By day, vineyards are enchanting places to visit. However, when the sun starts to drop, there’s a stirring energy among the vines on a midsummer’s evening that just can’t be beaten. Now is an excellent time to experience the magic of English and Welsh wines across the UK with a glass in hand and a backdrop of the soft glow of the setting sun.
From the heart of Sussex countryside and the Yorkshire Dales to the South-West of Wales, you can take your pick from clinking glasses under sails, in impressive tasting rooms or with views of the sea, accompanied by local food cooked over fire and flame and a crisp glass of sparkling. There’s plenty to choose from and many are worth building a weekend away or staycation around. Just leave room for a few bottles to take home!
Artelium, Sussex
Relax in a serene scandi-inspired tasting room at Artelium surrounded by contemporary art with views across the vines in Streat near the village of Ditchling in the heart of wine-country. Enjoy a glass of their sparkling Sussex wines or one of their exciting new releases of still wines including a White Pinot at their outside barn and sail-covered terrace. This summer, you can dine on wood fired pizzas, fresh seafood platters and middle-eastern and mediterranean street food.
Husband and wife team Julie Bretland and Mark Collins work closely with local artists to host regular exhibitions and commission artworks, some of which land on the labels of their small batch wines. A bottle of their ARTEFACT #4 – a rich mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier & Gris harvested in 2012 and limited to just 250 bottles – would make a great conversation-starter. There’s also lots of vineyards in the local area, making Artelium perfectly placed for inclusion in a wine-focussed getaway.
Open Fridays and Saturdays, until 8pm
Ashling Park, Sussex
Be prepared to be wowed by Ashling Park’s impressive two-story restaurant and tasting room in the charming hamlet of West Ashling, near Chichester in West Sussex. Their elegant tasting rooms and infinity terrace are the perfect foil for being swept away as the sun sets across their historic 50 acre estate framed by 100 oaked trees. Their sheltered position and loam soils make it an ideal home for growing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Talented winemaker Dermot Sugrue leads the charge to produce crisp and elegant sparkling wines.
The vineyard takes on a different character in the evening during their Sunset Tours with Dinner, running until 10th September. You’ll start the evening with a tour, followed by a tasting paired with three courses including lobster at their restaurant overlooking the vineyard. If it sounds like it’ll be too hard to tear yourself away for the journey home post-dinner, simply take a short stroll over to one of their luxury lodges, built by Will Hardie of TV’s Amazing Spaces. In the morning, refresh your head with a picturesque walk along coastal paths and the trails of Kingley Vale’s nature reserve or tuck in some paddleboarding before lunchtime.
Open Thursday to Sunday, 9am – 10.30pm
Jabajak, Wales
If your heart is calling for a wine retreat that’s a glass full of peace and tranquility then Jabajak on the borders of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion in South-West Wales is for you. Jabajak is a vineyard and restaurant with suites and en-suite rooms that’s a stone’s throw from the wild landscapes and ancient walkways of the Preseli mountains and the spectacular south coast of Pembrokeshire National Park.
The vineyard is home to cool climate friendly hybrid varieties planted in 2007 at the centuries old drovers farm Banc Y Llain. Today their range of wines include a zesty still white made from Seyval Blanc and a delicate sparkling rosé produced from hand-picked Seyval and Phoenix grapes, blushed with Rondo. Watch the sun go down with a glass of Welsh wine at their patio or by the pond whilst soaking up far-reaching views of the rolling countryside and wildlife.
Open Tuesday to Saturday, last orders at 8.30pm
Kinsbrook, Sussex
More than just a vineyard, Kinsbrook is an epicurean delight just outside of Brighton. Expect a bright and airy farm-to-table restaurant in a barn complete with a farm-shop, on-site butchery, bakery and deli. As well as being dedicated to quality local produce and seasonal dishes on their menus, their characterful wines are produced from a broad church of Sussex-grown grapes including Reichensteiner, Pinot Gris, Bacchus, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Précoce.
Kinsbrook is also home to a strong line-up of summer events including yoga overlooking the vines and live acoustic music every Sunday at 2pm. Their Farmhouse restaurant is open until 7pm on Fridays (walk-ins only) and Saturdays. Keep your eyes peeled on their website for supperclubs and more events. Wrap your visit around a trip to the fun-filled streets and pebbly Brighton beach and you’ve got a great south-coast summer weekend sorted.
Open Friday and Saturday evenings, until 7pm
Yorkshire Heart Vineyard & Brewery, Yorkshire
You might be surprised to find a vineyard this far north in the UK, but tucked away down a country lane near the village of Nun Monkton between York and Harrogate is an award-winning family business of Yorkshire Heart. What started as a hobby of chief winemaker Gillian in 2000 is now a serious enterprise spanning 25,000 vines including Pinot Noir, Gamay, Rondo, Ortega, Siegerrebe, Solaris and Seyval Blanc, producing still reds, whites and sparkling wines.
Their evenings in the vineyard, acoustic music and supper nights combined with on-site glamping make it a covetable base for exploring the city of York just half an hour away, or the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors a little further afield. The family’s talents also don’t stop at producing wine – the owners’ son Tim runs the brewery, alongside tours and tap nights. Evening tours on Fridays once or twice per month
Greyfriars, Surrey
Head to the Hog’s Back in the North Downs in Puttenham, east of Farnham and just outside of Guildford in Surrey, and you’ll find the chalky south-facing slopes of Greyfriars Vineyard. What began as a 1.5 acre site in 1989 now spans 40 acres and hosts a state of the art winery complete with a 3500 sq. ft underground storage ‘cave’.
Greyfriars was one of the earliest English vineyards to plant the Champagne grape varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This has held the current owners Mike and Hilary Wagstaff in good stead as they produce a variety of traditional method sparkling wines that have won WineGB and Decanter awards. Stop by their tasting room which closes at 7pm on Saturdays or book an evening of pasta making and wine tasting at their next supperclub.
Open Saturdays, until 7pm. Open later during events
Polgoon, Cornwall
A visit to Polgoon in Penzance, Cornwall is the excuse you didn’t know you needed to escape from it all over a glass at one of the few English vineyards with a sea view. The Coulson family first planted vines in 2004 and produce artisan still red, white and rose and sparkling wines made with Seyval Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Bacchus, Pinot Noir and Rondo grapes.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing however for the ex-fish merchants John and Kim Coulson. A couple of bad harvests in the late 2000s prompted them to start making cider using the Méthode Traditionelle, the same method used by French winemakers to make sparkling wines, and they haven’t looked back since. Their Vinehouse Kitchen is an outside dining area that’s ideal for soaking up the fresh Cornish air over pizza and a cool, refreshing glass of Pinot Noir Rosé .
Vinehouse kitchen open Thursday to Saturday, until 8pm (last orders)
Photo of Supper Club (c) Greyfriars
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