Workshop
Painting among the vines
An outdoor oil painting session in the vineyard led by local artist Gabriel Knollys. Materials are provided and you take your painting home.
Friday 6 November 2026 · 10am to 1pm · £50 · Book ahead
Home / Vineyards / Sussex / Birchden Vineyards
Vineyard guide · Groombridge
Visiting Birchden Vineyards
Birchden is a 23-acre family farm just outside Groombridge, on the Sussex and Kent border, with six acres of vines, an orchard, beehives and a lake. Unlike most small vineyards it is open six days a week, with a café that needs no booking. The nicest way to arrive is on the Spa Valley steam railway, then a walk across the fields from Groombridge.
Birchden Vineyards at a glance
| Founded | The family took over the farm and its vines in 2019 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Bacchus, Pinot rosé and traditional method sparkling wine, plus its own honey and apple juice |
| Grapes | Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Pinot Gris |
| Open | Café and shop Tuesday to Friday 9am to 3pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm. Closed on Mondays |
| Booking | No booking for the café. Tours and picnics are booked online |
| Tours from | £35 |
| Food | The Blackbird Café for brunch, lunch, coffee and cake, and picnic baskets to book |
| Dogs | Dogs on leads welcome, in the café as well as on tours |
| Children | Families welcome, with children’s trails and activities at some seasonal events |
| Stay | The Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells, about nine minutes’ drive, gives its guests 10% off tours and picnics |
| By train | Groombridge on the Spa Valley Railway, a 35-minute walk, or Tunbridge Wells and a 10-minute taxi |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
About Birchden Vineyards
Two generations of the Lindeyer family, Tom and Andrea with Ralph and Jane, moved onto Birchden Farm in 2019. The vines were already there but had run wild, and the family spent their first years, with young children and a pandemic to deal with, bringing them and the farmland back into order.
There are six acres of Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Pinot Gris. Tom runs the farming and the winemaking side.
Day to day the vines are looked after by a team of local women who call themselves the Vineyard Vixens, mentored by the consultant Luke Wolfe, and the harvest is picked by people from the village. The grapes go straight to the Penn Croft winery, where Ben Smith of Itasca Wines makes the wine.
The rest of the farm is given over to nature as much as to wine. There is an orchard of more than 30 fruit trees, a two-acre wildflower meadow, beehives for the farm’s raw honey and a lake with nesting geese.
The farm sits between Groombridge Place and Broadwater Warren, and a bird survey there counted more than 40 species in two hours.
The wines
The wines all have bird or animal names. The Gregarious Goose is the Bacchus and the cheapest bottle, at about £20. The Foxy Vixen is a Pinot rosé and The Ugly Duckling is a Chardonnay.
The two sparkling wines are both traditional method, the Charmed Finch Classic Cuvée, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and the Charmed Finch Blanc de Noirs. The farm shop also sells Birchden honey and apple juice, and the online shop takes 10% off six bottles. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Birchden Vineyards
Birchden is one of the few small vineyards you can call in on without planning. The Blackbird Café opens six days a week and needs no booking. Note the weekday hours, though. From Tuesday to Friday it closes at 3pm.
It does brunch rolls from 9am, then baguettes, soup and sharing boards at lunch, with coffee from Penelope in Tunbridge Wells and the farm’s own wine. Dogs on leads are welcome indoors.
If you want to see the vines, book the tour, which is good for a first visit and ends with time in the Tasting Den. Wear boots, because the vineyard can be muddy. The picnics run all year and make a good present.
The family also run a busy programme of seasonal events, such as autumn weekends in the barn, wreath making before Christmas, bird-watching mornings and cheese and wine evenings. The dates are listed below when we have them.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Tours & Tastings A guided walk round the vineyard and farm, with the story of the estate and the growing year, and three wines. Up to 15 people. Afterwards there is time for the Tasting Den and the café. Dogs on leads are welcome. The ground is uneven and can be wet. | £35 per person | About 60 to 90 minutes | Starts at 12.30pm and 2pm |
| Spa Valley Railway Tour & Tasting The same tour, planned around the steam train to Groombridge and a 35-minute walk across the fields. Train tickets are booked with the Spa Valley Railway. Non-drinkers need a ticket too and get a soft drink or apple juice. | £35 per person, train tickets extra | About 60 to 90 minutes, plus the walk | Timed for the 11.15am train from Tunbridge Wells West |
| Vineyard picnic A basket of cured meats, English cheeses, hummus, grilled vegetables, olives, bread, fruit and a pudding, with water. Wine can be added, chilled with glasses. Up to six people, with a covered fireside area for cold or wet days. Vegetarian options available. | From £80 for two, without wine | The table is yours for two hours | All year |
| Private tours and groups Private tours and groups of more than 15 are arranged by email. | On request | – | By arrangement |
Book these on the Birchden Vineyards website.
What’s on
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Seasonal
Bird watching morning
An early walk to spot birds around the vineyard, starting with a talk from the resident bird expert, a hot drink and a pastry. Bring your own binoculars.
Saturday 7 November 2026 · 9am to 10.30am · Book ahead
Food and wine
Paella social
An afternoon of freshly cooked paella in the barn with Birchden wines, local beers, cheeses and music. Booking a vineyard tour as well gives 10% off the food ticket.
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 2pm to 4.30pm · Book ahead
Workshop
Christmas wreath making
A wreath workshop led by a local florist, with all materials, a drink and nibbles included.
Sunday 29 November (2.30pm to 4.30pm) and Friday 4 December 2026 (10.30am to 12.30pm) · 2.30pm to 4.30pm or 10.30am to 12.30pm · £79 · Book ahead
Tasting
Festive cheese and wine evening
A cheese and wine pairing evening in the tasting den, hosted by a cheese expert and the vineyard owner, matching seasonal cheeses with Birchden wines.
Friday 11 December 2026 · 7pm to 9pm · £40 · Book ahead
Buy Birchden Vineyards 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
The prettiest route is by steam train. Take the Spa Valley Railway from Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge, then walk about 35 minutes across the fields, mostly beside the railway line. There are three stiles and it can be muddy, and Birchden has a walking map to download from its website.
On the 2026 timetable, the 11.15am train got in at 11.31am and the last train back left Groombridge at 4.01pm.
Otherwise, Tunbridge Wells has mainline trains from London Charing Cross and London Bridge in about an hour, and a taxi from the station takes about 10 minutes. By car, the address is Birchden Farm, Broadwater Forest Lane, Groombridge, TN3 9NR.
Make a day of it
Wildwood Vineyard is a few minutes away at Eridge, and Busi Jacobsohn is at Eridge Green. Groombridge Place is next door, and Tunbridge Wells is about 10 minutes by car.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Sussex directory. Our other Sussex vineyard guides: Rathfinny, Court Garden, Bolney, Wiston, Nyetimber, Henners, Artelium, Ashling Park, Tinwood, Sedlescombe Organic, Roebuck, Ridgeview, Bluebell Vineyard, Breaky Bottom, Kingscote, Tillingham, Oxney Organic, Albourne, Leonardslee Family Vineyards, Wildwood.
Questions people ask
Do I need to book?
Not for the café, which takes walk-ins from Tuesday to Sunday. Tours and picnics are booked online.
Is Birchden open in winter?
Yes. The café and shop open Tuesday to Sunday through the year, closing at 3pm on weekdays, and picnics run all year with a covered fireside area.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes. Dogs on leads are welcome on tours, at picnics and inside the café.
How do I get there by train?
Take the Spa Valley Railway to Groombridge and walk about 35 minutes across the fields, with three stiles. Or take a mainline train to Tunbridge Wells and a 10-minute taxi.