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VINEYARD VISITS
Elizabeth & Wine offers English vineyard tours in order to give you, your team and your clients wonderful new places to visit and explore. The English vineyard options an hour from London are really exciting – so join Elizabeth & Wine to find out more about vineyard tours, tastings and corporate away days.
The English wine market is now following the Napa Valley model of the cellar door always being open, fantastic food offerings (as well as overnight stays) and is very focused on attracting the tourist market.
Here’s just a few of the wineries that I can arrange exclusive guided corporate away days. All of them are award-winning, within easy reach of London and offer a warm welcome to both corporate and private clients.
Gusbourne’s world-class wines are available in some of the UK’s finest restaurants. Onsite the winery offers wine tastings, tours, light lunches or three-course lunches.
To reach Gusbourne, we take a Javelin train from St Pancras to Ashford International and then a short taxi ride.
An example vineyard visit to Gusbourne - how it works and what’s unique about it:
Price from £295 per person
*Prices are a guide and subject to change
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The day begins with a Champagne breakfast at Searcy’s, St Pancras
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Then we jump on the train at 9:37am, London St Pancas to Ashford International
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We're met by luxury minibuses to take everyone to Gusbourne vineyard
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At 10:30am, we are met with a glass of English sparkling, before we set off for a tour through the vines. Followed by a three course lunch and wine pairing. Finishing off with a walk through all the action in the winery and tastings from tank/barrel - a very special experience.
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Then everyone is given a goodie bag and snoozes on the train home back to London
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Home before 5pm - perfect day out!
EXTON PARK, WINCHESTER Another favourite of mine for a day out or overnight stay!
Exton Park has nine plots in Hampshire making exquisite English sparkling wine– uniquely, this is an exclusive “single estate” of 60 acres producing some of the finest English sparkling wine.
With a brand new entertaining space in the middle of all the vines, an extremely impressive place to enjoy the finest English wines.
BALFOUR WINERY (HUSH HEATH ESTATE) - KENT
An impressive vineyard reminiscent of the type you might find in Napa or Stellenbosch. The estate and cellar door shop are open seven days a week to sample their award-winning wines. Take the train from London Bridge to Marden.
BOLNEY WINE ESTATE - WEST SUSSEX
Bolney sits in the charming West Sussex countryside and produces award-winning wines. Their “Ultimate Wine and Food Tasting with Tour” is a fantastic experience making for a corporate away day your guests won’t forget – it even includes a Bolney Estate Gin sampling! Bolney is a 15-minute taxi trip from Haywards Heath station.
CHAPEL DOWN - KENT
Chapel Down is best known for its high-quality sparkling wines. The winery also has an onsite restaurant – The Swan – and offers a range of experiences for visitors. Highly recommended.
To get to Chapel Down, take the fast train from St Pancras to Ashford International and then a taxi.
FORTY HALL - ENFIELD (LONDON)
Forty Hall is the first commercial-scale vineyard in London since the middle ages, based in North London on an estate that can trace its history to the 1600s. The range includes still and sparkling wines and there are lovely grounds to explore plus a farm shop. London bus routes 191 or W10 pass within a 10-minute walk of the vineyard, Turkey Street overground is 20mins away - or it’s an hour’s drive from the centre of town.
RIDGEVIEW - EAST SUSSEX
Ridgeview has been producing wine for over 25 years, and has won numerous awards along the way. Wine made in Sussex has been given a similar status to that produced in the Champagne and Rioja regions of France and Spain. Sussex wine has been designated as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for wine which means bottles of wine with the Sussex label must hail from the county, be made according to local tradition, and be aged by two years. Ridgeview is an hour on the train to Burgess Hill, then a five minute taxi ride.
