The ‘magnificent’ £12.50 wine train that’s just an hour outside of London

English wine is crushing it right now.

There are currently more than 1,100 vineyards and 238 working wineries across England and Wales.

And get this, we’re producing over 16 million bottles of wine a year. That’s a drop in the pond compared to Champagne’s 300 million, but still.

Wind back the clock 10 years, and England wasn’t the first place that sprang to mind when you imagined sweeping rows of vines. We’re one of the world’s most northerly, coldest vineyard regions. Hardly sun-kissed and romantic like Italy or Spain. You might as well have tried growing grapes on the moon before things started warming up.

Our early wine-making efforts made us the butt of French jokes, even more than usual. ‘Les Roast Beefs font du vin? Hilaire!’

But in an astounding turnaround, global shipments of champagne fell by 2% in 2025, the lowest level in the last 20 years. France is Champagne’s largest market, and the French are drinking less of it – 4 million bottles a year less, to be exact.

England and Wales, on the other hand, increased sales by 3% that same year.

This was propelled by airlines like BA and Virgin, who pour English sparkling as a point of national pride. The likes of Digby Fine English, Hambledon, and Hattingley are popping miles up in the air, and people are loving them.

Even Japan Airlines serves Gusbourne in its first-class lounge in Tokyo.

We’re on a roll. Our soil is largely identical to Champagne’s, while our climate mirrors theirs in their heyday. With soils ranging from chalk, clay, and green sand, the North and South Downs are the same geological formation found in Champagne.

And how do we know this? Because every English wine producer will tell you within the first five minutes of meeting them.

According to WineGB’s latest figures, 69% of what we produce is sparkling, Chardonnay represents 33% of all plantings, and there are as many as 99 grape varieties planted in England and Wales.

Kent is the most widely-planted county, with double the vineyard area of the next largest, West Sussex.

The wild card county is Essex, coming in third, mainly focusing on its delicious, non-bubbly wines.

And the best bit? Many are a cork’s pop from London.

Here are 10 of the top English wineries to visit for a lovely day trip from the capital, including a spot where you can ride a wine train…

Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, wine train tour from £12.50 pp

Just under an hour from London, you’ll find one of England’s largest wine estates. So sizeable is the place, there’s a train running through it, shuttling visitors around the vineyards.

A ride on the train will take 50 minutes set you back £12.50 per person, but it’s worth it for what Denbies describes as ‘the magnificent panoramic views’ of the North Downs.

Once you’re done, make a beeline for their Solaris Orange Wine, a white made in the style of a red. It’s experimental and delicious.

Blackbook Winery, Battersea, Tour/Tasting £25pp, Saturdays & occasional Thursdays

A must-visit urban winery, squirreled away under a railway arch in Battersea. It’s run by ex-sommelier Sergio Verillo and his wife, Lynsey.

They focus on ‘weirdy beardy blends’, low sulphur wines made from grapes, grown no more than two hours drive from London.

Try their Seyval Blanc GMF for something sparkling, tropical, and unique.

Tillingham Wines, East Sussex, Tour & Tasting, £40pp

With a Michelin green-starred restaurant, hipster Londoners are up and down to Tillingham like yo-yos.

There’s an array of events on offer, from winemaker dinners, foraging, and wellness days.

They also craft some of England’s most progressive wines; championing ancient winemaking traditions, natural winemaking, biodynamics, ageing in clay amphora, you get the picture.

Oastbrook, East Sussex, Owner’s Tour and Tasting, £40pp

America Brewer, originally from the Bahia region of Brazil is the owner here, and she brings a welcome spark of drama to Sussex, which we never knew we needed.

The Oastbrook estate has been hailed as ‘enchanting’ and with its own Hobbit House on site, it’s not hard to see why.

And get this, at the end of the tour, you’ll be tasting their superbly tasty range of wines, accompanied by relaxing Brazilian beats.

Renegade Urban Winery, Walthamstow, E17 Winery Tour and Tasting, £25pp

Lovers of quirky wines will know Renegade’s signature bottles. Each label features a ‘random’ person’s set of eyes; from students, plumbers, to teachers. Anyone can apply to have their peepers featured.

Wine-wise, they use both modern and ancient techniques, bringing grapes from all over the world to their London winemaking hub.

Digby Fine English, West Sussex, Discovery Flight with Vintage Add-on, £22.50

Plan a day trip around old-timey Arundel, and make sure to swing by Digby’s Tasting Room along the high street.

They bring the vine experience to their Grade II-listed townhouse.

Sip your way though Digby’s world-beating range of vintage wines, which is, after all, what they’re celebrated for.

Louis Pommery, 20^th September at 5:30pm, £20pp

Champagne Pommery was the first major champagne house to release English sparkling wines, from their Pinglestone Estate in Hampshire.

It’s worth joining this 1.5-hour tour, as they are as rare as grapes’ teeth.

Their wines are stunning, and they’ll be gearing up for harvest.

Gutter & Stars, Cambridge, Tasting June 11, £25pp

Chris Wilson is producing some of the most exciting wines in the game at Cambridge’s first and only winery, and that’s why tickets are selling at an alarming pace.

The winery is housed in the basement of a Grade II-listed windmill, for goodness sake, as if you needed another incentive.

Westwell, Kent, Tour & Tasting, £28pp

Their Kent Downs tours have been all over the pages of Time Out and were Tripadvisors’ Choice 2025 Winner.

Westwell will give you a two hour-long, authentic, behind-the-scenes look at viticulture and winemaking in a cooler climate.

Then you get to taste their eco-friendly, low-intervention wines, including their Pet Nats.

Rathfinny Estate, East Sussex, Tour & Tasting, £34pp

Visit Rathfinny’s 600-acre site, and you’ll feel like you’re in Stellenbosch.

One of England’s finest wineries, but make sure to ask for ‘a glass of Sussex, please’.

There’s a load of tasting events to choose from and one even includes fish, chips, and sparkling wine. Sign me up.

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