Skip to content
All you need to know about the vineyards of Sussex
According to a Viticulture Growth Impact Assessment report carried out by vineyard and winery consultancy Vinescapes in 2019, the South Downs National Park – the majority of which sits in Sussex – has the potential to become a centre for viticulture for the UK and, if it continues to grow at its current rate, could create 800 full-time jobs and contribute £127 million to the local economy within the next five to seven years.
Consequently, our county’s vineyards are upping the ante when it comes to the visitor experience with on-site restaurants, accommodation, and tours to suit an audience wider than purely oenophiles. Some are even joining forces with other vineyards and local businesses to create exciting partnerships which offer much more than the standard tour and tasting.
‘Wine is an outstanding story for Sussex,’ says Nathaniel Hepburn, chair of Sussex Modern, the wine tourism development agency for Sussex, which aims to bring together unique experiences by joining the dots between wine, landscape and art. ‘In the last few years, it has emerged as a world-class region for wine producing and wine tourism, pioneered by innovative visionaries. Pairing vineyard tours and visits with other destinations and activities, is a sure-fire way of making the most of what Sussex has to offer.’
The county was awarded the prestigious protected status last summer meaning that wines labelled with ‘Sussex’ are grown in the county and designated as a UK Geographical Indication (GI) ensuring that customers are buying the real product. It prevents imitations and encompasses Sussex sparkling, still and origin wines.
With English Wine Week taking place this month (June 17 to 25), Sussex Life looks at some of the exciting ways you can explore the county’s wine scene.
FIZZ ON FOOT
After a long walk or hike through the Sussex countryside stopping for a refreshing drink in a country pub always feels like a well-deserved treat. So why not stop at one of the county’s vineyards instead? Or both? And how about learning a little about Sussex’s past along the way?
Eastbourne company Fizz on Foot hosts guided walks lead by local historians to add an extra level of interest to your walk, followed by a pub lunch and a guided tour of a vineyard.
‘It is such a good time for English sparkling wine, in particular,’ explains founder Ian Shearer. ‘It is a really booming industry. We seem to be beating the French at their own game so sharing the success with our guests is really exciting.’
Itineraries include enchanted forest walks, hikes across the Seven Sisters, meanders along Cuckmere River and town strolls in Alfriston, coupled with visits to one of the 200 vineyards the company partners with – from Bluebell Vineyard in Uckfield and Breaky Bottom in Lewes, to Ridgeview in Ditchling and Rathfinny in Alfriston.
Walks are adapted to the fitness of each group, which is ascertained at the time of booking, and other activities, such as kayaking, can be added by request. Prices start from £89.
www.fizzonfoot.com
Reader Offer
Fizz on Foot is offering Sussex Life readers a 10 per cent discount off all the tours. Simply quote SL-FIZZ 23/24 when booking.
PEDAL POWER
Switching from two legs to two wheels means you can cover more vineyards in a day and, while Sussex is a vast county, there are pockets where country roads and bridle paths enable cyclist to easily travel between them.
But if you’re not sure exactly where to start, The Great Sussex Way, the organisation responsible for managing tourism in the Chichester district, has done the hard work for you. In 2021, it launched a wine cycle route, linking several of the wineries in the area alongside suggested activities to do along the way.
‘The Great Sussex Wine Tour has been designed holistically to encompass our brilliant local businesses,’ says Danielle Dunfold, CEO of TGSW. ‘Visitors can create their perfect get away with stop-offs at our classic country pubs, farm shops and much more.’
The route has three sections offering a range of difficulties, landscapes and cycling styles. There’s a 14km relatively flat ride between Tinwood Estate (tinwoodestate.com), which was once a struggling lettuce farm but has been transformed into a thriving wine estate with almost 500 hectares of vines, three lodges, a tasting room and newly-opened restaurant, and Ashling Park (ashlingpark.co.uk) home to 20,000 vines, a gin school (where you can book into a gin-making course for £80 per person) and collection of luxury lodges designed by William Hardie from Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces.
The next section is a little more challenging with a 35km off and on-road ride from Ashling Park to the family-run Upperton Vineyard, on the outskirts of Petworth, and the last leg of the route is a steep but slightly shorter ride from Upperton back to Tinwood.
Other vineyards on the route include Wiston Estate (wistonestate.com), Sugrue South Downs (sugruesouthdowns.com), Roebuck Estates (roebuckestates.co.uk) and Blackdown Ridge (blackdownridge.co.uk).
If all that peddling sounds a little too much like hard work then you can make navigating the sights, sounds and tastes of the wine route a little easier by hiring an electric bike from companies such as Southern eBike Rentals, who provide GPS guided tours of the South Downs.
thegreatsussexway.org
BIG RED BUS
Brighton-based company Great British Wine tours offers an array of vineyard tours in Sussex but its best seller involves climbing aboard a vintage London bus.
‘Our flagship tour takes its name from the 1960s big red London bus that whisks you from Brighton to the heart of English wine country, where you’ll visit two award-winning vineyards,’ says director Danny Edwards.
From Albourne Estate near Hassocks to Court Garden in Ditchling, the tour takes in two different vineyards with a guided walk through the vines and winery and tutored tastings, as well as a hamper or sharing platter of Sussex produce for lunch.
Tours take place each Saturday and cost £109pp
greatbritishwinetours.co.uk
LUXURY LOCOMOTIVES
There’s something rather magical about the golden age of rail travel. The ‘Steam and Vine’ tour, also hosted by Great British Wine Tours, enables guests to step back in time while enjoying the sights and tastes of Sussex on the Bluebell Railway line one of the best-preserved railways in England.
The tour begins in Brighton, where pick up is via a chauffeur-driven 1950s bus, which drops guests at Bluebell Railway’s Sheffield Park Station – a popular set-location for film and television programmes, such as Downton Abbey and The Railway Children.
The train travels through the countryside before arriving at Horsted Keynes Station, a few minutes’ drive from Kingscote Estate (kingscoteestate.com) for lunch, a vineyard tour and tasting of their award-winning still and sparkling wines. The tour takes place on Fridays and cost £115.
Those after a little more luxury can book a private group tour (for 20 or more), which includes an English sparkling wine reception on the platform and silver service canapes and an expert-guided English wine tasting of five Sussex still and sparkling wines aboard a first-class carriage, with prices from £89 per person.
greatbritishwinetours.co.uk
GOLF BUGGY SAFARI
You only have to look at the number of golfing professionals, such as Christie Kerr, David Frost, Ernie Eels and Sir Nick Faldo, who have launched their own wine labels, to see that wine and golf go hand-in-hand.
Mannings Heath Golf Course, on the outskirts of Horsham, is not only home to a championship 18-hole golf course and nine-hole course but also a 15-hectare vineyard. A sparkling wine made from grapes grown on the estate is not due for release until next year but in the meantime, tours include a tasting of wines from owner Penny Streeter’s South African estate Benguela Cove. Golf buggy vineyard tours take place Wednesday to Sunday and cost £20 per person and you can add on an authentic sabrage experience, where you get to learn the age-old technique of opening a bottle of sparkling wine with a sabre, for an additional £25.
You can also pay a visit to the newly-opened Wine Lounge & Vineyard Kitchen restaurant, where South African wines are served alongside a pairing menu of dishes inspired by local produce.
Manningsheath.com
THE INNERCITY EXPERIENCE
You don’t have to head out into the sticks to learn about Sussex’s top vineyards. The Sky Bar on board the Brighton i360 pod is the South Coast’s highest bar and is sponsored by Nyetimber. The Pulborough-based vineyard responsible for putting English sparkling wine on the map when it became the first producer to exclusively grow the three celebrated grape varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier back in 1988.
Last month, the pod hosted a first-of-its-kind ‘best of Sussex’ wine event showcasing a variety of award-winning wines from three producers in the local region including Albourne Estate, Bolney Wine Estate and Nyetimber.
You can experience breath-taking views from the pod with a glass of Sussex Sparkling in hand by booking the Brighton i360 English Wine Experience, which is available daily and includes a 25-minute journey on the pod and a glass of Nyetimber Classic Cuvee with prices from £19.80 per person. And keep an eye on the website for more one-off Sussex wine experiences.
brightoni360.co.uk
FOODIE FOCUSED
One of the best food pairings for English sparkling wine is cheese and with so many artisan cheesemakers in Sussex, it’s no surprise that many of the vineyards offer cheese and wine tours. At one of Sussex’s oldest vineyards, Bolney Wine Estate (bolneywineestate.com) near Haywards Heath, the 90-minute cheese and wine experience (£30pp) includes a tour of the vineyard and winery with an introduction to the history of English wine and a tasting of five of their award-winning wines with a selection of carefully-curated cheese and local food pairings and a sample of Bolney Estate Gin, which made on site using press wine from the grapes distilled with delicate botanicals. Bluebell Vineyard (bluebellwines.com) near Uckfield offers a similar experience at weekends lasting two hours and costs £25pp.
For those after a more gastronomic offering, Rathfinny in Alfriston is hosting a Dine in the Vines series this summer. The intimate experience sees diners feast on seasonal produce from the land, sea and gardens of the British Isles on long tables immersed within the vines. This month’s Celebration of Sussex Farmers Feast shines a light on local growers with a vegetarian seven course meal (from June 16 to18 June), while July’s event is a seafood and sparkling wine experience (July 21 to 23) and August is British barbecue themed (August 11 to 13). Tickets cost £75 per person or £120 with a wine flight and include a welcome cocktail.
rathfinnyestate.com
CHILD FRIENDLY TOURS
Visiting a vineyard doesn’t have to be an adult-only experience. Sussex vineyards are continually looking at ways they can make their experiences more accessible to all ages from child-friendly trails to picnics.
At Oastbrook, by the banks of the River Rother near Robertsbridge, where America and Nick Brewer have planted vines on what was formerly a Guinness hop farm, they have gone one step further by designing tours especially for children, run by their teenage daughter, Gabby (and with adult supervision).
She caters for kids from ages four to 18 and structures each tour around the specific ages attending. Younger children can do drawing and games while older kids will be taken on a tour of Oastbrook farm and the vines. It means that for just £5 per child adults are then free to enjoy an Owner’s Vineyard tour (£30pp) or Summer Wine Tastings (£20pp) safe in the knowledge their little ones are being taken care of.
oastbrook.com
