Sussex vineyards by vintage bus from Brighton
A 1960s Routemaster to two Sussex vineyards, with a picnic of Sussex produce among the vines.
Starts Brighton station, Brighton
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Sussex
Which Sussex vineyard tour to book
Twenty Sussex vineyards run their own tours, and on paper they look much alike, a walk among the vines and then a tasting. The differences are in the price, the day it runs, whether you can bring the dog and how you get there.
The short answer
Most of these tours cost between £20 and £40 a head and take about an hour and a half. In November the choice narrows. Tinwood and Bolney run tours every day, Wiston runs its winery tour under cover from Thursday to Sunday, and Rathfinny’s winter tour runs on Fridays and Saturdays. Albourne, Wildwood and Roebuck have no tours until next summer, and Nyetimber’s 2026 open days have sold out. Pick by the day you can go, then by what else you want from it.
The tours side by side
Each vineyard’s main public tour, with prices per person unless we say otherwise. Where a vineyard has a winter version, we give that, because it is what you can book now. Each name links to our full guide, with every experience the estate runs and how to book it.
| Vineyard | Tour | Price | Length | When it runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albourne Estate | Vineyard tour with four wines, each paired with a Sussex cheese | Not published while no dates are on sale; a voucher for two is from £64 | About 1 hour 45 minutes | Most Saturdays from May to September. The 2027 dates come out in January |
| Artelium Wine Estate | Vineyard walk past the art installations, then three wines in the tasting room | £60 for two, the gift voucher price; food not included | 1.5 to 2 hours | Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday |
| Ashling Park Estate | Estate and vineyard tour, then five tastings, one of them the gin | £25 | About 90 minutes | Thursday to Sunday |
| Birchden Vineyards | Walk round the vineyard and farm, with three wines | £35 | About 60 to 90 minutes | 12.30pm and 2pm; days not stated |
| Bluebell Vineyard Estates | Vineyard and winery tour, then a tutored tasting. A wine and cheese version is £34.95 and takes 2 hours | £24.95 | 1.5 hours | Dates in the online booking calendar |
| Bolney Wine Estate | Wine Pairing Tour of the vineyard and winery, then five wines, each with something to eat | From £30 | 1.5 hours | Daily at 10am, plus 3pm on Fridays |
| Court Garden | Vineyard and winery walk, then four sparkling wines | From £27.50 | About 2 hours | 11am and 3pm on calendar dates, and may not run from October 2026 to January 2027 |
| Henners Vineyard | Vineyard and winery walk, then five wines in the tasting room | £29, or £58 for two | About 1.5 hours | Saturdays at 12pm from October to December; weekends at 11am from April to September |
| Kingscote Estate | A glass of wine, a vineyard walk and the winery, with a tasting | £25, the price in its gift voucher shop | About 1.5 hours | Saturdays and Sundays |
| Leonardslee Family Vineyards | Walk through the vines at Mannings Heath, then a tasting at the Cellar Door | £36.50 | Not published | Wednesday to Sunday at 12pm or 3pm, 12pm only in winter |
| Nyetimber | Open Day Tour of the vineyards, then four wines in the Medieval Barn | £50 | 2.5 hours | Set dates each year. All the 2026 open days have sold out |
| Oxney Organic Estate | Vines and winery, then a tutored tasting. In winter, a 12pm tasting of four sparkling wines with small food pairings instead, £30 | Summer price not published yet | Winter tasting 1 hour | Saturdays from May to October, plus some Sundays. Winter tastings on selected Saturdays from February to April 2027 |
| Rathfinny Wine Estate | Winter Tour and Tasting, indoors through the winery and bottling building | £34 | 1 hour 45 minutes | To 24 April 2027, Saturdays at 10.30am, 1pm and 3pm and Fridays at 12pm |
| Ridgeview | Signature Tour of the estate and winery, then four wines | £35 | 1.5 hours | Times shown when booking |
| Roebuck Estates | Vineyard walk, then four vintage sparkling wines in the tipi. Minimum four guests | Not yet listed for 2027 | About 2 hours, 11am to 1pm | Selected Fridays and Saturdays from 1 May to 10 September 2027 |
| Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard | Walk through the organic vineyard, tasting five wines on the way | £25, children free, the gift voucher price | Not stated | Fridays and Saturdays through autumn and winter |
| Tillingham | Vineyard and winery with one of the team, then four wines. Up to seven people | £40 | About 1.5 hours | Friday to Sunday, at 11am, 2pm or 4pm depending on the day |
| Tinwood Estate | Vineyard walk and three sparkling wines, then a table held for you in the Vineyard Kitchen | £21 | 1.5 hours | Daily, all year |
| Wildwood Vineyard | Walk round the vines and the wood with the owner, then three still wines, all outdoors | £20 | Not stated | Most weekends from May to September. The 2027 dates are not out yet |
| Wiston Estate | Winery tour past the press, tank hall and barrel halls, then four wines, all under cover | £30 | 1.5 hours | Thursday to Sunday at 11am and 2.30pm, all year, with fewer slots from October to March |
Food, dogs, children and getting there
The things that decide a booking once the price looks right. Where a vineyard does not say, we say so rather than guess.
| Vineyard | Food | Dogs | Children on tours | Nearest station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albourne | Light platters, and cheese or charcuterie boards to add to a tour | On a lead in the vineyard and the outdoor area. Not on tours or indoors | No under-18s | Hassocks, 12 to 15 minutes by taxi |
| Artelium | Artelium Kitchen sharing plates, Friday to Sunday | Welcome across the estate and on tours, on a lead | Welcome, but they cannot join the tasting | Plumpton, under 30 minutes’ walk, or Burgess Hill and a taxi |
| Ashling Park | Café daily, restaurant lunch Thursday to Sunday | Welcome in the café. Tours not stated, so ask | Strictly no under-18s | The estate gives no station details |
| Birchden | The Blackbird Café, and picnic baskets to book | On leads, in the café and on tours | Families welcome; tour policy not stated | Groombridge, a 35-minute walk, or Tunbridge Wells and a 10-minute taxi |
| Bluebell | No restaurant. Cheese on the wine and cheese tour | Welcome, on leads on the trails. Tours not stated | Over-18s only | Haywards Heath, about 15 minutes by taxi |
| Bolney | Restaurant Wednesday to Sunday, booked, and a walk-in café and wine bar | In the downstairs café and wine bar only. Not on tours | Strictly 18 and over | Haywards Heath or Burgess Hill, about 15 minutes by taxi |
| Court Garden | No restaurant. Picnic lunches on Saturdays, booked | Not stated | Not stated | Burgess Hill, 10 minutes by taxi, or Hassocks, 40 minutes on foot |
| Henners | Cheese and charcuterie boards and small plates at the cellar door | Well-behaved dogs on leads welcome on site | Over-18s only | None given. The vineyard advises booking a taxi |
| Kingscote | Tithe Barn café every day, hot food 10am to 3pm | On leads in the shop, gardens and woods. Assistance dogs only on tours | Not stated | East Grinstead, about 10 minutes by taxi, or Kingscote on the Bluebell Railway, a 20-minute walk |
| Leonardslee | The Vineyard Kitchen, and Restaurant Interlude, which has a Michelin star | Not published | Not published | Horsham, then a short taxi ride |
| Nyetimber | Only at the dining evenings on set dates | Not allowed, except assistance dogs notified in advance | Open days are over-18s only | Pulborough or Billingshurst, with a taxi booked in advance |
| Oxney | Cheese and charcuterie boards; lunch can be added to tours | Not stated | Not stated | Rye. Book a taxi several weeks ahead, especially for a Saturday |
| Rathfinny | Flint Barns Dining Room, and The Hut, an outdoor bar open only at weekends in winter | On a lead in the shop, on the trail, at The Hut and Flint Barns. Not on tours | Tours and tastings not suitable | Berwick or Seaford, 10 minutes by car; Polegate 15, Lewes 20 |
| Ridgeview | The Rows & Vine restaurant, Thursday to Monday | Assistance dogs only indoors and on tours. The tour pages allow dogs at the outdoor restaurant in spring and summer, but the help page says assistance dogs only, so ask | No under-18s | Burgess Hill, about 10 minutes by taxi or a 30 to 40-minute walk |
| Roebuck | Pizza at the summer Sunset Sipping evenings, no restaurant | Welcome on tours, on a lead | Not allowed | Pulborough or Haslemere, each about 15 minutes by taxi |
| Sedlescombe | Café Bar & Kitchen, no booking | On a lead in the shop, tasting room and gardens. Not on tours or in the vineyards | Welcome, and they go free | Robertsbridge, though the estate does not name a station itself |
| Tillingham | Restaurant upstairs, Friday to Sunday, and pizza in the bar | Some rooms are dog-friendly. Tours not stated | Not stated for tours; no under-12s in the restaurant or rooms | Rye, about 3.5 miles, or just over an hour on footpaths |
| Tinwood | Vineyard Kitchen daily, walk-in only | Welcome on tours on a lead, and in the Tasting Room, Kitchen and lodges | Welcome, with mocktails instead of wine | Chichester or Barnham and a taxi, or the 55 bus from Chichester |
| Wildwood | A cheese plate to pre-order, or bring a picnic | Welcome on a lead | Welcome, with a nature trail through the woods | Eridge, a 12-minute walk |
| Wiston | Chalk restaurant, lunch Wednesday to Sunday | On footpaths and at the outside tables at Chalk. Not on tours or indoors | No under-18s | Worthing or Horsham, about 20 minutes by taxi |
Choosing between them
- On a budgetWildwood at £20 and Tinwood at £21 are the cheapest guided tours here, and Bluebell, Ashling Park, Kingscote and Sedlescombe are all about £25. For nothing at all, Rathfinny has a free drop-in tasting at the Cellar Door bar and a free 5km vineyard trail.
- This winterTinwood and Bolney run every day. Wiston, Tillingham, Sedlescombe, Henners, Kingscote and Rathfinny all keep going at weekends or later in the week, and Leonardslee runs a noon tour from Wednesday to Sunday. Albourne, Wildwood and Roebuck are summer only.
- On a wet dayWiston’s tour is all under cover, and Rathfinny’s winter tour stays indoors. Wildwood’s happens entirely outside, and Artelium warns that its walk can be very muddy.
- With something to eatBolney pairs each of its five wines with food, and Tinwood keeps your table for two and a half hours after the tour in a kitchen that takes no bookings. Bluebell, Henners and Albourne all have a cheese version. For a full meal, see our guide to vineyard tours with lunch.
- With the dogArtelium, Tinwood, Birchden and Roebuck all take dogs on a lead on the tour itself. Bolney, Rathfinny, Wiston, Sedlescombe, Albourne and Kingscote welcome them elsewhere on the estate but not on tours.
- With childrenTinwood gives children mocktails instead of wine, Sedlescombe lets them on free, and Artelium takes them on the walk but not the tasting. Most of the others are over-18s only.
- Without a carWildwood is 12 minutes on foot from Eridge, Artelium under half an hour from Plumpton, and Ridgeview a longer walk from Burgess Hill. Our vineyards by train guide covers the rest.
- A small groupTillingham takes up to seven on a public tour. Nyetimber is the hardest to get on, with set open days that sold out for 2026.
If you would rather not drive
A tasting and a drive home do not mix. These tours collect you, mostly from Brighton, and take you to Sussex vineyards with the tastings included.
Tours that collect you
Sussex wine and beer day from Brighton
A drive over the South Downs to two acclaimed Sussex vineyards for guided tastings, with a seasonal picnic lunch.
Starts Brighton, near Brighton station
Seven Sisters, Rathfinny and a local brewery
A minibus day to Rathfinny Wine Estate and the Seven Sisters cliffs by way of historic villages, with a stop at a local brewery.
Starts Hotel pickup in Brighton
Charleston and Rathfinny guided walk
A guided countryside walk between Charleston, the Bloomsbury group’s farmhouse, and Rathfinny Wine Estate, with no car needed.
Starts Charleston, near Lewes, East Sussex
Owner’s tour and tasting at Oastbrook
A tour of this boutique vineyard by Bodiam Castle, hosted by the owners, with a tasting of their award-winning wines and the chance to stay on at the bar.
Starts Oastbrook Vineyard, Bodiam, East Sussex
Sussex vineyard tour by minibus from Brighton
Tastings at Sussex vineyards and time in a village pub, with the minibus picking you up and dropping you back in Brighton.
Starts Pickup and drop-off in Brighton
See every option, from London as well as Brighton, on our Sussex wine tours page.
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Questions people ask
Which Sussex vineyards run tours in winter?
Tinwood and Bolney run tours every day of the year. Wiston’s winery tour runs from Thursday to Sunday, and Rathfinny’s indoor winter tour runs on Fridays and Saturdays until late April. Tillingham, Sedlescombe, Henners and Kingscote also keep tours going, mostly at weekends.
Do Sussex vineyard tours go ahead in the rain?
Usually, yes. Bolney’s tours run in the rain, Albourne’s run in all weathers over rough ground, and Sedlescombe suggests wellies and an umbrella. If you would rather stay dry, Wiston’s tour is under cover the whole way round.
Can I bring children on a Sussex vineyard tour?
At a few. Tinwood, Sedlescombe and Artelium take children on tours, and Wildwood welcomes families. Bolney, Wiston, Ridgeview, Bluebell, Albourne, Henners, Ashling Park and Roebuck do not take under-18s on tours, and Rathfinny says its tours are not suitable for them.
The details on this page come from our vineyard guides, each checked against the vineyard’s own website on the date shown there, between 28 October and 3 November 2026 for the vineyards above. Tour days change with the seasons, so check the booking page before you travel.
Photo credits, via Geograph
- Rathfinny vineyard: David M Clark, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Nyetimber Vineyard & the South Downs: SK53, CC BY-SA 2.0