Tour and tasting at Henners
A tour of a small Wealden Wine Trail vineyard and a tutored tasting of its still and sparkling wines, in about two hours.
Good to know The cellar door opens Thursday to Sunday all year. Winter tours run on Saturdays.
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Vineyard guide · Herstmonceux
Visiting Henners Vineyard
Henners is a vineyard and winery in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, five miles from the English Channel and overlooking the Pevensey Levels. It makes sparkling and still wines, and its cellar door opens Thursday to Sunday through the winter, with tours on Saturdays.
Henners at a glance
| Founded | Vines planted 2007, cellar door opened to the public in 2022 |
|---|---|
| Known for | English sparkling wine, alongside still Bacchus, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay |
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier on the estate, with Bacchus, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc from partner growers |
| Open | Winter: Thursday and Sunday 11am to 4pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 5pm, with later hours from April to September |
| Booking | Book tours online in advance, the cellar door takes walk-ins |
| Tours from | £29 |
| Food | Cheese and charcuterie boards, small plates and snacks at the cellar door, with food pop-ups in the warmer months |
| Dogs | Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome on site |
| Children | Welcome on site if supervised, no under-18s on tours and tastings |
| By train | No station details given, the vineyard advises booking a taxi |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in October 2026.
About Henners
Henners was planted in 2007 by Lawrence Warr, and by 2009 there were about three hectares of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier on the site at Herstmonceux, next to the Pevensey Levels. The wine distributor Boutinot, which had worked with the vineyard from the start, bought Henners in 2017, and the 2018 harvest was the first under its ownership. Henners is now part of a family of wineries with sister estates in France, Italy, South Africa and New Zealand.
The vineyard lies about five miles from the Channel, and the winery describes the sea breezes as giving its wines a crisp salinity. The soils are free-draining clay, and the site is low-lying. As well as its own grapes, Henners buys fruit from partner growers in the south east, including Essex, Suffolk and Kent, and in 2023 the winery processed 360 tonnes of fruit. The cellar door, with a tasting room and terraces over the vines, opened to visitors in 2022.
Henners was a founding member of Sustainable Wines of Great Britain, and both the vineyard and the winery hold Gold certification under the scheme. A wildflower meadow, rainwater harvesting and cover crops between the rows are part of the approach, and the winery runs on renewable electricity. In 2025 Wine Enthusiast gave its Non-Vintage Brut 94 points and its 2018 Vintage 96 points, both as Editors’ Picks.
The wines
Henners makes traditional method sparkling wine and a range of still wines. The sparkling wines include Classic Cuvée, Rosé NV, Reserve 2019, Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs, with vintage wines made only in good years. The still range covers Bacchus, Barrel Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir Rosé and a Pinot Noir red, all bottled in lightweight glass. The cellar door also pours wines from Henners’ sister wineries abroad, and sells a Henners Cloudy Gin. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Henners
The cellar door has an indoor tasting room and outdoor terraces looking over the vines towards the Pevensey Levels, and tables can be booked or taken on arrival. Through the winter it opens Thursday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 5pm, with later opening from April to September. Wine flights cost £16 for sparkling and £12 for still wines, in 50ml pours, and there are cheese boards, cheese and charcuterie boards, small plates and snacks. On Thursdays bottles to take away are 20% off, and Sunday walks at the vineyard are listed every week. The tasting room is up a flight of stairs, so contact the vineyard first if you have access needs, and the ground outside can be uneven. Outside food and picnics are not allowed.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Tour and Tasting A walk through the vineyard and the winery, then a guided tasting of five wines in the tasting room, starting with a sparkling wine and moving through the still wines. Over-18s only. | £29 per person, or £58 for two | About 1.5 hours | Saturdays at 12pm from October to December, and Saturdays and Sundays at 11am from April to September |
| Vineyard Tour and Tasting for Two with Cheese, or Cheese and Charcuterie The same tour and five-wine tasting, with a board of local cheeses, or cheese and Knepp Farm charcuterie, to share. | £80 for two with cheese, £85 for two with cheese and charcuterie | About 1.5 hours | As for the standard tour |
| Henners Quiz Night Six mixed rounds including a blind tasting round, in teams of up to five, with food available through the evening. Over-18s only, and tables are booked ahead. | £5 per person, paid on arrival | From 6pm, quiz at 7pm, until 9.30pm | Friday 20 November 2026 |
| The Henners Big Christmas Wine Tasting Held in the Ballroom at Herstmonceux Castle rather than at the vineyard. A self-guided tasting of Henners wines alongside wines from around the world, spirits and beers, with food from Specs and Bear, live music and access to the castle grounds. | Free, but tickets must be reserved | 12pm to 5pm | Saturday 5 December 2026 |
Book these on the Henners website.
Give a visit as a present
What’s on
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Seasonal
Sunday walks with mulled wine
A guided walk around the eight-acre vineyard with a free mulled wine. Dogs are welcome and there is no need to book.
Sundays, listed for 1 and 8 November 2026; the vineyard says the walks run every Sunday · 12pm to 4pm · Free · Drop in
Music and social
November quiz night
A quiz night at the vineyard. Tickets are sold through the events page.
Friday 20 November 2026 · Book ahead
Christmas
Big Christmas wine tasting
A self-guided tasting of English sparkling and still wines plus wines from elsewhere, spirits and beers, with food, live music and an open bar. Entry is free but places are limited.
Saturday 5 December 2026 · 12pm to 5pm · Free entry · Book ahead
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Buy Henners wines
3 bottles in stock with our wine partners this week. Prices are for a single 75cl bottle.
Sparkling
Henners Brut
A non-vintage traditional method sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grown in East Sussex.
£34.99at WinebuyersBuyWhite
Henners Gardner Street Classic 2021
A still white that blends floral Bacchus with a smaller share of barrel-fermented Chardonnay, from grapes grown across the South East.
£19.99at WinebuyersBuyRosé
Henners Rosé 2024
A pale, dry rosé from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, using grapes from plots in Sussex, Kent and Essex.
£21.35at WinebuyersBuy
Getting there
Henners is in a rural spot near the village of Herstmonceux, between Hailsham and the coast, and the vineyard advises booking a taxi both ways, especially for evening events. There are EV charging points and bike racks at the cellar door. Cars cannot be left overnight, so plan the trip home before you book a tour.
Make a day of it
Herstmonceux Castle, a 15th-century moated castle, is close by and hosts the vineyard’s Christmas tasting. The Pevensey Levels lie below the vineyard and the coast is about five miles away. For more East Sussex wine, Artelium near Ditchling and Rathfinny at Alfriston are both within driving distance.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Sussex directory. Our other Sussex vineyard guides: Rathfinny, Court Garden, Bolney, Wiston, Nyetimber, Artelium, Ashling Park, Tinwood, Sedlescombe Organic, Roebuck.
Questions people ask
Do you need to book at Henners Vineyard?
Tours and tastings must be booked and paid for online in advance. You can visit the cellar door for a glass or a wine flight during opening hours without a tour booking.
How much is the Henners vineyard tour?
The Vineyard Tour and Tasting is £29 per person or £58 for two, and lasts about an hour and a half with five wines. For two people it is £80 with a cheese board, or £85 with cheese and charcuterie.
When do tours run at Henners in winter?
From October to December tours run on Saturdays at 12pm. From April to September they run on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am. Some dates are unavailable because of events.
Is Henners Vineyard dog friendly?
Yes. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome on site.
Can you take children to Henners?
Children are welcome at the cellar door if supervised, but tours, tastings and most ticketed events are for over-18s only, and staff may ask for ID.
Where is the Henners Christmas tasting held?
The Big Christmas Wine Tasting on Saturday 5 December 2026 is held in the Ballroom at Herstmonceux Castle, not at the vineyard. Entry is free but tickets must be reserved.