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Vineyard guide · Puttenham
Visiting Greyfriars Vineyard
Greyfriars sits on the south-facing chalk of the Hog’s Back west of Guildford, and was one of the first English vineyards to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, back in 1989. Its sparkling wines age in a cellar dug into the chalk. Saturday is the day to go.
Greyfriars at a glance
| Founded | 1989; run by Mike and Hilary Wagstaff since 2010 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Traditional method sparkling wine aged in a chalk cave cellar |
| Grapes | Mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with small plots of Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc |
| Open | Cellar door shop Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and Sundays from May, 12pm to 4pm. Tasting room Saturdays, 12pm to 6pm. Horsebox bar Saturdays from May through the summer, 12pm to 7pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday |
| Booking | Book guided tours online. Self-guided walks need no booking. Tour tickets are non-refundable, and rebooking needs five working days’ notice |
| Tours from | £25 |
| Food | Food trucks on some Fridays and Saturdays; picnics allowed except on food truck days and at ticketed events |
| Dogs | On a lead in the shop, around the vines and on self-guided walks. Not on guided tours or in the tasting room or wine bar |
| Children | Families welcome at the shop; guided tours and tastings are over-18s only |
| By train | Guildford, about 8 minutes by taxi |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
About Greyfriars
The vineyard was set up in 1989, and it was one of the first in England to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the Champagne grapes nearly every serious English sparkling wine producer now relies on. The slopes face south on the chalk of the Hog’s Back, which drains well and keeps frost and disease down.
Mike and Hilary Wagstaff took it over in 2010. They grew the vineyard to its present 40 acres, built a winery, and dug an underground cave cellar into the chalk, where the sparkling wines age in bottle for at least three years. A tasting room, built during lockdown, opened in 2021. It is still an independent family business, and a member of the Vineyards of the Surrey Hills group.
The wines
The Old Vines Blanc de Blancs is the one we’d buy, given how long Chardonnay has grown here. The sparkling range also takes in a 2016 Blanc de Blancs, a Blanc de Noirs, a Sparkling Rosé Reserve, non-vintage Cuvée and Rosé, and two less usual sparkling wines made from Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. The still wines are a good deal cheaper: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pilgrims Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, a rosé, a Reserve Chardonnay, and Yvonne, a field blend. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Greyfriars
Saturday is the only day everything is open at once: the shop, the tasting room and, in summer, the horsebox bar. On weekdays you can buy wine and walk the vines, but there is no tasting room. The place is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. We’d book the guided tour for a Saturday and stay on in the tasting room afterwards. Picnics are allowed, which makes a summer Sunday with a bottle from the shop a cheap afternoon, but not on food truck days or at ticketed events. One thing catches drivers out: don’t turn into Greyfriars House, which is a private home. Taxis should drop off and pick up in the main car park. Allow at least 90 minutes for the tour, more if you plan to shop.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Tour & Tasting A short walk through the vineyard with the team, from grape to glass, and tutored tastings of several sparkling and still wines. Some of the tasting usually happens out among the vines, weather permitting. Over-18s only, and no dogs. | £25 per person | About 90 minutes | Year-round, booked online |
| Self-guided vineyard walk Marked trails round the vineyard with information along the way. Dogs on leads are welcome. | Free | – | During opening hours |
Book these on the Greyfriars website.
Buy Greyfriars 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.
Getting there
Trains from London Waterloo take about 35 minutes to Guildford, and the vineyard is about 8 minutes from there by taxi. By car, come off the A3 onto the A31 along the Hog’s Back. Use the main car park.
Make a day of it
The North Downs Way runs along the Hog’s Back past Puttenham, so a walk is easy to add. Watts Gallery, the artists’ village at Compton, is a few minutes east. Albury Organic Vineyard, on the far side of Guildford near Shere, makes a good second stop on a Saturday.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Surrey directory. Our other Surrey vineyard guides: Denbies, Albury Organic.
Questions people ask
Can I bring a picnic?
Yes, except on food truck Fridays and Saturdays and at ticketed events.
Can I change my tour date?
Yes, with at least five working days’ notice. Tour tickets are non-refundable, and a missed tour without notice can’t be exchanged.
Is it open on Sundays?
From May, 12pm to 4pm. Outside that, the shop is open Wednesday to Saturday.