vineyards are recorded in the Domesday Book.
Would it surprise you to learn there are now 580 vineyards who are members of the trade bodies who market themselves under the banner of English Wine Producers (EWP)? They range from tiny parcels of land producing miniscule numbers of bottles a year, to estates of hundreds of acres yielding up to 400,000 bottles in a good vintage. Many welcome visitors to witness the work they undertake – as well as taste their output of course. The EWP website search facility shows which ones are routinely open and which welcome visitors by appointment. I recently visited a couple of vineyards at the opposite ends of the English wine producer scale in terms of size and experience.
One of the largest English producers sits just outside Dorking in the Surrey Hills. Denbies estate owner, Adrian White, bought the 627 acres in 1984. He began planting 30 acres of vineyards in 1986 after a geologist friend while a weekend guest remarked on the land's suitability for viniculture. By 1993 the vines were ready to produce their first vintage, but White had also recognised the potential of adding value to the operation by creating a visitor centre at the heart of the business, and timed its opening to coincide with that first release of the estate's wines. Now run by Adrian's son Christopher, Denbies welcomes more than 350,000 visitors a year to tour their 265 acres of vines in Surrey's rolling hills, experience the vinification operation, and to taste its fourteen wines – which between them collected 33 awards in international competitions during 2015. Visits include a professionally produced film illustrating a year in the life of the vineyard, viewed in its own cinema.
Two restaurants – one a café, the other a fine dining experience I can vouch for – and of course, its cellar door shop complete the visitor offer for daytrippers. B&B is available in the original farmhouse for those who want to make more than a day of it, or those looking for accommodation while on a wine tour. 7 double rooms from £105 per night. (A Wine Hotel is planned for late 2018 completion).
Accommodation is also a feature of the Poulton Hill Estate near Cirencester in the Cotswolds. (Tenuous link to earlier: Did you know Cirencester was the second only to London as the largest Roman settlement in the UK?). The luxurious North Wing can be rented as a whole for £540 per night, which includes three double bedrooms and a vast open-plan living/dining room below.
With vines planted only in 2010, Poulton Hill is the opposite end of the scale from Denbies in terms of size and output. The first vintage of sparkling wine produced in 2012 is being carefully managed and released in small batches. 2016 is a big year for Poulton – its first still white wine was released in March, and its first sparkling rosé is due for release later this year. Adding to its innovative approach, the vineyard is also distilling Cotswold Brandy, which in a recent blind tasting was mistaken for a £300 vintage cognac by a good number of the experts. With the focus on quality rather than quantity, the wines are already winning awards and building a reputation in local wine merchants and restaurants.
Because it is such a small vineyard, tours must be arranged in advance, and there is a fee that varies according to group size. Depending on numbers, small groups may include audience participation, including actually carrying out vine management such as pruning.
So a tour of English vineyards could take in the Garden of England, Sussex Downs, Surrey Hills, Hampshire, the Cotswolds and many other beautiful locations throughout the land - as far north as Yorkshire! All in stunning English countryside that without doubt rivals the scenery of foreign vineyards. Add in the factors of the pound's slump in value, no language issues, no expensive airfares, driving on the usual side of the road, with wines to taste that will astound you with their quality, and wine tours of England may start to sound just as attractive a prospect as the foreign destinations you first thought of - only with less hassle and decent value now the pound has plummeted against the Euro.
Other Potential Vineyards to Visit
Each of the vineyards below near the areas mentioned in the article offer award winning wines and either a range of other products or additional activities to their wine tours
Ashford:
Biddenden Vineyards
www.biddendenvineyards.com
01580 291 726
East Grinstead:
Kingscote Estate
www.kingscoteestate.com
01342 327 535
Dorking:
Denbies Estate
www.denbies.co.uk
01306 876 616
Cotswolds:
Poulton Hill Estate
www.poultonhillestate.co.uk
01285 862 288