Food and wine
Pizza afternoon
Freshly made pizzas from a visiting pizza company, with vegan and gluten-free options, and Kingscote wine to go with them. No booking needed.
Sunday 8 November 2026 · 12pm to 5pm · Drop in
Home / Vineyards / Sussex / Kingscote
Vineyard guide · East Grinstead
Visiting Kingscote Estate
Kingscote is a 160-acre estate in the High Weald south of East Grinstead, with over 70 acres of vines, a café in a rebuilt 15th-century tithe barn, fishing lakes and woodland walks. It opens every day, and the weekend tour is the one to book.
Kingscote at a glance
| Known for | Still and sparkling wines, including Bacchus and Solaris, from an organically farmed vineyard |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Bacchus and Solaris, among others |
| Open | Every day, 10am to 5pm |
| Booking | Walk-in tastings need no booking; tours must be booked ahead; £7.50 per person to change a booking within 48 hours |
| Tours from | £25 |
| Food | Tithe Barn café, every day; hot food 10am to 3pm, no booking |
| Dogs | On leads in the wine shop and gardens, and in the woods; assistance dogs only on tours; no dogs at the fishing lakes |
| Stay | The Coach House, a two-bedroom cottage on the estate, booked through Airbnb |
| By train | East Grinstead, about 10 minutes by taxi; Kingscote on the Bluebell Railway is a 20-minute walk |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
About Kingscote
The farmhouse at Mill Place Farm was built in 1320 as an ironmaster’s house, when the Weald was England’s iron country. The gardener William Robinson, often called the father of the English country garden, once owned the farm. The visitor centre has been made from the farm’s original 15th-century tithe barn.
The estate is family owned and covers 160 acres, with more than 70 acres of vines alongside fishing lakes, a river, an organic apple orchard and more than five kilometres of woodland walks. The Bluebell Railway runs through it. The vineyard has been farmed organically since 2019.
The wines
The still whites are the place to start, especially the Bacchus 2025 and Solaris 2025, both from organically grown grapes on the estate. Solaris is a variety few English vineyards bottle on its own, so it is the one to try. There is a lightly oaked Chardonnay 2019 and a Rosé Brut NV, and a new set of wines is due in December 2026, including Birch Falls Brut and Blush, Mill Place Reserve white and rosé, and a Classic Cuvée. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Kingscote
Kingscote is a good place to spend a day rather than an hour. You can walk in any day for a tasting at the Tithe Barn, which is also the wine shop and café, and then take one of the woodland walks or sit in the wine garden. Tours only run at weekends, so a midweek visit means a tasting and lunch but no winery. The café serves a lunch menu built on Sussex produce, with vegan and vegetarian options, until 3pm. Parking is free. The site has disabled access, though some of the ground is uneven, so mention any needs when you book. Seasonal events such as pizza days, a carol concert and festive afternoon teas are listed on the What’s On page.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour and Tasting Starts with a glass of wine, then a walk through the vineyard and a look behind the scenes in the winery, with a tasting. Book online in advance. | £25 per person | About 1.5 hours | Saturdays and Sundays |
| Tour and Tasting with Cream Tea The weekend tour with a cream tea added. | £33 per person | About 1.5 hours, plus tea | Saturdays and Sundays |
| Tour and Tasting with Lunch The weekend tour with lunch in the Tithe Barn added. | £40 per person | About 1.5 hours, plus lunch | Saturdays and Sundays |
| Private Tour & Tasting A private guided tour of the estate and vineyard. Lunch or a cream tea can be added at a price on request. Enquire through the website form. | From £250 per group of up to 10, from £25 per person above 10 | – | By arrangement, minimum 2 guests |
| Fishing Catch and release on the Leggett Lakes for carp, perch, bream, rudd and roach. An Environment Agency rod licence is needed, barbless hooks only, and under-16s must be with an adult. No dogs. | Adults £10 half day, £20 full day; children £5 and £10; students £10 | Half or full day | Every day, dawn to dusk |
Book these on the Kingscote website.
What’s on
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Workshop
Paint and sip evening
A guided painting session with a simple supper and a glass of sparkling wine. More Kingscote wine can be bought on the night.
Thursday 10 December 2026 · 6.30pm to 8.30pm · £50 a head · Book ahead
Music and social
Christmas carol concert
Christmas carols with the choir Coro Nuovo in the Tithe Barn. No booking required.
Saturday 19 December 2026 · 3pm to 4.30pm · Drop in
Workshop
Christmas flower arranging
Make a Christmas flower arrangement to take home, with a glass of sparkling wine and nibbles.
Sunday 20 December 2026 · From 2pm · £75 a head · Book ahead
Christmas
Festive afternoon tea
Afternoon tea in the Tithe Barn with sandwiches, scones and festive sweets, plus a glass of Kingscote wine.
Monday 21, Tuesday 22 or Wednesday 23 December 2026 · 2pm to 4.40pm · £40 a head · Book ahead
Buy Kingscote 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
East Grinstead station has direct trains from London Victoria, and the estate is about a ten-minute taxi ride from there. Kingscote station on the Bluebell Railway is about 20 minutes’ walk south along Vowels Lane, which makes arriving by steam train a real option on running days. By car, follow the brown signs for Kingscote Estate off Vowels Lane.
Make a day of it
The Bluebell Railway runs south from Kingscote station to Sheffield Park, where Bluebell Vineyard Estates is a short taxi ride away. Gravetye Manor, William Robinson’s former home and now a hotel known for its garden and restaurant, is a few minutes along the lanes. The National Trust’s Standen House is just outside East Grinstead.
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, Tillingham, Oxney Organic.
Questions people ask
Do I need to book a tasting?
No. Walk-in tastings are available every day. Only the weekend tours and private tours need booking.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, on a lead in the wine shop, gardens and woodland walks. Only assistance dogs can go on tours, and dogs are not allowed at the fishing lakes.
Can you stay at Kingscote?
Yes, in the Coach House, a detached two-bedroom cottage among the vines, booked through Airbnb.