From chalky Sussex hillsides to Devon's Exe Estuary, five vineyards turning the English countryside weekend into a memorable wine escape.
Two decades ago, a drive around the Kentish and Sussex countryside may have involved little more than a stop at a farm shop for apple juice or picking up a box of strawberries in summer. Today, you'd be forgiven for thinking you've accidentally teleported to the hills of Champagne. A sea of green vines stretches across the rolling hills, with chardonnay and pinot noir grapes thriving in southern England's chalky soil.
The transformation of England's wine industry is in full swing and picking up pace. With it, hospitality has become widespread, transforming the English countryside weekender. Vineyard escapes now offer everything from rustic, zero-sulphur wine tastings in converted barns to luxurious dining experiences powered by kitchen gardens. Whether you are looking to sleep in a lodge that looks like The Shire or a refined boutique hotel room overlooking an estate, the options are as diverse as the bottles being produced.
Here are five of the best ways to rest your head among the romance of the vines.
Leonardslee
Horsham, West Sussex
At No.56 on The World's Best Vineyards 2025, Leonardslee has mastered hospitality. With golf buggy tours through the vines, tutored Sussex sparkling tastings and a relaxed Vineyard Kitchen serving locally sourced brunch, dinner and afternoon tea, it's a quintessential countryside escape. The wider estate offers an abundance of riches, from the Grade I-listed Lakes and Gardens and two scenic golf courses to the esteemed gastronomic restaurant, Interlude. For overnight stays, there are nine elegantly styled boutique ensuite rooms, all with a view of the vines.
Rooms from £195 ($260) per night
Lympstone Manor
Exmouth, Devon
Located on the foreshore of the tranquil Exe Estuary, chef-owner Michael Caines MBE restored this grand, Grade II-listed Georgian manor house into the pinnacle of country-house luxury. There are 21 individually designed bedrooms and suites and six woodland-setting shepherd huts, accompanied by a fine-dining restaurant serving Caine's renowned cuisine, drawing on the bounty of the Exe Estuary and the outstanding larder of the wider South West. The vineyard itself is unmissable: sitting within the heart of the grounds with 17,500 vines and producing award-winning, single-vineyard status wines made from the classic Champagne varieties of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. Want to earn your dinner? There's a heated outdoor pool, tennis court and a croquet lawn on-site, or opportunities to surf, kite-surf and sail nearby.
Rooms from £440 ($585) per night
Oastbrook
Robertsbridge, Sussex
Ever wanted to stay in Hobbiton and cosplay as Samwise Gamgee? At Oastbrook, you can – only instead of rustic ale, you'll be sipping on an award-winning 2015 vintage Sparkling Rosé that tastes like strawberry shortcake. With 13 cuvées, four of which you can taste after a vineyard tour and a flight of wines with a light lunch or cheese board, there's plenty to keep your tastebuds tickled. Glamping is an option between May and September, and there's a Scandinavian-style lakehouse, but the Round Door Vineyard Cottage is undoubtedly what gives a stay at Oastbrook its idiosyncratic edge.
Glamping from £148 ($197) per night, Avalon from £250 ($333) per night and Rounddoor from £300 ($399) per night.
Pig in the South Downs
Madehurst, West Sussex
The Pig group is famed for its kitchen garden ethos and signature '25-mile menu', a farm-to-fork philosophy pioneered by founder Robin Hutson. This is its most wine-focused hotel, with its own vineyard – Alpaca Block – an extensive English wine list, regular wine tastings, winemaker events, autumn truffle hunting, and most appealingly, a partnership with celebrated English wine producer Dermot Sugrue. The hotel has 30 individually designed bedrooms and three cosy lounges with open fires for cooler months. With a view of the vineyard, the restaurant is a picturesque way to enjoy the daily changing menus dictated by what's harvested that morning, enjoyed with a glass of Sugrue.
Rooms from £220 ($293) per night
Tillingham
Rye, East Sussex
With zero-sulphur wines fermented in Georgian qvevris, sourdough wood-fired pizzas in a Dutch barn and a beautiful restaurant with vineyard views, it's long been the favourite weekend retreat for East Londoners. Founded in 2017, Tillingham has grown into a 70-acre working farm and biodynamic estate, where cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and chickens roam freely between the vines in place of machinery. There are 11 rooms in the hotel, each fashioned by Rye-based designers McCully & Crane, with a relaxed, pared-back aesthetic – there are no TVs, but a Roberts radio and views over the vines – as well as bell tents between May and September. Daily vineyard tours and tastings run through the estate's diverse wines, and the whole experience is a short drive from the medieval streets of Rye itself.
Rooms from £215 ($286) per night
[Header image: Lympstone Manor]
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