Interested in getting close to the harvest action? These are the English vineyards to head to…
Tinwood Wine Estate, West Sussex
Join vineyard owners Art & Jody who will welcome you with coffee and cakes and an explanation of how they choose and pick the grapes, before you head out to the vines for two hours on picking. At midday you’ll get a three-course rustic harvest lunch, matched with a different glass of their three sparkling wines.
October 13th-17th £59 per person
Leonardslee Gardens, East Sussex
The harvest day at Leonardslee starts at 10:30am with pastries and bubbly and a introduction by resident wine expert Barry Anderson, who will lead guests out into the vineyard to help pick the grapes. Lunch with wines from the estate’s South African sister estate, Benguela Cove Lagoon, is served at 12:30pm.
October 22nd, £60 per person
Gusbourne, Kent
Harvest is one of the most exciting times to visit Gusbourne. The vineyard and winery teams busily work together to pick and press the grapes from all 90 hectares of vineyards in the short space of two to three weeks when it is the optimum time to do so. When harvest is in full swing, the vineyard hosts harvest tours when guests can try the fully ripened grapes, straight from the vine before the bunches are picked and sent to the winery for pressing. Pickers may also be in action, and guests can observe them working their way down the rows of vines, before they head to the winery for a tasting.
September 23rd - October 3rd, £25pp
Denbies, Surrey
Watch the harvest workers picking grapes on this 90-minute walking tour of the vineyard, where you’ll learn about the Denbies harvest, the different grape varietals on the heavily laden vines and the geology of the estate. Following the tour, enjoy a vineyard ploughman’s lunch on the lawn with a glass of Denbies sparkling wine.
October 1st and 9th, £49 per person
Hambledon, Hampshire
Join the annual harvest celebration at Hambledon in Hampshire, where Tara Spink, who trained at Leiths School of Cookery and spent some time in the kitchen of the legendary Savoy, will create a truly unforgettable harvest feast to pair with the vienayrd’s award-winning wines.
October 14th, £75pp
