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South Downs vineyards to visit

Thirteen estates along the South Downs, from Ditchling in the east through Pulborough to Chichester. There is no official trail here, so we group them by where they sit, with the stations that serve each group.

Written and checked by English Wine Tours, an independent guide. How we choose, check and earn.

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The South Downs in brief

  • Several of England’s best-known sparkling wine estates are here, including Ridgeview, Bolney, Wiston and Nyetimber.
  • Sussex Winelands has no trail for these estates yet, so the groups below are ours, based on where each vineyard is and how to reach it.
  • Ridgeview, Court Garden and Artelium, near Ditchling, are the easiest vineyards in Sussex to visit by train.

We’re an independent guide. Details checked in October 2026.

Map of the South Downs vineyards, numbered as in the list belowBrightonBognor RegisEmsworthHorshamLittlehamptonMidhurstNewhavenPetersfieldPetworthSeafordUckfieldWorthingAmberley stationBurgess Hill stationChichester stationLewes station1. Ridgeview1Ridgeview2. Court Garden2Court Garden3. Artelium Wine Estate3Artelium Wine Estate4. Albourne Estate4Albourne Estate5. Bolney Wine Estate5Bolney Wine Estate6. Wiston Estate6Wiston Estate7. Kinsbrook Vineyard78. Nyetimber8Nyetimber9. Nutbourne Vineyards910. Stopham Vineyard10Stopham Vineyard11. Tinwood Estate11Tinwood Estate12. Ashling Park Estate12Ashling Park Estate13. Breaky Bottom13Breaky Bottom5 miles
Map of the South Downs vineyards, numbered as in the list belowBordonCrawleyHorshamMidhurstSelseyShoreham-by-SeaAmberleyChichesterLewes1. Ridgeview12. Court Garden23. Artelium Wine Estate34. Albourne Estate45. Bolney Wine Estate56. Wiston Estate67. Kinsbrook Vineyard78. Nyetimber89. Nutbourne Vineyards910. Stopham Vineyard1011. Tinwood Estate1112. Ashling Park Estate1213. Breaky Bottom135 miles
Numbers match the list below; select a pin to jump to it. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Elevation from Mapzen Terrain Tiles

South Downs vineyards at a glance

Taken from each vineyard’s own visiting information. A dash means the vineyard does not say, so check with them before you travel.

VineyardWhereBookingFoodDogsStay
RidgeviewDitchling CommonNot neededYes––
Court GardenDitchlingSome walk-inYes––
Artelium Wine EstateStreat, near HassocksBook aheadYesYes–
Albourne EstateAlbourne, north of Brighton–Yes––
Bolney Wine EstateBolney, near Haywards Heath–Yes––
Wiston EstateWashington, below Chanctonbury Ring–Yes––
Kinsbrook VineyardThakeham, near PulboroughBook aheadYesYes–
NyetimberWest ChiltingtonSome walk-inYes––
Nutbourne VineyardsGay Street, near PulboroughSome walk-inYes––
Stopham VineyardStopham, near PulboroughBook aheadYes––
Tinwood EstateHalnaker, near Chichester–YesYesYes
Ashling Park EstateWest Ashling, near ChichesterSome walk-inYes–Yes
Breaky BottomRodmell, near LewesBook ahead–––

The vineyards

From Ditchling westwards to Chichester, with Breaky Bottom, near Lewes, at the end.

Ridgeview

Ditchling Common

One of the pioneers of English sparkling wine, at the foot of the South Downs.

Visiting: Wine bar and shop open all year, Sunday to Thursday 10.30am to 4pm and Friday and Saturday 10.30am to 5pm, with a free self-guided vineyard walk. A 30-minute tasting of six wines is £20, hourly from 11am to 3pm, and walk-ins are taken if there is room. The classic tour and tasting is £35 and lasts an hour and a half. Both are for over-18s. The Rows & Vine restaurant opens in spring and summer, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Burgess Hill station is a 30 to 40-minute walk or ten minutes by taxi.

Vineyard website

Court Garden

Ditchling

A family estate near Ditchling, and one of the vineyards most often visited on Sussex group tours.

Visiting: Pre-booked vineyard and sparkling wine tours from £27.50, or £37.50 with four cheeses, in morning or afternoon slots. There are self-guided vineyard and picnic tours too, and a homemade picnic can be added between 1pm and 2pm on Saturdays. Burgess Hill station is ten minutes by taxi.

Our full guide Vineyard website Buy the Classic Cuvée, £44

Artelium Wine Estate

Streat, near Hassocks

A vineyard and tasting room on the edge of the South Downs, with art installations among the vines.

Visiting: Open Thursday 12pm to 5pm, Friday 12pm to 10pm, Saturday 12pm to 9pm and Sunday 12pm to 6pm, with the shop only on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and Mondays by appointment. Public tours run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, last an hour and a half to two hours and end with three wines; food is not included. Walk-in tastings are taken, but groups of more than four should book. The Artelium Kitchen serves from Thursday to Sunday. Dogs on leads and children are welcome. Plumpton station is under 30 minutes’ walk and Burgess Hill ten minutes by taxi.

Vineyard website Buy the Blanc de Blancs, £62

Albourne Estate

Albourne, north of Brighton

Vineyards at the foot of the South Downs, a short drive from Brighton.

Visiting: The tasting room is closed for the winter and reopens in spring 2027. No public tour or tasting dates are left in 2026, and 2027 dates are released in January. Private tours and tastings are available all year by request, with cheese and charcuterie boards. Also visited on an e-bike tour from Brighton.

Vineyard website The e-bike tour

Bolney Wine Estate

Bolney, near Haywards Heath

A long-established family estate in mid Sussex.

Visiting: The estate is open seven days a week, 9am to 5pm, with a café and wine bar taking last orders at 4.30pm. The wine pairing tour and tasting runs daily at 10am, and also at 3pm on Fridays, lasts an hour and a half and costs £30 from Monday to Thursday or £40 from Friday to Sunday. The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday and serves until 10pm on Friday. Haywards Heath station is 15 minutes by taxi.

Our full guide Vineyard website Buy the Classic Cuvée, £35.15

Wiston Estate

Washington, below Chanctonbury Ring

An old family estate on the chalk of the South Downs, with its own winery.

Visiting: Cellar door open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. The winery tour and tasting is £30, lasts an hour and a half and runs Wednesday to Sunday at 11am and 2.30pm, taking in the Coquard press, the tank and barrel halls and four wines. Over-18s only, and the route is wheelchair accessible. The Chalk restaurant serves coffee and pastries and lunch from Wednesday to Sunday and dinner on Friday and Saturday. Worthing and Horsham stations are about 20 minutes away by taxi.

Our full guide Vineyard website

Kinsbrook Vineyard

Thakeham, near Pulborough

A family vineyard and farm in West Sussex.

Visiting: A farmhouse restaurant open seven days a week, a farm shop and vineyard tours. The tour lasts up to two hours and takes in the vineyard and winery, a welcome glass, a guided tasting of three more wines and a seasonal small plate; private tours are £40 a head. Book a table ahead at weekends. Dogs are welcome in the restaurant and around the vineyard, parking is free and there is a lift to the upper eatery.

Vineyard website

Nyetimber

West Chiltington

One of England’s best-known sparkling wine producers.

Visiting: Not open for drop-in visits. Tours run only on set open days, which sell out, so book early. Harvest and paired dining evenings are held on the estate. Taxi from Pulborough or Billingshurst, booked in advance.

Our full guide Vineyard website Buy the Classic Cuvée, £34.99

Nutbourne Vineyards

Gay Street, near Pulborough

A family estate below the South Downs, with wildflower meadows, lakes, alpacas and a windmill among the vines.

Visiting: Cellar door open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, for tastings and wine to take away, with a self-guided trail through the vines. Guided vineyard and winery tours run on Saturdays from May to September and must be booked, and private tours are arranged for groups. There is no café.

Vineyard website

Stopham Vineyard

Stopham, near Pulborough

Still wines from a vineyard on Sussex greensand, with the winery in a converted Grade II listed Victorian barn.

Visiting: Tours on most Saturdays from April to September at 11am or 2pm, taking in the vines and the winery and ending with a tasting of up to three still wines and one sparkling. Booked in advance, and lunch can be added. Pulborough station is the nearest.

Vineyard website

Tinwood Estate

Halnaker, near Chichester

A sparkling wine estate near Goodwood, on the edge of the South Downs.

Visiting: Open all year, with daily vineyard tours of an hour and a half at £21 a head, including three glasses of sparkling wine. Children can come and are given mocktails instead. Arrive 15 minutes before the tour. There is a vineyard kitchen, dogs are allowed on the estate, and luxury lodges to stay in.

Vineyard website

Ashling Park Estate

West Ashling, near Chichester

A vineyard and distillery estate in the South Downs National Park, making sparkling wine and gin.

Visiting: The vineyard tour and tasting is £25 a head, runs Thursday to Sunday and takes in five tastings including the gin; over-18s only. The vineyard café is open seven days, 9am to 3pm on weekdays and 9am to 4pm at weekends, with no booking needed. The restaurant serves lunch Thursday to Sunday and dinner Thursday to Saturday. Gin-making courses, cocktail classes and lodges to stay in.

Vineyard website Stay: Lodges at Ashling Park

Breaky Bottom

Rodmell, near Lewes

A tiny, much-loved vineyard in a fold of the Downs, reached by a long farm track. Planted in 1974, and one of the oldest names in English sparkling wine.

Visiting: Closed to visitors at present: no tours or tastings. You can buy and collect wine at the cellar door by appointment only, booked through the vineyard’s form or by phone. The vineyard is a mile and a half down an unmade track off the Lewes to Newhaven road at Northease Farm.

Vineyard website

Planning your visit

Ditchling, by train. Ridgeview, Court Garden and Artelium are within about two miles of each other. Ridgeview is a 30 to 40 minute walk from Burgess Hill, Court Garden about 40 minutes on foot from Hassocks, and Artelium under 30 minutes through the fields from Plumpton. A taxi from Burgess Hill takes about ten minutes to any of them.

Albourne and Bolney. Close together off the A23 north of Brighton. Bolney is a 15-minute taxi from Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill or Wivelsfield.

Around Pulborough. Nyetimber, Nutbourne, Kinsbrook, Stopham and Wiston. Taxis need booking ahead from Pulborough; for Wiston, the estate suggests Worthing or Horsham. Nyetimber opens only on its open days, and Nutbourne’s guided tours run on Saturdays from May to September.

Around Chichester. Tinwood and Ashling Park. For Tinwood, take the number 55 bus from Chichester to Halnaker crossroads and walk 10 to 15 minutes.

Elsewhere in Sussex, see the Wealden Wine Trail and the Rother Wine Triangle, or every Sussex vineyard on one map.

Where to stay

At the vineyards

Lodges in the vineyard

Lodges at Ashling Park

Lodges among the vines near Chichester, from one bedroom for two. Harvest, the one-bedroom lodge, is the one listed on Expedia.

Check datesBook direct

Nearby

Ditchling · Pub with rooms

The White Horse Inn

A historic village pub on West Street in the heart of Ditchling, beneath the South Downs, offering rooms as well as food.

Check datesBook direct

Cuckfield · Country house hotel

Ockenden Manor Hotel & Spa

An Elizabethan manor with a spa and a restaurant, in grounds overlooking Cuckfield Park.

Check datesBook direct

Amberley · Country house hotel

Amberley Castle

A castle hotel behind 900-year-old walls in the South Downs National Park, where guests dine in a Norman hall built in 1165.

Check datesBook direct

Arundel · Inn

The Swan Hotel

A traditional country pub in the heart of the market town of Arundel with 14 stylish ensuite rooms.

Check datesBook direct

Prices are often the same either way, so compare the booking site with booking direct.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Which South Downs vineyards can I reach by train?

Ridgeview from Burgess Hill, Court Garden from Hassocks and Artelium from Plumpton are all walkable. Most of the others are a short taxi ride from Pulborough, Haywards Heath or Chichester.

Can you visit Nyetimber?

Only on its open days, which are booked ahead. The nearest stations are Pulborough and Billingshurst, and taxis need booking in advance.

Is there a South Downs wine trail?

Not an official one yet. Sussex Winelands has launched the Wealden Wine Trail and the Rother Wine Triangle so far. On this page we group the South Downs estates by where they are.