DAY TRIPS AND LONG LUNCHES
If you can’t get away for the night, plan a day trip to one of these top wineries...
Chapel Down, Kent: Head to Tenterden, Kent, to see where the magic happens at one of the UK’S most established vineyards. Chapel Down’s Walking Wine Tour (£35pp) lets you taste wines among the very vines they’re from, while giving you a quick lesson in viticulture and the vineyard cycle. For the full experience, kick back over lunch at The Swan Restaurant, open Wednesday to Sunday with a rich and comforting menu.
Takeaway: English Rosé full of juicy fruitiness; chapeldown.com
Oxney Organic Estate, East Sussex: The estate’s organic wines won gold at the prestigious International Wine Challenge awards last year. Learn all about organic wine-making and then tuck into a picnic lunch, packed in a willow basket, of organic Sussex cheese, charcuterie, bread and olives and other delicious nibbles, plus wine of course, inside the winery or outside if the weather’s good (£40pp for tour and lunch). Takeaway: the Pinot Noir Rosé and 2016 Sparkling Wines; oxneyestate.com
Terlingham Vineyard, Kent: Natural wines similar to those found in France’s famed Champagne region thanks to Kent’s chalky soil. Walk through the fouracre vineyard with its views over The Channel, and taste wines accompanied by a cheeseboard (£30pp). Takeaway: Limited edition 2013 Sparking Rosé and 2012 Sparkling Gold; terlinghamvineyard.co.uk
Hush Heath Estate, Kent: Large and super-sleek, this is the home of award-winning Balfour wines. There are a number of tour options, from a free self-guided one to an Art & Wine Tour (£35pp) and a full tour and tasting (from £45pp) that includes lunch (£175pp).takeaway: Balfour Brut Rosé 2015; balfourwinery.com
Gusbourne, Kent: Known for its sparkling wines, this 15-acre boutique winery, just an hour from London, features a tour followed by a tasting menu that pairs wines with platters of charcuterie, cheese and moreish nibbles (from £75pp). Takeaway: Brut Reserve; gusbourne.com
Trevibban Mill, Cornwall: An award-winning vineyard, just a stone’s throw from Padstow. Tours finish at the end of October but the super-popular wine tastings (£15pp) run throughout the year, from Wednesday to Sunday, and feature seven wines (still and sparkling) alongside a sharing board. Takeaway: Rock Rose and Pinot Noir, Pink Sparkling; trevibbanmill.com