Growth of the UK Wine Tourism Industry

With many vineyards in England within an hour by train from London, the wine tourism industry is a growth industry with a reported 65% increase in tourists this year.

The WSTA has reported that 33% of English vineyards have experienced a surge in overseas visitors, mainly from Holland, Germany, France and China.

More and more vineyards are offering wine tours for visitors to take a stroll around the vineyard, see the process of how the wine is made and then a chance to try the wines as well. Along with this some have shops, restaurants or cafes so that you spend longer there and to even further extend your stay, some also offer accommodation.

Here are a few examples:

Bolney Wine Estates which had around 10,000 visitors last Summer.

Rathfinney Estate who have expanded its winery and visitor facilities and now offer bed and breakfast accommodation.

Chapel Down which has excellent facilities for visitors, including a high quality restaurant.

Denbies, Kent’s oldest commercial vineyard, where you can stay in the original farmhouse.