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Visiting Lympstone Manor
Lympstone Manor is Michael Caines’s country house hotel on the Exe estuary, and the 10.8-acre vineyard below the house is one of the most ambitious hotel plantings in England. The way in is a vineyard tour with lunch, on Tuesdays and Fridays in summer, and the Pinot Noir is the wine to try.
Lympstone Manor at a glance
| Founded | Hotel opened April 2017; vineyard planted May 2018, first harvest 2020 |
|---|---|
| Known for | A Michelin-starred hotel with its own vineyard, and Triassic Pinot Noir |
| Awards | Triassic Pinot Noir 2020: IWC 2023 Gold and Best Producer Trophy for First Vintage; Michelin star for the restaurant |
| Grapes | Pinot Noir (three clones), Meunier and Chardonnay |
| Open | Hotel and restaurants open to non-residents; the vineyard only on booked tours |
| Booking | Tours must be booked ahead; 2027 dates not yet announced |
| Tours from | £105 with lunch, £50 for hotel residents |
| Food | Michelin-starred fine dining and the more relaxed Pool House Restaurant & Bar, plus afternoon tea |
| Dogs | Not on vineyard tours; welcome in the Pool House, reception and grounds, and in two suites and the shepherd huts by arrangement |
| Children | Five and over in the fine dining restaurant; children’s menu at the Pool House; family rooms |
| Stay | 21 rooms and suites and six shepherd huts |
| By train | Lympstone Village, about 15 minutes’ walk; Exeter St Davids, about 20 minutes by taxi |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
About Lympstone Manor
The house started as a farmhouse called Courtlands. The Baring family extended it from the 1760s and laid out its gardens, and after the early 1900s it slowly declined. Michael Caines, who spent 21 years at Gidleigh Park and held two Michelin stars there for 18 of them, first saw Courtlands in 2014 and bought it in 2015. Restoration of the Grade II listed house began that November, a new wing went on for rooms, and Lympstone Manor opened in April 2017. It had a Michelin star within six months and joined Relais & Châteaux that November.
The vineyard came next. In May 2018, 17,500 vines of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay went into the south-west-facing parkland below the house, planted with laser guidance to keep the rows straight. The first harvest was in 2020, and the first wine, Triassic Pinot Noir 2020, won a Gold and a trophy at the International Wine Challenge in 2023.
The range has since grown to a sparkling wine, a rosé and a Chardonnay. The Chardonnay is made in partnership with Lyme Bay Winery in east Devon. The house says its 28 acres of grounds look over the Exe estuary towards the Jurassic Coast.
The wines
Triassic Pinot Noir is the one to try. It was the vineyard’s first wine and its first trophy, and the current 2024 vintage blends all three Pinot Noir clones grown here. Classic Cuvée NV is the sparkling, from Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay, made from the 2021 harvest with reserve wine from 2020, and it is what you are poured on the tour. Isabeau Rosé NV is a still rosé, and Edwards Chardonnay 2022, the first white from the vineyard, is a limited run of 549 bottles. The wines are sold through the Lympstone Manor Estate online shop, where stock is limited. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Lympstone Manor
This is a hotel first, and there is no cellar door to drop in on; the vineyard is seen only on a booked tour. Tours run on Tuesdays and Fridays from May to September, and the 2026 season is over. The Pool House version gets you the same tour for £50 less, and we’d book that unless the point of the day is the Michelin lunch. The fine dining rooms ask for smart casual dress, with no sportswear, and children must be five or over; the Pool House has no dress code and is where dogs can eat with you. Dogs can’t come on the tour. Estate wines can be bought at reception, and parking, with electric car charging, is free for hotel and restaurant guests.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Tour and Michelin Star Lunch Tea or coffee and biscuits on arrival, a guided walk through the vines, a glass of Classic Cuvée, then a four-course lunch in the fine dining rooms. You can upgrade to the eight-course Signature tasting menu. Must be booked ahead. | £155 per person | Tour about 45 minutes, then lunch | Tuesdays and Fridays, May to September; arrive 10.15am, tour at 10.45am |
| Vineyard Tour and Lunch at The Pool House The same guided tour and glass of Classic Cuvée, followed by a casual three-course lunch in the Pool House Restaurant & Bar. | £105 per person | Tour about 45 minutes, then lunch | Tuesdays and Fridays, May to September |
| Vineyard Tours for Hotel Residents For hotel guests only. The guided tour and a glass of Classic Cuvée, booked through reception or reservations before your stay. Residents can book the lunch tours too. | £50 per person | About 45 minutes | Tuesday and Friday mornings and Friday afternoons in the tour season |
Book these on the Lympstone Manor website.
Buy Lympstone Manor 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
Lympstone Village station, on the Avocet line between Exeter and Exmouth, is about a 15-minute walk, or the hotel can arrange a transfer. Direct trains from London Paddington reach Exeter St Davids in about two hours, and a taxi from there takes about 20 minutes. Exeter Airport is about 20 minutes by taxi. By car the hotel is off the A376 between Exeter and Exmouth.
Make a day of it
The Exe Estuary Trail, a flat walking and cycling path, runs along the shore past Lympstone towards Exmouth and Topsham. Topsham, with its old quay and pubs, is a few minutes north. Pebblebed Vineyard at Clyst St George is the nearest vineyard to pair with a visit, and Lily Farm near Budleigh Salterton is not much further.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Devon directory. Our other Devon vineyard guides: Lyme Bay, Swanaford.
Questions people ask
Can you visit the Lympstone Manor vineyard without having lunch?
Only if you are staying. Non-residents book one of the two lunch tours; hotel residents can book the tour on its own for £50.
Can I eat at Lympstone Manor without staying?
Yes. Both the fine dining restaurant and the Pool House take non-residents, and booking ahead is recommended.
When will the 2027 vineyard tours be announced?
The hotel says 2027 dates will be released later. In 2026 the tours ran on Tuesdays and Fridays from May to September.