For weekends that flirt with luxury, vineyards deliver every time. Jane Rakison reveals where to dial up the indulgence with polished tastings and pastoral views
Pink Mead Estate, Isle of Wight
Take an invigorating boat trip across the Solent to enjoy an island vineyard experience. Pinkmead is best known for its multi-award-winning gin, but the estate’s vineyard is the latest addition to this female-led sanctuary, which also features 24 zen‑inducing acres of manicured lawns, private lakes and woodland. Stay in the main residence, which sleeps six, or go independent and stay in the kitchen garden space, which comes complete with a yoga studio and baby grand piano.
After planting its first vines in 2020, Pinkmead’s wines will officially release later this year. There is already plenty to see and learn on the vineyard tour, such as finding out how they use leftover grape skins. Follow the tour with a tasting and be one of the very first to sample its sustainably made white and pink sparkling wines.
The Grange, Hampshire
The Grange is a dream destination for wine lovers. Get an insider’s peek at how award‑winning English sparkling wine is made by taking a guided tour of the vineyards and swanky winery.
Before leaving, head to the new cellar door to pick up a few liquid mementoes of your visit. Or don’t leave at all: the estate is home to four romantic holiday cottages, which afford plenty of time to enjoy activities like wild swimming in one of the many secluded lakeside spots.
A lively calendar of spring and summer events promises to keep visitors entertained and returning regularly to this picturesque patch on the Hampshire Downs.
Woodchester Valley Vineyard, Gloucestershire
Heading to the Cotswolds? Lock in a visit to – or better still, a stay at – Woodchester Valley Vineyard. As one of the area’s wine hotspots, it attracts those in search of the weekend‑away holy grail: drinking excellent English wine while gazing out across a beautiful vineyard.
The packed programme of tours and tastings in its tasting room beautifully showcases Woodchester’s award‑winning still and sparkling selection. Be sure to try the limited-edition Tenterhook, which bursts with spring vitality, then relax at one of the holiday properties. Choose between a vineyard barn, spacious farmhouse and Woodchester Valley House.
Carvers Hill Estate, Wiltshire
This slick new kid on the English wine block has some impressive family connections: its sister property is Domaine de Bellevue in Cadillac, Bordeaux. Carvers Hill’s vineyards sit in the beautiful North Wessex Downs AONB, and with no herbicides used on the vines, natural flora and fauna happily flourish among the grapes.
Visitors can enjoy light‑touch tours and tastings or sign up for the Grand Tour: a two‑and‑a‑half‑hour exploration of the vineyard and winery which includes lunch with paired wines. Another gorgeous experience is the Sundowner Tour, which includes a guided visit, canapés and wines, served alongside jaw‑dropping sunset views. There are also luxury shepherd huts on site (below) for those who don’t want to designate a driver.•
Exton Park, Hampshire
This estate produces world‑class sparkling wine from a single vineyard in the heart of the South Downs. It’s a fascinating place to visit with several points of difference up its sleeve, including long ageing times and interesting grape varieties. It also boasts the status of being the first UK wine producer to age wines beneath the sea – the constant movement of the water around the bottles is thought to help develop flavours in a unique way.
Visitors can tour the private estate and take a behind‑the‑scenes look at how fine English fizz is painstakingly crafted. Finish the tour at Exton Hall where you can indulge in a wine tasting against a backdrop of sweeping views across Hampshire.
Hambledon Wine Estate, Hampshire
Hambledon, the quaint village north of Portsmouth, has two impressive claims to fame. It’s the birthplace of cricket in England and also home to the country’s oldest commercial vineyard – Home Vineyard – grapes from which were first made into still wine in 1955. The vineyard was replanted with traditional sparkling wine grapes in 2002 (the vines sit on a South Downs strip of chalk that’s shared, geologically, with Champagne).
Open to visitors all year round, Hambledon Wine Estate features a tasting room, cellar door, bar and restaurant. Expect ever‑changing menus that champion seasonal and local produce, including ingredients plucked from its own kitchen garden. This is a very special place to enjoy live jazz among the vines, although daytime visits with a guided tour by an in‑house expert are just as much fun.
Enjoyed our curation of destination vineyards? Discover five of the best wine bars in the South West.
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