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Vineyard guide · Hickling Pastures
Hanwell grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for traditional method sparkling wine on the A606 between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray, and the family behind it has grown grapes in Nottinghamshire since 1975. It is a relaxed, dog-friendly place. Book the guided Vineyard Experience if you can get a date, and remember that it shuts completely for the winter.
| Founded | Family vineyards since 1975; Hanwell planted in May 2012, first harvest October 2015 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Traditional method sparkling wine, alongside wines from the family’s original vineyard, Eglantine |
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, about 8,000 vines, plus 15 newly planted disease-resistant PIWI varieties |
| Open | Saturdays 12pm to 4pm in April and from October to Christmas; Fridays and Saturdays 12pm to 4pm, often later, from May to September; closed from Christmas to the first Saturday in April except for pre-booked events |
| Booking | Book guided tours ahead, as they sell out; Sip and Stroll can be booked or dropped in before 3.30pm |
| Tours from | £19 self-guided, £30 guided |
| Food | Café bar for coffee, cake and light lunches, with cheese boards and Mediterranean platters; last food orders 3.30pm |
| Dogs | Welcome everywhere indoors and out, including on tours and tastings, on a lead |
| Children | Welcome in the café bar and at the campsite; tastings are for over-18s only |
| Stay | Sunset Retreat, a simple campsite on a grass paddock for tents, motorhomes and caravans, June to September |
| By train | Melton Mowbray or Loughborough, about 20 minutes by car, or Nottingham, about 25 |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
The family story starts in the late 1960s, when Tony and Veronica found a neglected vine in a greenhouse in West Bridgford. They planted their first vineyard in 1975 and later moved the vines to found Eglantine Vineyard, near Bunny and Costock, where they trialled some 250 varieties over the years. The family says Eglantine made the country’s first ice wine, North Star, in the early 2000s.
Their daughter Helenka Brown runs Hanwell, which was planted in May 2012 with the three Champagne varieties. The first harvest came in October 2015. The 8,000 vines are tended by hand, and the grapes go 15 minutes down the road to Eglantine’s winery to be made into wine. More recently the family has planted 15 PIWI varieties, bred to resist disease, and it marked 50 years of growing grapes in 2025. That year Hanwell also helped launch the East Midlands Wine Trail with other vineyards in the area.
Start with Hanwell Classic, the estate’s traditional method sparkling wine, which is the one made from the vines you walk through. There is also a sparkling Blush Rosé and a still Romance Rosé. The shop sells Eglantine wines too, including a sparkling dry white, a Pinot sparkling wine, a cherry wine and a mead. North Star, the dessert wine, is the curiosity to take home. Where to buy them.
The timing catches people out. Hanwell is only open to walk-ins on a few afternoons a week, mostly Saturdays, and not at all between Christmas and the first Saturday in April, so check the season before you set off. Outside the open hours it opens only for booked events and appointments. If you want wine to take away when it is shut, email to arrange a time. The free vineyard trail is open during café hours, and the Sip and Stroll is the easy option if the guided dates are full. Dogs really are welcome everywhere, with a water bowl in the stable yard, which is rare at an English vineyard. The tour starts with a walk along a meadow path, so wear proper shoes. Accessibility details are on its Euan’s Guide listing.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Experience: Guided Vineyard Tour & Wine Tasting Check in at the bar and order a drink, then 20 minutes on the family story in the stable yard (or a heated barn in cold weather), 20 minutes walking the meadow path into the vines, and a 50-minute tutored tasting of six family-made wines. Non-alcoholic tasters can be asked for at check-in. A cheese board or Mediterranean platter can be added for £14. | £30 per person | 1.5 hours | Selected dates at 1pm; the next listed are 7 November 2026 and 3 April 2027 |
| Sip and Stroll A self-guided walk on the 1km vineyard and nature trail with a leaflet, then six family-made wines with tasting notes in the tasting room or on the terrace. Over-18s only, and under-25s should bring ID. Voucher holders must book. | £19 per booking | About 1 hour | Friday and Saturday afternoons from April to 23 December (Saturdays only out of summer); book, or drop in before 3.30pm |
| Celebration Tasting A private tasting for birthdays, hen and stag parties and the like: welcome fizz, the family story, a guided tasting of six wines, an alcohol-free option for non-drinkers, and bar service afterwards. Food is ordered separately in advance. | £300 for up to 8 guests, then £28 per extra guest | About 1.5 hours | All year, at a time you arrange; the vineyard walk needs daylight |
| Private group tour and tasting A vineyard tour and tasting of six wines for clubs and groups such as the WI, U3A or coach parties. | – | – | By arrangement |
Book these on the Hanwell website.
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Workshop
Learn to make three cocktails using the estate’s own wines, with professional kit and guidance, then stay on to enjoy them. A cheese board can be added for £14.
Fridays 6 and 27 November, 4 and 18 December 2026 · 7pm start, bar closes 11pm · £38 a head · Book ahead
Christmas
Taste 14 of the estate’s wines with the team’s help while choosing bottles for Christmas and New Year. A mince pie is included.
Wednesday 9 December 2026 · 7pm to 9pm · £10 a head, refunded against bottles bought on the night · Book ahead
Food and wine
A hosted tasting of six Hanwell wines, from sparkling to ice wine, each paired with a vegetarian festive canapé.
Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December 2026 · 7pm to 11pm · £45 a head · Book ahead
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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The estate is on the A606 Melton Road at Hickling Pastures. Coming from the A46, take the A606 towards Melton Mowbray and it is about 500 metres on the right at the crest of the hill. From Melton, it is on the left after the second 40mph sign. Melton Mowbray and Loughborough stations are about 20 minutes away by car and Nottingham about 25. The Nottsbus on Demand service stops on Melton Road at Hickling Pastures, a five-minute walk away, and route 19 runs between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray. East Midlands Airport is about 30 minutes by taxi.
Melton Mowbray is about 20 minutes away and Long Clawson Dairy, the Stilton maker, about 15. Nottingham city centre and Trent Bridge are about 20 minutes away, as is the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepont.
See every vineyard you can visit in our East Midlands directory.
Not to drop-in visitors. It closes from Christmas Day until the first Saturday in April, apart from pre-booked events and venue hire.
Yes. Well-behaved dogs on a lead are welcome everywhere, indoors and out, including on tours and tastings and at the campsite.
Not for the café bar or the free vineyard trail during opening hours, and you can drop in for the Sip and Stroll before 3.30pm. The guided Vineyard Experience must be booked, and it sells out.
What is on at the vineyards that month, new tours worth booking, and our seasonal picks, from Christmas vouchers to harvest days. One email a month. Unsubscribe whenever you like.
