Vines scrambling their way across ploughed hills, with a lush green backdrop. The chinking of wine glasses, as groups of individuals taste the intoxicating liquids. You could be forgiven for thinking you are in France or California but you’d be wrong. This is England and it’s not just wine that is produced here. England also has its fair share of distilleries and breweries, so why not go and taste some Great British products.
The Hogs Back Brewery
Situated only a stone’s throw from Greyfriars Vineyard is the quaint little Hogs Back Brewery with its idyllic 18th century red brick farm buildings fronting the brewery itself. This brewery has a wide range of beers, lagers and ciders that are worth trying for their names alone. Sample the likes of Surrey Nirvana and Gardener’s Tipple. There’s something hearty and endemically British about the whole thing and it’s definitely worth doing a tour and sampling some of the beers on offer. Meander across the road to see the hop garden where the hops used in the beers are grown. If you have a penchant for beers and ales, tours run most days and include tasting a selection of their beers. You even get a small souvenir glass to take home!
Surrey Hills Brewery
Tucked behind the main building of the Denbies Wine Estate is this little brewery keeping it local with its ‘Ranmore Ale’ and 'Shere Drop Bitter’ (both of which are villages in the surrounding Surrey Hills). Either follow the signs or follow your nose, as the smell of hops is strong in the air. The reception area is small, but fully stocked with their products and some items of merchandising. It is tucked just to the left of their huge fermenting tanks and as breweries go, it is one of the younger breweries only opening in 2005. They run three different types of tours, the longest of which lasts 90 minutes in total and, along with tasting, delves more into the brewing process. Tours should be booked in advance.
Denbies Wine Estate
Covers a massive 265 acres (107.24 hectares) and celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Located just off the A24 near Dorking, it can be accessed by train from Dorking Deepdene station, a crucial point if you are planning to book one of the wine tasting tours. Alternatively, there is a B&B on site if you want to spend time here, whilst taking in the gastronomic delights of the Gallery Restaurant and practicing your wine tasting technique. Enter via its sweeping driveway, flanked by grapevines to its dramatic flint covered reception building. On a sunny day the vistas transport you to faraway countries, but Denbies is not simply a vineyard, it’s an experience. Often playing host to a range of events including the recent English Wine week 28th May-5th June, there is also an onsite restaurant, gift shop, farm shop selling local produce and a Farmhouse B&B on the same site. One of the tours takes you out and about amongst the vines in a covered train or you can join in one of the ‘vine & dine’ walking tours, whatever your pace you’ll find something to suit you.
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Albury Organic Vineyard
Situated next to the Silent Pool, within walking distance of the Silent Pool Gin distillery, Albury Vineyard is also set within the area of outstanding natural beauty that is the North Downs. Working in harmony with the environment and their neighbours, the local Silent Pool Distillers make a Brandy for them produced from the pressings of their grapes. You can pre book tours during the spring and summer months or if you visit between 11 am – 4 pm on Saturdays, you can taste and purchase their wines. What better way to spend a summer day than taking a walk in the Surrey hills followed by a visit to the vineyard. The local villages of Shere, Gomshall, Albury and Abinger Hammer are also worth a visit. If you are a fan of romantic comedies, you may recognise the picturesque village of Shere from the 2006 film ‘The Holiday’.
Greyfriars Vineyard
The much smaller Greyfriars Vineyard covers over 40 acres (16.19 hectares) of the Surrey Hills that undulate from the Hog’s Back, part of the North Downs in Surrey. It lies just outside of Guildford on the A31 towards Farnham and can be accessed via a narrow lane that peels off from the Hogs back itself. Sharing its place among stables and small outbuildings, it’s a mixture of the soil and climate that, according to the makers, create conditions similar to the Champagne region in France.
Appoint a designated driver
What better way to spend a lazy summer day than being chauffeured around a handful of these breweries and vineyards. With plenty of opportunity either for a lunch, overnight stay or visit to a local village, why not make more of your British alcohol tour. Just make sure you leave room to take a little something home.
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