Private Kent wine tour
Your own driver and guide for the day, visiting two Kent vineyards. It is the one groups book for birthdays and hen parties, and it works for a work outing too.
Starts Ashford International station, Kent
Kent · Sussex · Surrey · Hampshire · across England
Vineyard tours across England
The vineyard tours and tastings in England we think are worth your day. Chapel Down in Kent, Rathfinny in Sussex, Denbies in Surrey and Hambledon in Hampshire are on the list, along with plenty of smaller places.
The most popular English wine tours
Staying in London? Book a day tour with transport, so someone else drives and lunch is sorted. If you are already near the vineyards, a tour and tasting at a single estate costs far less.
- A short list, checked before we add it
- Free cancellation on most bookings
- Nobody has to drive
Full-day wine tour in Sussex and Kent
Two or three vineyards in East Sussex and Kent, with a guided tour and a tasting at each. Nobody in your party has to drive.
Starts Hotel pickup in East Sussex and Kent, including Hastings, Cranbrook and Pluckley
Sussex by vintage bus from Brighton
A 1960s Routemaster takes you to two Sussex vineyards, and lunch is a picnic of Sussex produce among the vines. People tend to book it for birthdays.
Starts Brighton station, Brighton
Hambledon vineyard tour and tasting
Hambledon was planted in 1952 and is England’s oldest commercial vineyard. You walk the vines and the gravity-fed winery, then taste three of the sparkling wines.
Starts Hambledon Vineyard, Hambledon, Hampshire
More tours we like
These are worth a look if the four above don’t suit. There is a full day from London to three vineyards. You can also walk to a Sussex vineyard with a guide, or book a tasting at one of two well-known Kent estates.
Sussex and Surrey wine tour from London
Three vineyards in a day from London, among them an early Sussex estate and a small vineyard in the Surrey Hills, with a tasting at each and the driving done for you.
Starts London
Guided walk and vineyard tour from Alfriston
A guided walk through the South Downs countryside with lunch at a village pub, then a visit to an award-winning vineyard.
Starts Alfriston, East Sussex
Balfour vineyard walk and tasting
A walk through the vines at Hush Heath, home of Balfour, and a tasting of three of their wines.
Starts Balfour Winery, Staplehurst, Kent
Gusbourne sparkling wine tasting
A tasting of four of Gusbourne’s vintage sparkling wines at the estate on the edge of Romney Marsh.
Starts Gusbourne Estate, Appledore, near Ashford, Kent
Choose a region
Most English vineyards are in the south-east, within about two hours of London. The wine is good in all four of these counties, so pick the one that is easiest to reach from where you are staying.
Sussex
Sussex makes its sparkling wine on the chalk of the South Downs. Tours leave from London and Brighton, and you can go by vintage bus, by minibus or on foot.
Sussex wine toursKent
Kent has Chapel Down, Gusbourne and Balfour, and more day trips from London than anywhere else. The train from St Pancras gets you there quickly.
Kent wine toursSurrey
Denbies, near Dorking, is one of the largest vineyards in England and under an hour from Waterloo or Victoria.
Surrey wine toursHampshire
Hambledon is the country’s oldest commercial vineyard. Around Winchester and the Meon Valley things are quieter than in Sussex or Kent.
Hampshire wine toursPlanning your own route? Our vineyard directory covers 263 vineyards in England that are open to visitors, and the Wealden Wine Trail links sixteen of them in East Sussex. Further away there are tours in the Chilterns and around Henley, in the West Country and in Yorkshire, and our guide to England’s wine regions covers the rest.
Coming up at the vineyards
Events at the vineyards over the next few weeks, taken from their own websites. Before Christmas that mostly means fairs and wine dinners. You book with the vineyard.
TastingWine and cheese tastingAlbury Organic Vineyard · SurreySat 7 Nov, and 8 more dates · £34.95 a head
SeasonalSunday walks with mulled wineHenners Vineyard · SussexSun 8 Nov · Free
TastingWine Club WednesdaysLaurel Vines · YorkshireWed 4 Nov, and 5 more dates · £32 a head
SeasonalWild swimming morningThe Secret Vineyard · SussexWed 4 Nov · £15 a head
From our guides
Written and checked by us, and kept up to date through the year.
ChristmasEnglish wine for ChristmasThe English wines we would buy for Christmas, course by course: sparkling for the toast, Bacchus with smoked salmon, Pinot Noir with the turkey, and bottles to give.Read the guide
ChristmasChristmas at an English vineyardChristmas at English vineyards in 2026: dates and prices for wreath workshops, festive lunches, party nights and markets in November and December.
English wineEnglish sparkling wine vs ChampagneIs there an English champagne? Not by name, but English sparkling wine is made the same way. How the two compare on grapes, taste and price, and which to buy.
Plan a visitVineyards you can visit by train from LondonEnglish vineyards you can reach by train from London, sorted into those you can walk to from the station and those needing a short taxi, with train times.
Planning your own visit
For when you would rather drive yourself or go by train.
January and February
Vineyards that stay open in winter
Most guided tours stop for the winter, but plenty of cellar doors keep pouring, and a quiet weekday is a good time for a tasting with nobody else at the bar. Our list says which ones open, on which days.
Spring
Book summer Saturdays now
The tour season runs from late spring into October, and Saturdays are the first dates to go, on the London day trips most of all. If you have a weekend in mind, it is worth booking now; many listings let you cancel for free.
September and October
Harvest at the vineyards
The grapes come in through September and October. Some vineyards pause their tours while they pick and run a seated tasting instead, and a few hold harvest events, so check the vineyard’s page before you book a date.
Christmas gifts
A vineyard day as a present
Most of these tours can be booked for a date next spring or summer, and many have free cancellation, so buying early costs you very little.
Cellar door wine tour from London
Tastings at several vineyards in Kent and Sussex. Lunch is included and somebody else drives.
Starts London Bridge, central London
Sussex by vintage bus
The Routemaster day out, with a picnic in the vineyard. Groups book it for birthdays and hen parties.
Starts Brighton station, Brighton
Planning your day
- When to goMay to October is the main season. Go between June and September for green vines and tastings outdoors, or in September and October to catch the harvest. Many cellar doors stay open for tastings through the winter, though some estates run fewer tour days then.
- What it costsA day tour from London with transport, tastings and lunch is usually £150 to £175 a head. A tour and tasting booked at one vineyard is usually £25 to £40.
- Getting thereTake a tour that includes transport, or take the train and a short taxi ride. Don’t plan on driving between tastings.
- What to wearFlat shoes you don’t mind getting muddy, and a layer. Vineyards are on slopes, and summer tastings can still be breezy.
Bring the vineyard home
The English bottles we would buy, with where to get each one. Nyetimber and Chapel Down are there, and so are some much smaller estates. It covers sparkling, rosé and still wines, and we check the prices every week.
Buy English wineQuestions people ask
Where is the best place in England for a wine tour?
Sussex or Kent, for most people. They have more vineyards open to visitors than anywhere else, and more tours you can book. Surrey is the quickest to reach from London, and Hampshire has Hambledon, England’s oldest commercial vineyard.
Can I do an English wine tour as a day trip from London?
Yes. Several tours pick up in central London and visit two or three vineyards in Kent, Sussex or Surrey, with lunch included, and bring you back the same evening. See our wine tours from London.
Is English wine any good?
Yes. English sparkling wine is made the same way as Champagne, from the same grapes, on similar chalk soils, and it wins international awards often. Try a still Bacchus while you are there too.