So on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we decided to drive out to Kent and visit the Chapel Down…read moreVineyard! We've been fans of the wine for awhile (their Pinot Reserve sparkling is delicious), and we needed to get some of their Flint Dry (and by some, I mean a lot) for a big celebration we had coming up. After driving through the countryside of Kent and through some small villages nearby, you will finally arrive at the Vineyard. It's not close to the motorway, just be prepared, but you do get to see the lovely scenic Kent countryside so that's a bonus. When you arrive, you're allowed three complimentary tastes of their wines or beers (although I'm not sure how hard and fast that rule is given we tried a few more than that). I can recommend many of their sparklings, whites and beers, but their reds aren't for me. Then if you want to buy some to take home, they offer 10% a purchase of 12 or more. There's also a huge food area to buy goodies from chocolates to jams and even savory spreads (like bacon jam!). After shopping (or even before) you can wander around the vineyard and see the grapes. We did a small walk through, but given the heat of the day, we mostly found a shaded spot in the grass and sat around chatting. There's even a restaurant if you desire a place to eat, or you can pick up cheese and biscuits from inside the shop and eat in the picnic area. It's a gorgeous place to spend a sunny Saturday.

Prior to our trip, we were looking for wineries to visit and found Chapel Down. We found them and…read moretheir wines interesting. They have a great location and encourage picnics with a bottle of their wine. We walked a bit in the vineyards before heading in for a tasting. We drink sparkling wine every weekend so the fact that they produced several was a huge draw. We really enjoyed them and they make the perfect bubbly to bring to any gathering. Crisp, clean and refreshing...the ideal accompaniment for sushi or charcuterie. Not huge fans of the whites, but their sparkling is a tremendous value and should be enjoyed weekly!

The winery, tour, and wines are absolutely fantastic, and their gin was one of the best that I've…read moretasted. To compliment the tasting I arranged to have lunch at their restaurant Chalk before driving back to the city. Located in beautifully remodeled stone building at the sparkling wine house of Wiston, Chalk has a star chef creating beautiful dishes from their garden and neighboring farms, all pairing beautifully with their wines. The bar program and extensive wine list offer a lovely opportunity to venture beyond their wines, although after driving all that way it seems a shame to not exclusively drink their offerings. Highlights include the Hen of the Woods gnocchi, Chicken liver parfait with Wiston Rose and Elderflower Jelly, and the white peach and almond tart with lemon verbena ice cream. 50B

From the owner: Nestled in the heart of England's rolling South Downs in West Sussex, the beautiful Wiston Estate…read morehas been in the hands of the Goring family since 1743 and is presided over today by Harry and Pip Goring. It was Pip's long-held belief that the estate held the potential to grow high quality grapes and in 2006 her dream came to fruition when Wiston's 6.5ha was planted on a south/south-east-facing escarpment of pure chalk, similar to the renowned Côte des Blancs in Champagne. Under the guidance of winemaker Dermot Sugrue with a strict philosophy of sustainability, the tight-knit team produces award-winning sparkling wines of exceptional purity and finesse from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. As well as producing wine, Wiston offers Vineyard & Winery Tours by appointment April to October.

Quaint winery with a relaxing environment. Perfect stop between Bath and London (very slight…read moredetour). OK wine, nice place to stop for a rest. Service was a bit challenging - had to keep going inside the shop/store to ask for help (more drinks, order food)

This is actually a lovely place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon, with a bottle of their house…read morewine and cheese! You can also bring your own picnic and enjoy the grounds!

This amazing 23 acre smallholding has so much going on its hard to believe they keep all the balls…read morein the air at the same time. Its a running vineyard, cider making facility, sheep keeping, honey producing.....the list goes on. They also invite people to come and camp on their land at very reasonable rates (check website) which is an ideal place to stop for a few days with the kids as there's so much for them to do. Try their apple juice! Its the best I've ever tried.

This was our first visit to an English winery and our first tasting of English still wines so…read morenaturally were very excited to see and try them. The winery is located in a beautiful countryside town and/or is also just 15 minutes away from the train station. Upon arrival, you see the vineyards and cute tasting room. Chris and David, owners, meet you and take you in a tour and taste you through their wines. The three still wines they are serving are stunning, well structured, aromatic wines that you can drink, pair food with or age. They also pour some of their neighbors' sparkling wines, all of which are also top notch. The winery, vineyard, tasting room and owners are top notch and a must visit. You will not be let down.

The coolest bottle shop! Came here to pick up some speciality items that I can't get in the US and…read morewas blown away by the selection of liquors and fine wines. There is so much to look at. Would be a great place to pick up a gift for the wine or cocktail lover in your life. The staff here are knowledgeable and helped me wrap my bottles to bring back in my suitcase.

This place is fancy! We popped in to get a bottle of champagne for our niece and was greeted by a…read morefriendly associate asking if we needed help. We did. Got the recommendation and bought the bottle along with a couple more for the upcoming holiday. A little odd that some bottles were the only ones they had in stock. But no worries. Will for sure come back for our special occasions.

This review certainly is a pleasure to write and a little bit of my childhood heritage. No, I…read morewasn't a childhood alcoholic from a broken home, but the Estate is located right next to my 'backyard' where I grew up as a child. They are based next to Ditchling common and have ample parking. When you enter, you can see the heart of the production area before finding yourself in the sales/tasting room upstairs, overlooking the vineyard. They grow a lot of the grapes they use on site and there are tours available of the vineyards. Other grapes are bought in from the local area. They bottle only sparkling wines which are obviously not sold as 'champagne', but that is pretty much what you are getting in the bottle. The vineyard has received countless awards for the quality of their wines and they offer drop in tasting sessions, along with pre-arranged group sittings. When I went, there were only 2 varieties on offer, but by now the next seasons range will be on sale making 6 varieties available to sample and buy. I have bought a delicious pinot blended wine, which I am saving for my Masters graduation and that date cannot come around fast enough. Whether it's to celebrate a good grade, or to commiserate an epic failure, at least I will be drinking top notch booze. Worth every star i have given.

I came on the train from London for a day trip to Dorking and Shere. I'm not into wine so I can't…read morecomment on that. But it's an absolutely beautiful location and they have a cafeteria style restaurant with lovely a lunch with nice fresh food. There is also an outdoor seating café. My friend had the salad bar which included cheeses, pasta, green salad, fruit salad, boiled eggs and other things that were delicious. I had the tomato soup and an egg salad sandwich. It was very good. The Dorking train station is a 20 minute walk to Dembies.

The view gets a 5 with stunning hills and vineyards stretching out across the land. It's gorgeous…read moreto look at but falls short on actual taste. Having tried 4 of the wines, I can say that their Surrey Gold was the best but still a far cry from other country's wines. They have one red that is drinkable only with food and quite a slim selection of others. I didn't try their award winning sparkling wine so that may be it's saving grace. Come here for a nice day in the country but be prepared to be bored with the wine tour and tasting. This was agreed by the majority of our group. Definitely only worth doing once.