This English vineyard has a free shuttle service – no designated driver required.
Won't somebody think of the day drinkers?
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Much to the irritation of my overdraft and various French vignerons, English sparkling wine is on the up. Historically, Britain has been a nation of wine drinkers rather than wine producers, so the the sheer novelty of it taking us under an hour to get to a vineyard (that isn’t shit) is one that’s rapidly increasing in popularity.
Of course, this is an opportunity that’s afforded to those of us who reside in the south of England. Although there’s several that can be accessed from Bristol (Langham, Ancre Hill) and Devon (Sharpham, Camel Valley), a lot of the top-notch vineyards are located in Kent and Sussex. The most successful become Insta-lore, with hype crafted by aesthetes and creatives with a good eye for camera angles (a winery that rhymes with Shillingham comes to mind).
There is a wealth of exciting and dynamic wineries to visit in the UK. Only issue is, they’re a total ballache to get to. If, say, everyone in your party is drinking, you’ll get a tube to the train, and then a train to a station. And then, if you’re lucky, you’ll manage to hail a rural taxi, which should only set you back £75,000.
The other option is driving down. If you have your own car, good for you, just prepare to spend the next 24 hours watching your friends have better time than you, while mentally attempt to justify the price of driving lessons.
Getting to good wineries is a complete and utter time-suck. Time that could be spent skipping between rows of vines, sipping glasses of English sparkling. But what if I told you that there was a winery, 50 minutes from London, that has taken all the faff out of this equation. One that offers a free shuttle service from the closest train station, making it easier than ever to get to a world-class English vineyard? You’d be intrigued, wouldn’t you?