Henley wine tour of three vineyards, with lunch
Three boutique vineyards around Henley-on-Thames, where the owners show you round and pour their wines, with lunch paired to match.
Starts Twyford station, Berkshire
Home / Vineyards / Chilterns / Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery
Vineyard guide · Hambleden
Visiting Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery
Chiltern Valley makes wine, real ale and liqueurs on one farm at Old Luxters, high above the Hambleden Valley near Henley, and its tour takes in all three. It suits a group where not everyone drinks wine. Weekday tours are much easier to get than weekend ones, so plan around that.
Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery at a glance
| Founded | First vines planted in 1982, first harvest 1984 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Wine, bottle-conditioned ales and liqueurs made and tasted on the same farm |
| Grapes | Its wines use Bacchus, Madeleine Angevine, Reichensteiner, Solaris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier |
| Open | Cellar shop every day, 9am to 5pm (bank holidays may vary); food truck daily, 10am to 4pm, except event days |
| Booking | Tours must be booked online; dates open about four months ahead, on the last Friday of each month |
| Tours from | £25 |
| Food | An on-site food truck for coffee, cakes, paninis, sharing boards and stone-baked pizzas; no picnics allowed |
| Dogs | Well-behaved dogs on a lead on site, but not in the shop or on tours |
| Children | No under-18s on tours, babies included |
| Stay | Farmhouse bed and breakfast with five rooms, breakfast included; the whole farmhouse can be let for up to 10 |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
About Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery
Old Luxters is a farm on the slopes of the Chiltern Hills, ringed by beech woods and looking over the Hambleden Valley. The Ealand family planted the first vines in 1982, picked their first harvest in 1984, and still own and run the place. The production rooms, bottling line and cellar shop are all in the old farm buildings, some of which go back to the 18th century.
Beer came alongside the wine. The Old Luxters brewery makes full-mash real ales in wood-clad vessels, using English malted barley with Fuggles and Goldings hops, and the bottled ales get a second fermentation in the bottle, the way sparkling wine does. Liqueurs are made on site too. The farm’s Old Luxters Barn is also a wedding venue, which explains why so much of the weekend calendar is taken up.
The wines
Most of the range is still wine, and the Bacchus Blend is the bottle we’d try, as it is the house top seller and the obvious English style. Chilli Cat Cuvée, named after the farm’s black cat, is a medium blend of Madeleine Angevine, Bacchus and Reichensteiner, and there is also an oaked Solaris and a Pinot Noir. For sparkling wine there is an English Sparkling Wine, a Blanc de Blancs, a Rosé de Noir and a late-release Vintage ’18 aged five years on its lees. The ales are worth tasting in their own right, and the Barn Ale is the best seller. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery
This is a working winery and brewery rather than a polished visitor centre, and that is a large part of the appeal. Weekend tours are scarce because weddings and events take over the farm on most Saturdays and Sundays, often leaving room for only a morning tour, and the weekend slots we looked at were nearly all full weeks ahead. Midweek is the answer. You can buy at the cellar shop without booking a tour. The car park is across the road from the main site, with no marked spaces or blue badge bays, though cars can drop off at the buildings. There’s a cobbled courtyard to cross and some narrow doorways, but the estate says most standard manual wheelchairs manage, and it has one to lend. There is one accessible toilet off the courtyard. Bring warm clothes and sensible shoes, as you move between buildings and out to the vines in all weathers. If your voucher runs out before you visit, it costs £15 to extend it. B&B guests check in from 2.30pm and the bookings are non-refundable.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour & Tasting A behind-the-scenes walk through the brewery, the vineyard (weather permitting), the grape press and the bottling hall, standing for about 10 minutes at each stop. It ends with a seated, tutored tasting of three or four each of the wines, ales and liqueurs, with water. At least six people are needed for a tour to run. Gift vouchers cover two people. | £25 per person | 1.5 to 2 hours | All year. Weekdays usually at 11am, with a 3pm tour on some Fridays; weekends at 10am, 11am, 1.30pm or 3pm depending on events |
Book these on the Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery website.
Tours that include Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery
If you would rather not drive, these tours take you there, with tastings included.
Buy Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery wines
None of our wine partners has these wines in stock this week. The vineyard sells them in its own shop, or see our pick of English wines to buy online.
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Getting there
Old Luxters is in the hills above Hambleden, on the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire edge near Henley-on-Thames. Henley is the nearest town with a railway station, and the site does not give a taxi time from there. The tasting is generous, so book a taxi or decide who’s driving before you go.
Make a day of it
For dinner, the farm sends B&B guests down to The Stag & Huntsman pub, with transport there and back included in the price. Henley-on-Thames is close for a walk by the river. Stanlake Park, at Twyford on the far side of Henley, is the easier second vineyard, because its wine bar opens without booking.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Chilterns directory. Our other Chilterns vineyard guides: Stanlake Park.
Questions people ask
Why are there so few weekend tours?
The farm’s Old Luxters Barn hosts weddings and events, mostly on Saturdays and Sundays, and they take over the site, including the farmhouse B&B. On event days there is often only a morning tour. Weekday tours are much easier to book.
Can you have dinner if you stay?
There’s no dinner on site, but B&B guests can book a set two- or three-course dinner at The Stag & Huntsman pub, at £45 or £52 a head including transport. Pick-up is at 6.30pm from Monday to Saturday and 5.45pm on Sundays and bank holidays.
Can I bring my dog?
Dogs on a lead are welcome around the site, but not in the shop or on the tour, because of food hygiene rules.