Small Group Private Wine Tour
3 Vineyards, 12 wines, Lunch, and Just Your Friends
Perfect for small groups of 8 people or less
from £400
MAKE IT YOUR DAY OUT WINE TASTING
Wine Tours Across the South of England
"This tour exceeded our expectations. It is a great alternative to sightseeing in London. The three wineries were all interesting and very different to each other, so we were able to taste a variety of wines of differing prices." - Heather (posted on TripAdvisor)
"We were planning a trip of just over a week to London and in searching for day excursions we came across wine tasting tours. We were intrigued as we had no prior knowledge of any wine industry in England. We had a lovely day trip out to wine country." - Emily (TripAdvisor)
READY TO BOOK YOUR PRIVATE WINE TOUR?
Our Small Group Private Wine Tasting Tour takes you to three award winning vineyards in the picturesque county of Kent, Sussex or Hampshire/Surrey based on your requirements.
This wine tour is for groups of 8 or less and we offer a Private Wine Tour taking you to three different vineyards in the local area. Our standard collection point being a main-line station although alternative pick-up points can be pre-arranged outside of London. If you’re staying in London, then a short train journey is the best way to get out of the City (its also more environmentally friendly and the quickest too) and train tickets from London costs about £22 p/p on the weekday and £15 p/p on the weekend. A London pickup and dropoff adds an additional 3.5 hrs of travel time and incurs an additional of cost (£225). Full itinerary can be customised to a degree.
History, Background and Live Narrative
Your private wine tour will depart promptly at 10:00am. We provide a live narrative on the way down that gives you more context about the English wine industry, plus you’ll get to enjoy the scenic English countryside views along the way. Our English wine tour guide is an expert in the industry, who will tell you about the history of English wine since the Roman invasion, the significance of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and explain who are the movers and shakers in the English wine industry since the birth of modern English wine that started in the 1950s. You will learn about yield and production levels, what grape varietals are grown and even how much money it takes to start a vineyard in England.
Small Producer Vineyard Experience
Planted in 2009, Woodchurch Estate is a small and unique vineyard where we will meet the producer to understand all the hard work that goes into starting a vineyard. Woodchurch specialises in sparkling wine where they have 9 acres of vineyard that produce a classic cuvée, a sparkling rosé, and a delicious blanc de blancs. They have also just released a still chardonnay. You will have a guided wine tasting with the producer and time for purchases.
The North Downs and Chapel Down Vineyard
Chapel Down is nestled in the 15th century shipbuilding port known as the hamlet of Small Hythe were we will explore the vineyard and learn about English viticulture. Then we head to their tasting room for a guided tasting of their range of English sparkling and still wines. There will be plenty of time to wonder around and browse the wine shop after the tasting.
Food at the The Bull Inn – A Proper Country Pub Lunch
Enjoy a delicious lunch made with local produce and love in this charming traditional English Pub in the village of Benenden. Recorded in the Doomsday Book in 1086 Benenden is steeped in industrial history for both iron-making and cloth-making since the 14th century. The Bull Inn is a traditional old English pub where you can choose from a selection of light lunches all served with a glass of English Wine.
Boutique Vineyard Experience - Herbert Hall Winery
The last stop of the day will be a very lovely vineyard who only produce 2 or 3 sparkling wines, but very nice wines. Herbert Hall is owned by Nick Hall who has around 20-acres of vineyard. We will taste in the vineyard and able to visit the winery and most days we get to meet the wine-maker.
SMALL GROUP PRIVATE WINE TOUR
Wine Tour Duration:
Approximately 8 hours from start to finish
Departure Point:
Local Train Station
(Tonbridge, Guildford, Ashford International)
Itinerary –
10:30am Collection from Local Train Station
11:00am Arrive at Sedlescombe Vineyard
- Guided Wine Tasting
- Time for some shopping
- Organic & Bio-dynamic Producer
12.30pm Arrive at Woodchurch Wines
- Guided Wine Tasting
- Small Producer Experience
1:15pm Lunch at The Bull in Benenden
- Delicious pub lunch
- Served with a glass of English Wine
- Local beers on tap
- You could stay the night at The Bull in wine country
2:30pm Arrive Herbert Hall Vineyard
- Guided Wine Tasting
- Meet the wine-maker
3.45pm Back in mini-van
4.30pm Arrive Local Train Station (approximate timing depending on traffic)
Where does this tour depart from?
For our private wine tours from Kent we pick guest up outside of London at a local train station. We recommend either Tonbridge, Guildford, or Ashford International and it depends on which region you want to visit (Kent, Sussex, or Hampshire/Surrey).
We can also pick up guests from central London but it will incurr additional fees. We typically use our normal pick up point at a bus stand in front of Southwark Crown Court. The pick up point is on the south side of the Thames River near London Bridge Station, which has both Tube and Overground trains. Departure Point: English Grounds, SE1 2HU (opposite London Bridge)
What is exactly included on this wine tour?
- A private mini-van with only your favourite guests
- Our fun and informative expert English Wine Tour Guide for the day
- Sample an array of award winning English Wines (12 wines)
- All tasting fees are paid for in advance with the vineyard
- Guided Wine Tastings, sometimes by the producer
- Delicious locally sourced lunch, served with a glass of English Wine
- Goodie Bag – Souvenir Branded English Wine Tasting Tours Jute Bag
- Bag of English Crisps and a bottle of Water
- Travel in luxury a mini-coach or van (Mercedes)
- Air-conditioned for transport for your comfort
- Learn how to taste wine like a pro
Do you have vegetarian options for lunch?
Of course we do. We make all attempts to meet all dietary requirements, including vegetiarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and more. We use food partners, pubs or cafes, to provide excellent quality food for our guests. If you have booked a private wine tour, you will receive a lunch order form by email for your food requirements for your small group. The lunch order form (web form) will give you a chance to state any dietary requirements or food allergies which we will pass onto the food provider. You can forward the email to your friends and ask them to complete the form. Keep in mind that most pubs or cafes will not guarantee a nut free restaurant.
How big are the groups on the wine tours?
Our small group private wine tour can be up to 8 people in our Mercedes mini-van.
However, we can accommodiate larger groups (9 people and above) by using a 16-seat, 19-seat or a 28-seat coach. We have done group up to 58 in the past. Larger tour groups have to be prearranged with vineyards and we provide you a specific quote.
What vineyards will I visit on the day?
All vineyards are booked in advance but occasionally last minute changes can and do happen. Due to customer feedback we have started visiting smaller vineyards where you will have a chance to possibly meet the producer and we would recommend similar for your private tour. We feel that most people want to see different styles and sizes of wine producers. Keep in mind that all English vineyards are small in relative "wine production" terms.
What type of wine will I try on the day?
If you only drink big bolshy reds...then English wine probably isn't for you! (;-) But if you have a place in your palette for award winning sparkling wine, delicate whites, dry rosé and pinot noir reds then you will love English wine. Our wine region is a "cool climate" which means we have higher acidity which makes us fantastic at making sparkling wine and predominantly we grow mostly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Nearly 70% of everything we produce is sparkling wine. England started its wine industry growing Germanic wines in the 1950s and some vineyards still have those grape varietals today so when possible we try to make sure that you get to try some of those wines which are of interest. We don't have restrictions on what grapes we can grow here so we are different than France or Italy (old world) wine regions and we encourage guests to try new wines and come explore with us.
Is this tour for experienced wine connoisseurs?
We cater to different levels of wine education on our tours. If you want to discuss English oenology or viticulture in more depth our tour guides can definately help to answer your questions. We try to keep the information on the day informative and presented at a level for all but please do ask questions if you want a more detailed answer. We love curious minds!
