With more vineyards than any other county in the UK, and the same designated status for its wine as Champagne, Sussex provides the perfect excuse for a getaway among the vines
Home to more vineyards than any other county in the UK, Sussex’s viticulture trade is booming. But visiting one of the county’s wine estates is no longer just about a quick tour and tasting.
Taking the lead from European and new world wine destinations such as Champagne and the Napa Valley, vineyard owners are expanding their offerings in order to maximise the visitor experience.
From chef collaborations to picturesque picnics, wellbeing workshops and more, there are plenty of activities to fill an entire day, and with many vineyards now offering accommodation too – you can even spend the night, which makes perfect sense if you’re planning on sampling the goods.
And there's even more reason to toast the idea of a sparkling Sussex wine-cation now that the county joins Champagne, Prosecco and Bordeaux in having geographically protected status. All still and sparkling wine made in East and West Sussex now joins the very prestigious (and short) list of products to win protected designation of origin (PDO) status. Others include Scotch whisky, Cornish clotted cream, Welsh lamb and Herefordshire cider.
The announcement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs comes seven years after wine makers first made their application - and highlights that the wines must also have 'features and characteristics' due to the area. That'll be the sunny micro climate and the terroir. Now you no longer need ask for a glass of Champagne. As Food and Farming Minister Victoria Prentis says: 'Now we can together have a glass of Sussex.'
At Tinwood, right next door to Goodwood near Chichester, three stylish lodges overlook the rows of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines, which were planted at this former lettuce farm in 2007. Inside the dog-friendly lodges, there’s plenty of wine-related memorabilia to satisfy observant oenophiles but the best part is the bi-folding glass doors that open onto to a terrace, providing the perfect spot to enjoy a glass or two of Tinwood’s sparkling wines, which recently picked up gold awards at the International Wine & Spirit Competition and International Wine Challenge.
'When we planted our vines here on the family farm 15 years ago, we never dreamt that we would be winning gold medals in the world’s largest wine competitions, not just once but twice in the same month,' Tinwood owner Art Tukker says. 'It proves the soil and location here in Sussex allows us to grow world class quality wines. As our vines mature and our thirst for knowledge increases, we can’t wait for what the next 15 years will bring.'
Lodges cost £225 per night based on two people sharing and include a breakfast hamper and use of mountain bikes, which come in handy if you want to explore the Great Sussex Way Wine Cycle Route. The route was launched last year to help link up vineyards in the area, such as Blackdown Ridge, Roebuck Estates, Sugrue South Downs, Upperton, Wiston and Ashling Park Estate (ashlingpark.co.uk), which is also home to a collection of five vineyard lodges.
Designed and built by Lewes-based architect Will Hardie, of Channel Four’s Amazing Spaces, the immaculate one and two-bedroom lodges feature luxurious fabrics, copper roll-top baths and cost from £225 per night. They’re part of a recent investment project at the estate – owned by Gail Garner and her family – which also includes a restaurant and gin school. Sessions, which can be booked individually or as a group and make for a great birthday, hen or stag celebration activity, run each Friday when you can make your own gin with prices starting from £80 per person.
FOOD & WINE
Kingscote Estate and Vineyard in East Grinstead is another great spot for a celebratory weekend away. Not only can you spend the night in the recently refurbished two-bedroom coach house on the estate (£180 per night) but, if you stay on a Saturday, you can wake up and enjoy bottomless brunch the next morning. Visitors can enjoy local produce and homemade brunch treats, such as yogurt with fresh berries, honey and granola and home-baked banana bread alongside free-flowing Kingscote 2019 Sparkling Brut for £30 per person.
Foodies are also in for a treat at Tillingham, a biodynamic vineyard in Peasmarsh, which specialises in natural wines and is committed to farming in a diverse, poly-cultural way. Here you’ll find an exceptional restaurant serving a la carte meals showcasing the best ingredients grown both on the farm, or sourced from growers and producers in the surrounding area. Stone-fired pizzas are also available in the recently revamped Dutch Barn and terrace overlooking the vines and their wildflower borders.
You can stay here too, either in one of 11 rooms housed in a converted hop farm or, from May to September, in one of two high-spec bell tents. Dinner, bed and breakfast rates start from £250 for a mid-week break.
You can always extend your stay in the area, at another of Sussex’s vineyards that is committed to sustainability – Oxney Organic Estate , in Bexley. Here there are two shepherd huts, which start from just £100 per night, while groups of up to 10 or 14 are catered for in the Vineyard Cottage and Oxney Barns.
If a fizz-fuelled weekend of glamping sounds like your idea of fun then Oastbrook Estate, near Robertsbridge, has eight luxury bell tents available to rent but it is probably better known for its Hobbit House – a quirky wooden hideout fit for Frodo Baggins and friends.
The wooden cottage, which has a grass roof, rounded windows and doors and a private garden with hot tub facing the vines, has proven so popular that owners, America and Nick Brewer, are building a second. This year, they also opened Avalon, a two-bedroom waterside lodge, also with a hot tub on the terrace with prices starting from £245.
'Whether it’s enjoying a cheese board with wine around the camp fire or one of our fine wine and dining experience with a top chef, we want people to have a real experience when they visit us,' America says. 'We hope by providing a place for people to stay here they will also make the most of exploring the local area and supporting other local businesses too.'
ART IN THE VINEYARD
With its award-winning Flint Barns bed and breakfast accommodation, Rathfinny Wine Estate in Alfriston, is another of the county’s vineyards championing wine tourism.
Owners Mark and Sarah are responsible for spearheading the campaign for the Sussex Sparkling PDO (protected designation of origin status), which has helped put Sussex on the map internationally as a respected region for sparkling winemaking.
'When we began the Rathfinny project, to be honest, wine tourism wasn’t on our radar,' says Sarah. 'It was only after I visited South Africa and Australia and saw what they had to offer, did I make the connection about how important it was to give visitors an exceptional experience, alongside the opportunity to taste great wine. By doing that, you create memories in people that they associate with your wines and brand, and they also become your brand ambassadors.'
They offer an ‘Escape to Sussex’ package, which includes fizz on arrival, an overnight stay, tour and tasting, three-course evening meal and breakfast (from £241 for two people). New to launch at the estate this summer is The Hut, which serves Sussex Sparkling with light bites of charcuterie and cheese platters, hot drinks and freshly baked cakes.
Rathfinny has also been chosen as one of six locations to take part in an outdoor art installation across East Sussex this year. Commissioned by Sussex Modern, the exhibition features illuminated quotes on scaffolding structures, created by the Turner Prize-shortlisted British artist, Nathan Coley.
The words ‘A Place Beyond Belief’ stand proud in the foreground of the vineyard overlooking an iconic view of the Cuckmere Valley, Seven Sisters cliffs and out towards the English Channel.
Art is also at the heart of Leonardslee Lake & Gardens near Horsham, where a huge sculpture by South African artist Anton Smit overlooks the UK’s first Pinotage vineyard.
The statue is part of the largest sculpture park exhibition in Europe by a single artist, which features a selection of Smitt’s work set within the Grade I Listed gardens and is just one of the many attractions which has been developed at Leonardslee. The Michelin starred restaurant Interlude, which sits in the estate house overlooking the vineyard, is also a massive draw and at the end of 2021, 10 bedrooms were opened enabling guests to extend their visit here (prices start from £350).
On stumbling across the Grade I Listed gardens on a visit to the area, owner Penny Streeter was inspired by her family’s Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate in Walker Bay, South Africa to create a vineyard destination both at Leonardslee and nearby at Mannings Heath Golf Club (manningsheath.com), which she has developed into the UK’s first golf and wine estate. Here, visitors can experience a fun vineyard tour by golf buggy and then tastings of Benguela Cove wines while viewing the 72,000 vines currently under cultivation.
Recognising the area’s potential for wine tourism, South Lodge Hotel & Spa, which is situated less than half a mile down the road from Leonardslee, has recently joined forces with Ridgeview winery in Ditchling Common to plant 19,500 vines within its grounds, making it the UK’s latest vineyard hotel.
Once the vineyard is fully established, it is anticipated that 30,000 bottles of English sparkling wine will be produced from the vines, around 10,000 of which will solely for South Lodge and the other hotels within the Exclusive hotel group.
'Guests across the Exclusive properties will be able to enjoy a unique, estate grown vintage sparkling wine, which we have no doubt will be among the finest in England when ready for release,' explains Ridgeview CEO, Tamara Roberts.
The project at South Lodge follows in the footsteps of The Pig in the South Downs in Madehurst, which opened last year, realising owner Robin Hutson’s dream of owning his own vineyard.
Having planted a two-acre vineyard at the hotel, the first harvest will take place this autumn with debut wines due for release next year. In the meantime, guests at the 30-bed hotel can enjoy impromptu tours of the vineyard with head sommelier Luke Harbour, who says sunset is the best time to visit for a sundowner of Sussex Sparkling against a backdrop of vines and the rolling South Downs in the distance. Well, who needs Napa anyway?
Box Out: Ones to Watch
Everflyht
This small, family-run, single vineyard estate in Ditchling released its first sparkling wines this year. Owners Ben and Sam Ellis have worked with Luke Spalding (formerly of Ridgeview) and the team at Hambledon in Hampshire to produce a Rosé de Saignée and Brut Non-Vintage. They plan to launch a wine club where members will get access to exclusive events at their estate.
everflyht.com
Kinsbrook
Led by Joe Beckett and Rebecca Dancer, some of the youngest vineyard owners in the country, Kinsbrook Vineyard in Thakeham is creating a spectacular range of hand-crafted wines from grapes grown on its third-generation farmland. This summer sees the opening of Kinsbrook Farmhouse a visitor centre with a farm shop and first floor eatery with balcony overlooking the vines.
kinsbrookvineyard.com
Mousehall Country Estate
In September 2017, Gary and Kathy Jordan, owners of Jordan Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, discovered a neglected and over-grown property in Mayfield and decided to bring it back to life. It will be a little while before wines are ready but in the meantime, they have launched a gin.
mousehall.com
