Our pick of the best English wine-related things to see, do, try and book this month
Book this: The Hand and Flowers Dining and Gusbourne Tour Experience
Gusbourne Wine Estate in Kent has teamed up with Tom Kerridge’s The Hand & Flowers in Marlow for an exclusive dining and tour experience on April 30.
Guests will be welcomed with a Gusbourne aperitif before being taken on a vineyard tour, tasting a selection of wines along the way, followed by a tutored tasting and meal cooked by The Hand and Flowers’ executive chef Kieran Reilly.
The three courses will be paired with Gusbourne’s award-winning wines, including sparkling and limited-edition selections. Tickets cost £150 per person and can be booked for lunch or dinner.
Drink this: English bubbly in a can at 38,000ft
From this month, passengers travelling on Virgin Atlantic A350 leisure flights can enjoy English sparkling wine in a can.
The Uncommon’s award-winning bubbly wines will be available to buy and enjoy on-board while those in Upper Class will be able to enjoy a complimentary wine tasting experience in The Booth.
Tucked away in the Upper Class cabin, The Booth aspires to create a cosy corner, providing comfy lounge style seating, where passengers can sample The Uncommon’s English Sparkling white, rosé, and botanically infused spritzer.
The partnership marks the first time ever that canned wines have been poured in Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class cabin.
Take the kids here: Bluebell Vineyard’s Easter trail
Looking for a day out with the kids this Easter where the adults can have some fun too? For the entire month of April, Bluebell Vineyard near East Grinstead in East Sussex will be hosting an Easter Bunny hunt within its vineyard and woodland trail.
Every day from 10am to 4pm, children can explore the estate in search for the 25 hidden bunnies and Easter eggs in return for a chocolate prize, while adults can enjoy a glass of English sparkling on the sun deck. Tickets cost £1.50 for children and £3 for adults with 10% going to the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity.
Try this: Searcys x Greyfriars English sparkling wine
Renowned restaurateur, caterer and experts in all things fizz, Searcys has partnered with Greyfriars Vineyard, near Guildford in Surrey to launch its first own label English sparkling wine.
The Classic Cuvée Brut non vintage English Sparkling Wine commemorates Searcys’ 175th anniversary and is available in the brand’s 19 venues and restaurants including Searcys at The Gherkin, St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar, 116 Pall Mall and The Barbican for £58 per bottle.
Read the full story here.
Go here: Westwell’s new tasting room
To celebrate the opening of its newly converted tasting room, Westwell Wines near Ashford is hosting a special lunch on Sunday, April 24, in partnership with Angela’s of Margate.
The four-course menu will include seafood delights such as devilled roe eggs, brandade tartine, cured trout with cucumber and creme fraise and barbcued mackerel with smoked cheeks and endive. The menu will be paired with a flight of Westwell wines including some new releases from the 2021vintage.
