Explore the delights of the English wine scene this summer with one of these vineyard breaks
A private wine party in the Cotswolds
For those still looking to put some fizz into the summer, Luxury Cotswold Rentals has created a beautifully British weekend away for wine enthusiasts. Surrounded the vines on the Dryhill Estate, just five miles from Cheltenham, Dryhill House is offering an atmospheric tasting experience for guests, led by award-winning local winemakers, Sixteen Ridges.
The main 400-year-old farmhouse, which sleeps 10, also boasts a vaulted Roman Cellar dining room – or nightclub – with cellar bar, a pizza oven in the vined courtyard garden, and a year-round hot tub and costs from £2,000 for three nights. There is also a cottage (sleeping 2 – 4) and the Little Lodge (sleeping 2 – 4).
Romance and fine dining in Devon
At Old Walls Vineyard, in Bishopsteignton, close to the South Devon coast there are six lodges that overlook the vineyard. Each come with a double and twin room and a pretty veranda with views to the vines. There’s a bistro on site, serving dishes like Exmoor beef bourguignon and local steamed mussels, made with the vineyard’s own wines.
From £120per night, OldwallsVineyard.co.uk
Overlooking the Exe Estuary, Lympstone Manor is part of chef Michael Caines’s growing South West empire of restaurants and hotels. In 2018 he planted a vineyard within the grounds leading down to the estaury, with 17,500 vines, with the first harvest taking place this autumn. Guests can enjoy a tour and four-course lunch every Wednesday and Saturday until September.
From £350 per night, Lympstonemanor.co.uk
Blue wine and tree top adventures in Hampshire
Home to the UK’s only blue sparkling wine, Adgestone Vineyard on the Isle of White has two self-catering units, one adjoining the main building, Ye Olde Cellar Door (originally the farm door shop) and a traditional style shepherds hut called Violet, tucked away at the far end of the vineyard for a refined glamping experience.
Self-guided audio vineyard tours are available and there is a bar and cafe, with an outside bar and purpose-built stage for live music.
Prices start from £265 for three nights, Adgestonevineyard.co.uk
On mainland, on the banks of the River Test, near Andover, Black Chalk vineyard has four luxury ‘treehouses’ run by Wild Escapes, complete with outdoor bathtubs overlooking the vines. Tours cost £20 but you can book a private tasting in your treehouse for £120.
Treehouses sleep two adults with space for two children, from £274 per night. Canopyandstars.co.uk
Organic wine and hobbit houses in East Sussex
The sustainable ethos of Oxney, near Rye runs through the entire estate, accommodation included. Every formerly abandoned building on this 850-acre estate is being used; old barns have been converted into lovely holiday cottages and there are also two shepherd’s huts handmade by a local carpenter – one located next to the Pinot Noir vines and one next to the Chardonnay plantings, so you really can sleep right among the vines.
From £100 per night. Oxney.com
Ever wanted to know what it’s like to stay in a real-life Hobbit House? Nestled among grapevines on the Oastbrook Estate in Robertsbridge is a cosy cottage fit for Frodo and friends. Like something straight from a J.R.R.Tolkien novel, the wooden hideaway is buried into a bank and features a grass roof and rounded doors and windows. You can walk through the fields to Bodium Castle for a day out or just sit in the private hot tub, drinking bubbly and admiring the views of the vines.
Five-night stays cost from £998, Oastbrook.com.
Camping and mindfulness in Kent
Open all year round for caravans and motorhomes and offering camping pitches and glamping tents in summer the campsite at Five Acre Farm overlooks a small award-winning vineyard near Marden. The farm has a small onsite winery and will soon have a tasting room too.
From £20 per night, Fiveacrevineyard.co.uk
Need a real break from it all? Terlingham Vineyard in Folkestone offers mindfulness breaks, which include meditation and sound bath sessions among the vines. There are three spacious en suite rooms with private terraces and guests are treated to a continental breakfast hamper in the mornings.
From £130 per night. Terlinghamvineyard.co.uk
Wine and food discovery in Surrey
Luxury county house hotel Beaverbrook, in Leatherhead, has teamed up with Albury Vineyard in Surrey to offer guests exclusive access during the week. Guests will get an education in the organic, viticulture winemaking process while exploring the heritage-rich vineyard, which produces Beaverbrook’s sparkling wine. Once the self-guided tour is complete, they will sample some of the wines with a locally sourced cheeseboard.
The Wine Discovery experience at Beaverbrook starts from £1,340 including overnight accommodation, breakfast, a bottle of Beaverbrook Albury Estate Blanc de Blancs, Morgan Plus Four car hire, private Albury Estate vineyard access and private tours, dinner at The Garden House Restaurant, complimentary mini bar and wifi, Beaverbrook.co.uk
Meanwhile Merry Harriers, in Hambledon, is offering a Taste of Surrey package which includes a 2-night stay in one of the Shepherd Huts, inn or courtyard rooms, English breakfast, a 3-course dinner one night plus a bottle of Albury’s Silent Pool Rosé and a choice of three curated Albury Vineyard Experiences.
Prices start from £470. Merryharriers.com
If you’d rather stay right among the vines however, then head to Denbies Vineyard Hotel, where you can bag a room overlooking the vines and enjoy breakfast in the orangery and wine tasting in the garden cabanas. Key cards also double up as an entry card for the enomatic wine serving system so you can literally help yourself to a glass of Denbies’ award-winning wines whenever you like.
Rooms from £145 per night. Denbies.co.uk
Wine and cycle tours in West Sussex
Cycling for Softies tours take in some of Sussex’s most beautiful countryside, such as the South Downs Way, The Downs link cycle path, South Downs National Park and The Cuckoo Trail, stopping off at vineyards along the way including Bolney and Ridgeview. Accommodation at Historic Sussex Hotels Bailiffscourt, Ockenden Manor and the Spread Eagle.
Packages start from £585 for two nights, Cycling-for-softies.co.uk
Meanwhile, this summer sees the launch of The Great Sussex Way Wine Cycle Route, which has partnered with Southern E-Bikes and a number of vineyards in West Sussex to introduce a selection of routes taking in the vines and wines of Ashling Park, Tinwood and Upperton. The new lodges at Ashling Park, built by Will Hardie of TV’s Amazing Spaces, are the perfect place to base your stay (pictured at top).
Prices start from £225 per night, Ashlingpark.co.uk
Glamping in Shropshire and Somerset
Glamp in a luxurious safari lodge with its own walk-in shower and roll top bath, wood-fired burner and hot tub overlooking a traditional English vineyard set within the Shropshire countryside. Hencote offers the ultimate luxury glamping experience and, with its own on-site restaurant, makes for the perfect foodie break.
The staycation package includes a two-night stay with a Bottle of Evolution Sparkling Wine on arrival, a Wine Tour & Tasting, a breakfast Hamper both mornings and £35 allocation per person towards Dinner at The Balcony and a complimentary glass of Hencote Evolution Sparkling wine per person.
From £430, Hencote.com
Set in the southernmost foothills of Somerset’s Quantock Hills area of outstanding natural beauty Cobbs Cross Farm is home to Secret Valley Vineyard, which offers a variety of different glamping experiences from wigwams and shepherds huts to yurts, deluxe lodges and belle tents. As well as tours of the vineyard there’s a host of other activities in offer including farm tours, kayaking, raft building and water zorbing. There’s also a play barn with mini diggers for children.
Prices start from £25 per person per night, Secretvalley.co.uk
